SLU news

The larvae fix the steak

Published: 28 June 2018

Fly larvae can turn rotten rubbish into high-quality protein and purge manure from salmonella and drug residues. But the possibility of using larvae has been limited for the time being because of EU legislation.

Cecilia Lalander, the researcher leading fly larvae composting research at the Environmental Engineering group, has been interviewed by Anna Froster for the Swedish popular scientific journal Forskning & Framsteg. The article discusses various issues and achievements around the use of black soldier fly larvae to convert waste to value. Among others, the benefits discussed are that of the sanitization effect of the treatment, the reduction of pharmaceuticals as well as contribution of this waste management strategy towards reaching UNs sustainable development goals. Current issues with method implementation, including the EU legal restrictions, are also lifted in the article.

Facts:

The Black soldier fly originates from southern United States but has spread throughout the world's hot climate zones. Their optimal temperature is 27-35 degrees. The group of soldier flies has not got their name because they are particularly warlike, but because they have two rearward-facing backbones. A female can add more than 700 eggs. The eggs hatch to larvae, which after two weeks turn into puppies. After another two weeks a fly comes out of the pupa, whose adult life is a week long. The larva consists of more than 40 percent protein and just over 30 percent fat. An advantage of the Black soldier fly is that it does not eat anything like an adult. This means that it is not interested in buzzing around cowpat, wounds and plates with food.