Effect of chicken dung on the growth performance, waste reduction efficiency and heavy metal composition in the black soldier fly (hermetia illucens) larvae

The Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) or "BSF", is employed as a waste management tool in this study, similar to vermicomposting. This research was conducted to determine the effect of substrates to the black soldier fly (BSF) larvae in decomposing the waste. The growth development, waste reduction index, substrate reduction, bioconversion rate, relative growth rate, amino acid properties and accumulation of heavy metals of different substrates were evaluated. In this study, BSFL were fed with three types of substrate which was chicken dung (CD), chicken dung mixed with effective microorganism (CD+EM) and chicken feed (CF) with four replicates until 30% of the larvae reached the pre-pupae stage. During the study, larval development, waste reduction index, substrate reduction, bioconversion rate, relative growth rate, amino acid properties and heavy metal accumulation in the larvae were determined. BSFL reared with CF achieved the highest growth in size and weight of (1.94 ± 0.05 cm) and (4.80 ± 0.12 g) in average, respectively and followed by CD and CD + EM with (0.88 ± 0.07 cm), (0.49 ± 0.27 g) and (0.81 ± 0.03 cm), (0.27 ± 0.07 g) in average respectively. Waste reduction index and substrate reduction for all substrates were calculated as follows: CF (4.85 ± 0.03 g/day), (72.7 ± 0.01 %), CD (2.45 ± 0.20 g/day), (36.7 ± 0.03 %) and CD + EM (2.54 ± 0.11 g/day), (38.1 ± 0.02 %), respectively. The bioconversion rate and relative growth day for BSFL reared in different substrates were as follows: CF (1.34 ± 0.06 %), (1.92 ± 0.01 day⁻¹), CD (0.15 ± 0.13 %), (0.23 ± 0.03 day⁻¹), CD + EM (0.05 ± 0.01 %), (0.09 ± 0.02 day⁻¹), respectively. BSFL also seems to have accumulation of heavy metals (plumbum, zinc, iron, nickel, cadmium and copper) in their body and have different amino acid compositions if being compared to the other waste.