Diverting organic waste from landfills via insect biomanufacturing using engineered black soldier flies
(Hermetia illucens)
A major roadblock towards the realisation of a circular economy are the lack of high-value products that can be generated from waste. Black soldier flies (BSF; Hermetia illucens) are gaining traction for their ability to rapidly consume large quantities of organic wastes. However, these are primarily used to produce a small variety of products, such as animal feed ingredients and fertiliser. Using synthetic biology, BSF could be developed into a novel sustainable biomanufacturing platform to valorise a broader variety of organic waste feedstocks into enhanced animal feeds, a large variety of high-value biomolecules including industrial enzymes and lipids, and improved fertiliser.
Title of publication: Communications Biology
Volume: 7
Page range: 862
Author: Kate Tepper
Other authors: Owain Edwards, Anwar Sunna, Ian T. Paulsen, Maciej Maselko
Organization: Macquarie University, Australia
Other organizations: EntoZyme, Australia,
Year: 2024
Type: Journal article
Full text available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-06516-8
Content language: English