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Searching for new ecologically and economically efficient sources of chitin is of great interest in the field of biotechnology. Nowadays, the topic is growing fast, and many scientists, researchers, primarily the representatives of the Russian Chitin Society, study and search for new sources of chitin not only from large crustaceans, molluscs, and crabs, but also from insects and small crustaceans. Domesticated and liable to breeding representatives of invertebrate animals, particularly large American Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens L.) can be new and promising raw material source. The Fly is a promising object of research because it contains a chitinous external skeleton. During the studies at the Biology, Ecology and Biotechnology Department of NARFU named after M. V. Lomonosov, there were determined a sufficiently high percentage chitin yield from dead flies equal to 21.3% (1281.2 g per year per 1 m3 of a cage), almost complete absence of residual protein (C = 0.98 µg/ml) and high adsorption ability (X = 156.6 mg/g) of the extracted polysaccharide. Studied qualitative characteristics enable to consider the product as environmentally and economically cost-effective sorbent with the possibility of application in many areas of biotechnology, environmental and industrial fields of production.

Recent data show that dried larvae of darkling beetles (Zophobas morio L., DZML) and dried larvae of wax moths (Galleria mellonella L., DGML) contains a significant amount of protein, fat, chitin, melanin, antimicrobial peptides, trace elements etc. Larva’s fat is rich in lauric and other medium-chain fatty acids. The aim of our research was to study the influence of dietary replacement of fishmeal (FM) by insect meal on growth performance and nonspecific immunity of growing pigs. Experiments were performed using crossbred [(BWxL)xD] pigs (BW1=14.39±0.19 kg, N=27, n = 9) during the growing period. Animals were allocated to 3 groups: 1 – control (standard feed (SF), including FM), 2 – experimental (SF+2.5%DZML), 3 – experimental (SF+3.0%DGML). The materials obtained in the experiment was biometrically processed using the ANOVA method (at P >0.05 or P < 0.05). The use of DZML&DGML in feed didn’t reduce ADG of experimental animals during the growing period (413.23&413.76 vs. 413.76 g) compared to the control group. Dried larvae supplementation didn’t reduce feed intake and nutrient digestibility. The fat digestibility increased in the 2&3-experimental group (45.0&44.36 vs 29.75%, P < 0.05), due to the high level of lipids and the profile of fatty acids in the larvae. Biochemical blood test showed a higher ALB/GLB ratio (0.85&1.43 vs 0.59, P = 0.05), higher number of WBC (12.36&12.89 vs. 10.44, P = 0.19) in the blood of the experimental animals compared to the control group. Growing pigs of the experimental groups had a higher level of nonspecific immunity, which is expressed in an increase in bactericidal, lysozyme activity of blood serum and phagocytic activity of neutrophils. Consequently, it is possible to consider the prospects of using DGML&DGML as dietary supplements to diets of growing pigs. The work was supported by the GZ АААА-А18-118021590136-7 of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

Due to the intensive development of technologies for obtaining protein, energy feed and biologically active supplements from insects, the feasibility and effectiveness of introducing these products into the rations of farm animals require further study. This research aims to study the possibility and effects of feeding dairy cows fat from the larvae of the black soldier fly (BSFLF). The composition and properties of the BSFLF have been studied. The research of the fatty acid composition of BSFLF showed a high content of saturated fatty acids, including 58.9% lauric acid. The experiment was performed on black-and-white cows at the beginning of lactation (control, D0 (n = 12) vs. experimental D10 (n = 12) and D100 (n = 12) groups, 10 and 100 g/head/day BSFLF, respectively. There was no negative effect of BSFLF feeding on the process of feed digestion. The pH of the rumen content decreased (6.80 ± 0.07 & 6.85 ± 0.09 vs. 7.16 ± 0.06, p < 0.05), with an increase in the number of infusoria (0.27 ± 0.03&0.37 ± 0.09 vs. 0.18 ± 0.03 g/100 mL, p = 0.16); there was an increase in the concentration of VFA in the rumen content of animals of the experimental groups by 2.1 (p < 0.05) and 3.81 (p < 0.01) (8.66 ± 0.46 & 10.37 ± 0.42 vs. 6.56 ± 0.29) mmol/100 mL. The average daily milk yield of Group D10 cows over the experimental period (d17–d177) was slightly higher than the control (by 4.9%, p = 0.24 vs. Group D0). At the same time, Group D100 cows showed a significant increase in natural-fat milk compared to controls (by 8.0%, p < 0.05 vs. Group D0) over the same experiment period. Analysis of the fatty acid composition of the milk of the experimental animals showed some changes in the fatty acid composition of milk under the influence of BSFLF feeding; these changes were especially noticeable in Group D10. Thus, it was found that feeding dairy cows BSFLF at different dosages leads to better indicators of pre-gastric digestion and productivity.

Wastes Management System is a set of measures to collect, transport, recycle, reuse or dispose of wastes, as well as control over implementation of these processes. In agriculture, the system primarily aims at environmental safety of production by recycling agricultural wastes. Disposal of organic animal wastes is main task of the system. Fresh bird excrement from poultry farms is unsafe for human, being the 3rd class environmental hazard. Proposed by us technology of bird excrement utilization is new, having no analogues in Russia. Based on process of excrement bioconversing by Black Soldier Fly’s larvae (Hermetia illucens L.), it solves a number of problems: environment protection from toxic poultry farming’s wastes (bioconversion speed: 3.7…7.6 kg/m2/day), production of ecologically clean fertilizers – zoohumus (output: 11.3…14.8% per 1 kg of wastes), and obtaining high-protein food additive for poultry (1.9…3.5 kg of larvae/day/m2). The system is profitable and of low costs: adding Fly’s larvae to the poultry’s food, consumption of combined feeds can be reduced by 49%; 360 kg of zoohumus per 1m2 is produced by recycling 3 tons of excrement by larvae; selling larvae as high-protein food additive is 28 times as much in contrast to selling excrement as granular fertilizer.