The nutrient composition of three mosquito species, Aedes caspius, Anopheles hyrcanus and Culex pipiens, harvested from nature

Abstract

Increasing pressure on the world’s livestock production sector has prompted the exploration of alternative food and feed sources with lower environmental impact. Insects have attracted attention as an alternative nutritionally valuable source, though currently, only few species are extensively studied and commercially available, all of which stem from rearing facilities. This research proposes to harvest mosquitoes directly from agricultural settings where they are naturally abundant, to utilize as sustainable animal feed while also mitigating the public health burden and nuisance created by mosquitoes. For my research I evaluated the nutritional composition and microbial safety of adult mosquitoes, using Aedes caspius, Anopheles hyrcanus, and Culex pipiens, harvested from the rice-field region of West Thessaloniki, Greece. Nutritional composition was determined based on total protein content, crude fat content, moisture and ash content, mineral profile analysis and antioxidant activity of the three species. The microbiological profile of each mosquito species was determined using common food pathogen screening (Total viable bacterial (TVC), Enterobacteriaceae, Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), and coagulase – positive Staphylococci). A heat-treatment (75°C, 1-15 min) was applied as a potential decontamination process. Obtained values were compared to common edible insects (Tenebrio molitor, Acheta domesticus, and Hermetia illucens) as well as conventional livestock feedstuff (soybean meal, fishmeal). Of the three mosquito species, An. hyrcanus had higher protein content, Ae. caspius had higher mineral content, and Cx. pipiens had higher fat content. The presence of food microbes was confirmed for all mosquito species and the application of heat – treatment managed to lower the bacterial load. Mosquitoes appeared highly nutritious, superior to common edible insects and conventional feed options. Heat – treatment proved a potential decontamination method, if optimised, to ensure feed safety. These data show that wild-harvested mosquitoes can be a nutritional, alternative source for poultry feed.