The mealworm, commonly referred to as the "breadworm," is often called the "king of animal protein feed" due to its high nutritional value. As a valuable resource insect, it has a wide range of applications in feed, food, and health care industries. With a protein content higher than lamb and pork, it contains 17 essential amino acids, along with significant amounts of fats, minerals, and vitamins. Studies have shown that insect-based protein additives derived from mealworms can significantly improve egg production in poultry and enhance growth rates and overall health in livestock. Currently, mealworms are widely used in raising poultry, livestock, fish, snakes, and even some insects like cockroaches. Below are detailed feeding methods.
(1) Equipment Preparation: Essential tools include rearing boxes, spawning boxes, and mesh screens. The depth of the rearing box should be around 15–20 cm to prevent the insects from escaping. The mesh at the bottom of the spawning box should be fine enough to prevent them from crawling out. A mesh screen is also used to separate waste, ensuring the mealworms remain contained. For hygiene, high-temperature disinfection or a 1% chlorine bleach solution can be applied if available.
(2) Breeding Cycle: The life cycle of the mealworm lasts approximately 100 days. After 8 weeks, they undergo complete metamorphosis. You can either purchase mature adults or start with larvae for self-cultivation. Choose healthy, disease-free individuals and keep them in separate containers. Optimal conditions are temperatures between 20–28°C and humidity levels of 50–80%. Feed 8th instar larvae with green vegetables to support pupation. After about 10 days, they will begin to pupate. Newly emerged adults are less active and do not eat immediately. After three days, they start feeding, mating, and laying eggs. During this time, provide them with melon peels, leaves, wheat bran, and other nutritious materials. Change the feed every five days to maintain quality. The spawning period usually lasts 1–2 months, and you should remove the adults when their activity decreases.
(3) Egg Hatching and Rearing: Newly laid eggs hatch into larvae within 5–7 days at 25–30°C. Initially, feed them high-quality foods such as wheat bran and cornmeal. As they grow, introduce rice bran, soybean residue, fish meal, leaves, and fruits. Add these ingredients every 2–3 days, maintaining a feed-to-insect ratio of roughly 2:1. Remove feces every 5–6 days. Expand the rearing area as the population grows, ideally at a density of 2–3 kg per square meter. Adding 0.1–0.2% glucose or lysine to the feed can further promote growth.
(4) Precautions: Separate different life stages to avoid cannibalism between larvae and adults. Remove first-time eggs promptly. Avoid feeding moldy or overly wet food, especially during rainy seasons. Keep the environment dark, well-ventilated, and free from moisture, but not too cold. Avoid exposure to fertilizers, pesticides, and toxic gases. Regularly remove dead insects and pests to prevent disease outbreaks. Protect against natural predators like geckos, ants, flies, and mice. Monitor for soft rot or dry blight; if detected, add chloramphenicol to the feed for antibacterial effects.
(5) Application: Mealworms can be air-dried and ground into powder to add to feed, used directly as a protein source, or blended into fresh paste for compound feeds.
In summary, the feeding method described above is a comprehensive approach to cultivating mealworms as a feed source. Due to their rich nutrition, safety, and ease of cultivation, mealworms are increasingly being utilized in human health products. With ongoing research, mealworm farming is expected to become a major industrial raw material with vast potential for future development.
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