Dataset Information

Uptake of Cadmium, Lead and Arsenic by Tenebrio molitor and Hermetia illucens from Contaminated Substrates.

ABSTRACT: Insects have potential as a novel source of protein in feed and food production in Europe, provided they can be used safely. To date, limited information is available on the safety of insects, and toxic elements are one of the potential hazards of concern. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the potential accumulation of cadmium, lead and arsenic in larvae of two insect species, Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworm) and Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly), which seem to hold potential as a source of food or feed. An experiment was designed with 14 treatments, each in triplicate, per insect species. Twelve treatments used feed that was spiked with cadmium, lead or arsenic at 0.5, 1 and 2 times the respective maximum allowable levels (ML) in complete feed, as established by the European Commission (EC). Two of the 14 treatments consisted of controls, using non-spiked feed. All insects per container (replicate) were harvested when the first larva in that container had completed its larval stage. Development time, survival rates and fresh weights were similar over all treatments, except for development time and total live weight of the half of the maximum limit treatment for cadmium of the black soldier fly. Bioaccumulation (bioaccumulation factor > 1) was seen in all treatments (including two controls) for lead and cadmium in black soldier fly larvae, and for the three arsenic treatments in the yellow mealworm larvae. In the three cadmium treatments, concentrations of cadmium in black soldier fly larvae are higher than the current EC maximum limit for feed materials. The same was seen for the 1.0 and 2.0 ML treatments of arsenic in the yellow mealworm larvae. From this study, it can be concluded that if insects are used as feed materials, the maximum limits of these elements in complete feed should be revised per insect species.

SUBMITTER: van der Fels-Klerx HJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5112862 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Uptake of Cadmium, Lead and Arsenic by Tenebrio molitor and Hermetia illucens from Contaminated Substrates.

van der Fels-Klerx H J HJ Camenzuli L L van der Lee M K MK Oonincx D G A B DG

PloS one 20161115 11

Insects have potential as a novel source of protein in feed and food production in Europe, provided they can be used safely. To date, limited information is available on the safety of insects, and toxic elements are one of the potential hazards of concern. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the potential accumulation of cadmium, lead and arsenic in larvae of two insect species, Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworm) and Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly), which seem to hold potential as a source ...[more]

PMID: 27846238

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Project description:Findings of viable Salmonella spp., which are important foodborne pathogens, are seemingly not reported in mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) for feed and food. Still, the bacterial load of mealworms is naturally high and includes members of the Enterobacteriaceae family to which Salmonella belong. This indicates that Salmonella may be able to thrive in mealworms if introduced into the production. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the quantitative level of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) in mealworms over a 14-day course after exposure to substrate contaminated with ST levels from 1.7 to 7.4 log CFU/g at start (i.e., day 0). The level of ST found in larvae was below the quantitative detection level (1 or 2 log CFU/g) on day 1 in larvae exposed to contamination levels of 1.7, 3.4, and 3.6 log CFU/g opposed to contamination levels of 5.4, 5.6, and 7.4 log CFU/g, respectively. The maximum level of ST detected in individual 1-g larvae samples was 5.8 log CFU/g, but the level varied among the triplicate samples from each sampling, and the highest average value was 5.3 ± 0.3. Beyond day 7, only larvae exposed to the contamination level of 7.4 log CFU/g were >1.0 log CFU/g in the triplicate samples. However, qualitative testing (10 g) showed the presence of ST in larvae until the end of the experiment on day 14 except for the lowest contamination level of 1.7 log CFU/g. Parallel testing of surface disinfected larvae indicated that some larvae may be ST-positive due to Salmonella residing on the surface only. Still, any detection of Salmonella is of concern from a food safety perspective. In substrate with contamination levels below 3.6 log CFU/g, the level of ST was below the quantitative detection limit within a few days. Still, ST was detected until the end of experiment on day 14 except for the lowest contamination level of 1.7 log CFU/g. This study indicates the importance of avoiding introduction of Salmonella into the production, e.g., via contaminated substrate in order to avoid Salmonella-positive larvae as they remained positive for at least 14 days (except at the lowest contamination level).

Dataset Information

Uptake of Cadmium, Lead and Arsenic by Tenebrio molitor and Hermetia illucens from Contaminated Substrates.

Publications

Uptake of Cadmium, Lead and Arsenic by Tenebrio molitor and Hermetia illucens from Contaminated Substrates.

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