Student Poster Display
Plant-Insect Ecosystems
Student
Student Competition
Jaden Kim
University of California
Riverside, California
Kerry Elizabeth Mauck
Assistant Proffesor
University of California
Riverside, California
Marco Gebiola
Project Scientist
University of California
Riverside, California
The black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) (BSF) is closely associated with
composting and promotes a circular economy model by upcycling food waste into usable
biomass. Larvae of BSF consume a broad range of organic matter and contain a diverse
microbiome. Commercial rearing of BSF larvae is a growing practice with numerous economic
applications. Consequently, larvae grown on contaminated food substrates pose a potential
human and animal health risk if they contain Salmonella and Escherichia coli. Substrate
fermentation with the addition of yeasts, fungi, and lactic acid bacteria can mediate pathogen
inoculation risks and improve larva quality. Bokashi fermentation, an anaerobic composting
strategy, also promotes larval growth and reduces greenhouse gas emissions during
bioconversion. Understanding the effects of bokashi fermentation on BSF larval microbiota is
necessary to optimize waste management and rearing operations. To determine the impact of
bokashi fermentation on coliforms present in BSF larval digestive tracts, we extracted the gut
contents of insects reared on fermented and unfermented substrates and surveyed gut microbe
diversity and abundance using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. We will discuss the results of our
ongoing analyses and their implications for transfer of pathogenic bacteria from rearing sites to
downstream uses of BSF larvae.