Black soldier fly (Hermetia Illucens) larvae meal fermented with Lactobacillus bulgaricus as probiotic feed

Abstract

The overuse of antibiotics in livestock is leading to the development of super-resistant pathogens, necessitating the production of probiotic feed for livestock that is also sustainable. Therefore, the study aims to ferment five mixtures of black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) and soy in different proportions with the probiotic Lactobacillus bulgaricus in order to determine which allows the greatest growth of this probiotic bacteria and represent a new feed alternative for sustainable livestock farming. To achieve this, the growth curve of Lactobacillus bulgaricus in MRS broth was determined. In the exponential growth phase, this broth was added to the five formulations of BSFLM and soy, and finally, the CFU produced by each formulation was determined. It was found that the concentration of BSFLM has a statistically significant effect (p < 0.05) on the concentration of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, with twice as many CFU of the probiotic obtained in the pure HLMSN treatment than in the pure soy treatment. These results reveal that Lactobacillus bulgaricus is capable of metabolizing and producing greater biomass with BSFLM as a substrate instead of soy, so this formulation can be used in subsequent studies for in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial testing.