Evaluating Sustainable Diets for Cricket Farming Through Biomass and Proteomic Analysis
Faculty Mentor Name
Romuald Francis Yang, Dr. Ajna Rivera
Research or Creativity Area
Health Sciences
Abstract
As global demand for sustainable protein sources increases, the current food industry must adapt to support an ever-growing population projected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. The majority of the world’s protein is currently sourced from livestock farming, but increasing meat consumption would require massive amounts of water, land, and feed, not to mention the associated rise in greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, insects, such as crickets, have emerged as a promising alternative protein source due to their high protein density and low environmental impact, potentially meeting the demand for the world’s food supply. However, optimizing the diet composition for large-scale, cost-effective cricket farming remains a key challenge we hope to address.
This study aims to determine the effects of diet on the proteomic profile and biomass of crickets (Gryllus lineaticeps). Crickets were either fed a high-protein diet in the form of cat food or low-cost vegetable food waste. Protein samples were prepared via in-solution tryptic digest, in urea and analyzed through high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) to identify and quantify peptides. Gene Ontology Causal Activity Modeling (GO-CAM) was used to identify proteins and their function. Additional analyses included protein concentration assays to identify and quantify the proteins in the two sample groups.
Preliminary results using mass spectrometry indicate differences in overall mass between diet groups, although variation in hydrophobic protein composition was minimal. These findings suggest that diet type may influence growth without significantly altering certain protein types. The observable growth differences among diet groups (overall body mass) appear to be primarily adipose accumulation rather than lean protein growth. Our goal is to determine the minimal protein diet required for large-scale cricket farming, with the aim of upcycling cheap food waste. Given the absence of a clear difference in hydrophobic proteins, we will focus on testing hydrophilic proteins and altering treatment groups (e.g., diet composition or feeding frequency) to determine whether a broader spectrum of diet-responsive proteins exists. This research contributes to the development of sustainable, low-cost insect farming strategies by investigating the effects of using food waste as an alternative feed source.
Evaluating Sustainable Diets for Cricket Farming Through Biomass and Proteomic Analysis
As global demand for sustainable protein sources increases, the current food industry must adapt to support an ever-growing population projected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. The majority of the world’s protein is currently sourced from livestock farming, but increasing meat consumption would require massive amounts of water, land, and feed, not to mention the associated rise in greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, insects, such as crickets, have emerged as a promising alternative protein source due to their high protein density and low environmental impact, potentially meeting the demand for the world’s food supply. However, optimizing the diet composition for large-scale, cost-effective cricket farming remains a key challenge we hope to address.
This study aims to determine the effects of diet on the proteomic profile and biomass of crickets (Gryllus lineaticeps). Crickets were either fed a high-protein diet in the form of cat food or low-cost vegetable food waste. Protein samples were prepared via in-solution tryptic digest, in urea and analyzed through high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) to identify and quantify peptides. Gene Ontology Causal Activity Modeling (GO-CAM) was used to identify proteins and their function. Additional analyses included protein concentration assays to identify and quantify the proteins in the two sample groups.
Preliminary results using mass spectrometry indicate differences in overall mass between diet groups, although variation in hydrophobic protein composition was minimal. These findings suggest that diet type may influence growth without significantly altering certain protein types. The observable growth differences among diet groups (overall body mass) appear to be primarily adipose accumulation rather than lean protein growth. Our goal is to determine the minimal protein diet required for large-scale cricket farming, with the aim of upcycling cheap food waste. Given the absence of a clear difference in hydrophobic proteins, we will focus on testing hydrophilic proteins and altering treatment groups (e.g., diet composition or feeding frequency) to determine whether a broader spectrum of diet-responsive proteins exists. This research contributes to the development of sustainable, low-cost insect farming strategies by investigating the effects of using food waste as an alternative feed source.
