The purpose of the research is to study the effect of insect compost obtained as a result of the vital activity of insects of the Coleoptera order Ulomoides dermestoides on the quantitative and qualitative composition of soil nematodes of various ecological and trophic groups, as well as on the morphological and physiological state of plants and infection of tomato plants with root-knot nematodes.Materials and methods. Under laboratory conditions, soil containing a diverse fauna of nematodes was treated with 1% dry and 0.5; 0.75 and 1% aqueous solutions of biocompost. Insect compost was obtained by keeping the U. dermestoides on a dry nutrient mixture. Then a mixture of lawn grasses was sown in the ground. After 30 days, the composition of nematodes was analyzed. The ability of insect compost to suppress parasitic nematode species was studied using the tomato-knot nematode model system. Tomatoes were infected with Meloidogyne incognita at a rate of 500 larvae (J2) per plant and simultaneously treated with a 0.5% aqueous biocompost solution.Results and discussion. The insect compost U. dermestoides has an effect on quantitative and qualitative indicators in the community of soil nematodes, increasing the number of predatory and saprobiotic nematodes and displacing parasitic ones. And due to the content of various biologically active compounds, it affects the development of rootknot nematodes in tomato roots. When tomatoes are treated with an aqueous solution of insect compost, the infection score and the number of nematodes that penetrate the roots are reduced. The introduction of compost when growing a mixture of lawn grasses and tomatoes can improve the condition of the plants.

An aqueous extract from the larvae of black beetles Ulomoides dermestoides grown under controlled conditions was obtained and its proteomic analysis was performed based on one-dimensional electrophoretic separation of proteins, their trypsinolysis in a gel, and subsequent chromatography-mass spectrometry. Protein identification was performed using MaxQuant v.1.6.3.4 software. The Uniprot database was used to identify proteins by homology. Catalase activity was determined spectrophotometrically by a hydrogen peroxide concentration decrease. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by luminol chemiluminescence quenching. The extract contained proteins that can determine the biological activity of the extract: universal regulators of cellular processes calmodulin (6.2%), cytochrome c-2 (13.5%), nucleoside diphosphate kinase (11.1%), the enzymatic antioxidants superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase, peroxiredoxin, and glutathione synthetase as well as thioredoxin, 70 kDa and 60 kDa heat shock proteins, and a chitinase complex (13.4% in total). The catalase activity was 45.9 ± 6.5 µmol H2O2/min/mg protein; the antioxidant activity of 1 mg protein per ml extract was equivalent to 2.1 ± 0.3 mM trolox. The prospects for the practical use of the extract as a natural antioxidant complex were noted.

An aqueous extract from the larvae of black beetles Ulomoides dermestoides grown under controlled conditions was obtained and its proteomic analysis based on one-dimensional electrophoretic separation of proteins, their trypsinolysis in a gel and subsequent chromatography-mass spectrometry was performed. Protein identification was performed using MaxQuant v.1.6.3.4 software. The Uniprot database was used to identify proteins by homology. Catalase activity was determined spectrophotometrically by hydrogen peroxide concentration decrease. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by luminol chemiluminescence quenching. The extract contained proteins that can determine the biological activity of the extract: universal regulators of cellular processes calmodulin (62%), cytochrome c-2 (13.5%), nucleoside diphosphate kinase (11.1%), the enzymatic antioxidants superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase, peroxiredoxin, glutathione synthetase as well as thioredoxin, 70 and 60 kDa heat shock proteins, chitinase complex (13.4% in total). Catalase activity was 6.3 ± 1.1 µmol H2O2/min/mg protein; antioxidant activity of 1 mg protein per ml extract was equivalent to 1.36 ± 0.3 mM trolox. The prospects for practical use of the extract as a natural antioxidant complex were noted.

The physicochemical and sorption characteristics of the pupal cuticle of the black soldier fly have been studied. The qualitative and granulometric compositions of chitin material were determined, and the surface microrelief of chitin particles was studied by scanning microscopy. The sorption properties of the material were studied using methylene blue dye. It was found that the sorption capacity of the material is 0.118 mmol/g, or about 38 mg/g. Mathematical processing of the sorption isotherm using the Langmuir, Freindlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich models showed that the process is best described by the Dubinin–Radushkevich model (R2 = 0.8031), and the sorption process has a physical nature (E = 5.534 kJ/mol).

Using the method of scanning electron microscopy, a comparative study of the particle surface morphology and the elemental composition of the cuticle of Hermetia illucens pupa before and after the application of the culture liquid (CL) of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus acidophilus B 2707 was carried out. At the same time, under the influence of CL, destruction of relatively large particles of the powder of the chitin-protein complex of the cuticle (average particle diameter D 845.3 ± 109.1 μm) and the formation of small fragments (average D 63.4 ± 13.9 μm), including nanoparticles (average D 54 ± 18 nm). A biofilm of lactobacilli enriched with calcium, magnesium and phosphorus was obtained on a sorbent consisting of microparticles of the cuticle of insect pupae and including nanoparticles, which provided the probiotic preparation with high biological efficiency.

Using the method of scanning electron microscopy, a comparative study of the morphology of the particle surface and the elemental composition of the cuticle of Hermetia illucens pupa before and after the application of a liquid culture (LC) of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus acidophilus B 2707 was carried out. At the same time, under the influence of the LC, destruction of relatively large particles of the powder of the chitin–protein complex of the cuticle (average particle diameter D 845.3 ± 109.1 μm) and the formation of small fragments (average D 63.4 ± 13.9 μm) occurred, including nanoparticles (average D 54 ± 18 nm). A biofilm of lactobacilli enriched with calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus was obtained on a sorbent consisting of microparticles of the cuticle of insect pupae and including nanoparticles, which provided the probiotic preparation with high biological efficiency.

Larvae of the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens effectively use fruit and vegetable mixtures - waste of retail chains as a feed substrate, including those infected with nematodes. It is shown that the larvae are capable to dispose of the potatoes with high speed (for the 12 day it is reached 70% conversion of substrate) and completely eliminate in the affected root as the potato plant pathogenic nematode Ditylenchus destructor and saprobiotic nematode Rhabditis spp., which impair the commercial properties of potatoes and other root crops during storage. In the control substrate without larvae of the black soldier fly phytopathogenic nematodes were preserved during the study period, and saprobiotic nematodes have been multiplied. Introduction of zoocompost obtained from fruit and vegetable waste (excrements of the larvae with the remains of undigested substrate) to the soil reduces the infectivity of tomato root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. The introduction of compost under the root system immediately before the infection of the 2-month tomato seedlings reduced the negative impact of the nematode, the plants were more powerful than the infected control. Plants treated with zoocompost at a dose of 6.5 g/plant were particularly distinguished: the mass of their above-ground part and the height of the stem was close to uninfected control. The prospects of using zoocompost to stimulate the growth and development of plants, and especially plants suffering from nematode invasion, have been shown.

An aqueous extract was obtained from the biomass of Hermetia illucens larvae using the electro-pulse plasma-dynamic method. The extract was highly effective in quenching the chemiluminescence of luminol in the presence of hemoglobin and hydrogen peroxide. It contained the dark pigment melanin with a concentration of paramagnetic centers of 8.3 × 10 16 spin/g of dry matter and antioxidant activity. The antiradical properties of the extract were confirmed on the model of oxidative stress of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans in the presence of 40 mmol of paraquat: the introduction of the extract increased the median lifespan of the nematode by 25%. The antioxidant effect identified is associated with the presence of a complex of antioxidants in the extract and, possibly, antioxidant enzymes that destroy hydroperoxides.

Coccidiosis is widely spread in the growing poultry worldwide and results in the considerable losses for poultry production; therefore, the development of the drugs suppressing the reproduction of coccidial oocysts in poultry and/or improving the productive performance in the invaded poultry is still an urgent task. The study presented was aimed at the assessment of the efficiency of bioactive feed additive OP-1 based on the larvae of black solder fly (Hermetia illucens) in diets for broilers with experimental coccidiosis. The experiment was performed on three treatments of Ross-308 broilers (12 birds per treatment): negative control treatment 1 was not invaded; positive control treatment 2 and treatment 3 at 10 days of age were inoculated with the mixture of Eimeria acervulina and E. tenella (0.5 × 106 oocysts per bird); all treatments were fed standard diet for broilers, the diet for treatment 3 was additionally supplemented with the additive (500 ppm) since 1 day of age. It was found that in treatment 3 the intensity of coccidial reproduction was lower 1.4-fold in compare to treatment 2 while relative bodyweight gain at 20 days of age was higher by 27.1

The larvae of the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens are actively used for bioconversion of a wide range of organic residues, and the insects themselves are an excellent source of feed protein, and waste products can be used as fertilizers. It is noted that the excrement of larvae and the residual mass of undigested substrates significantly affect soil biota. In this article, the effect of the composition of feed mixtures for the life of H. illucens larvae on the protein- fat composition of larvae, the biophilic composition of the obtained composts and the possibility of using zoocompost to control one of the most pathogenic types of root-knot nematodes on tomatoes have been studied. It has been shown that feed mixtures based on potatoes, apples, corn, and including sunflower meal, wheat bran or pine sawdust make it possible to obtain competent larvae with a high protein content. All obtained zoocompost significantly suppresses the development of the nematodes Meloidogyne incognita. However, mixing coniferous sawdust in the feed mixture reduces the conversion of the substrate, and the resulting zoocompost does not have a growth-promoting effect on tomato plants.

The objective of this study was screening of ommochromes from the compound eyes of insects and comparison of their antioxidant properties. Ommochromes were isolated in preparative quantities from insects of five different families: Stratiomyidae, Sphingidae, Blaberidae, Acrididae, and Tenebrionidae. The yield of ommochromes (dry pigment weight) was 0.9-5.4% of tissue wet weight depending on the insect species. Isolated pigments were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and represented a mixture of several ommochromes of the ommatin series. The isolated ommochromes displayed a pronounced fluorescence with the emission maxima at 435-450 nm and 520-535 nm; furthermore, the emission intensity increased significantly upon ommochrome oxidation with hydrogen peroxide. The ommochromes produced a stable EPR signal consisting of a singlet line with g = 2.0045-2.0048, width of 1.20-1.27 mT, and high concentration of paramagnetic centers (> 10(17) spin/g dry weight). All the investigated ommochromes demonstrated high antiradical activity measured from the degree of chemiluminescence quenching in a model system containing luminol, hemoglobin, and hydrogen peroxide. The ommochromes strongly inhibited peroxidation of the photoreceptor cell outer segments induced by visible light in the presence of lipofuscin granules from the human retinal pigment epithelium, as well as suppressed iron/ascorbate-mediated lipid peroxidation. The obtained results are important for understanding the biological functions of ommochromes in invertebrates and identifying invertebrate species that could be used as efficient sources of ommochromes for pharmacological preparations to prevent and treat pathologies associated with the oxidative stress development.

A technique for the isolation and purification of ommochromes (pigments of the complex eye of the adult Hermetia illucens fly) has been developed. Isolated ommochromes showed fluorescence with emission maxima at 460–470 nm and 525–535 nm, the intensity of which increased abruptly during their oxidation with hydrogen peroxide. The method of chemiluminescence quenching of luminol was used to determine the antiradical activity of ommochromes; the constant value was (1.2 ± 0.5) × 104 M–1. A finely dispersed mixture of ommochromes in 0.1 M potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) containing bovine serum albumin (2.0 mg/mL) showed antimicrobial activity against B. subtilis ATCC 6633, Candida albicans ATCC 2091, and Aspergillus niger INA 00760. The H. illucens imago was concluded to be a promising renewable source of natural pigments with good antioxidant characteristics and antibacterial properties.

This article discusses work on assessing the digestibility of a concentrate of Hermetia illucens larvae in fish with gastrointestinal digestion (rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, Russian sturgeon Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, red tilapia Oreochromis mosambicus × O. niloticus). It was found that this digestibility index of the larvae concentrate was 67–74%. At the same time, fish species consumed larvae protein at 91–97%, the digestibility of residual fat was 90–94%, and easily hydrolyzed carbohydrates amounted to 52–68%. Сhitin of H. illucens was digested 25–35% and did not adversely affect the digestion of protein and fat in the fish species studied. The digestion rates of the H. illucens larvae concentrate, protein, and easily digestible carbohydrates in O. mosambicus × O. niloticus are statistically significantly higher than in Onc. mykiss, while in A. gueldenstaedtii they were intermediate in comparison with tilapia and trout. This corresponded to the duration of food passage through the intestinal tract, which in O. mosambicus × O. niloticus, Ac. gueldenstaedtii, and O. mykiss came to 7.8, 9.6, and 15.7 hours, respectively. Fat and chitin were digested by red trout significantly more efficiently than other fish species. This corresponded to the duration of food passage through the intestinal tract, which for tilapia, sturgeon, and trout came to 7.8, 9.6, and 15.7 hours, respectively. The degree of digestibility of fat and chitin by trout was significantly higher than that of other fish species.

ПИТАТЕЛЬНЫЕ СВОЙСТВА ЛИЧИНОКHermetia illucens L. -НОВОГО КОРМОВОГО ПРОДУКТА ДЛЯ МОЛОДНЯКА СВИНЕЙ (Sus scrofa domesticus Erxleben) * Р.В.НЕКРАСОВ 1 , М.Г.ЧАБАЕВ 1 , А.А.ЗЕЛЕНЧЕНКОВА 1 , А.И.БАСТРАКОВ 2 , Н.А.УШАКОВА 2 Выращивание личинок мухи черная львинка (Hermetia illucens L.) -экономичный способ превращения органических остатков в ценный источник биомолекул (белков, липидов и хитина).Доказана перспективность промышленного разведения личинок черной львинки на различных органических субстратах, в связи с чем целесообразно изучить их питательные свойства и эффективность применения в кормлении сельскохозяйственных животных.Целью нашей работы была оценка питательных характеристик личинок H. illucens, выращенных на различных кормовых субстратах, и изучение возможности введения их в рацион сельскохозяйственных животных на примере молодняка свиней.Личинок получали в лабораторных условиях (ИПЭЭ РАН) при использовании различных кормовых субстратов: послеспиртовой барды, фуражного зерна пшеницы, пшеничных отрубей, дробленой кукурузы, фруктово-зерново-овощных смесей, птичьей пометной подстилки.Физиологический опыт на гибридных боровках (F 1 крупная белая ½ ландрас, 6 гол.) проводили в условиях физиологического двора Федерального научного центра животноводства -ВИЖ им.академика Л.К.Эрнста.По принципу аналогов (происхождение, возраст, живая масса) были сформированы две группы животных по 3 гол.в каждой.Животным I группы (контроль) скармливали полнорационный стартовый комбикорм (СК-4) с содержанием 5 % отрубей и добавлением 5,0 % рыбной муки.Аналогам из II группы давали СК-4 с 7,0 % сухих личинок H. illucens, выращенных на дробленой кукурузе, и 3 % пшеничных отрубей.Опыт проводили в двух повторностях.Биоконверсия субстратов личинками составляла от 41 % (птичья пометная подстилка) до 77 % (дробленая кукуруза).Биомасса личинок варьировала от 54 г/кг (птичья пометная подстилка) до 240 г/кг (зерново-фруктово-овощные смеси).Наиболее предпочтительными субстратами для выращивания биомассы личинок оказались зерновые и зерново-фруктовоовощные смеси.Питательная ценность личинок мухи менялась в зависимости от субстрата.Количество обменной энергии находится в пределах 15,32-21,41 МДж/кг, количество белка колеблется в пределах 35,5-48,3 %, жира -20,6-45,5 %.Протеин личинок содержит полный набор аминокислот, характерный для белка животного происхождения, и по составу также зависит от используемого субстрата.Существенное влияние на биохимический состав личинок оказывал их возраст.У личинок последнего возраста (предкуколки) повышалось количество протеина и уменьшалась массовая доля жира: в сухих личинках, выращенных на фуражном зерне пшеницы, содержалось 37,6 % протеина и 38,3 % жира, в то время как в предкуколках эти показатели составляли соответственно 42,8 и 31,9 %.Замена рыбной муки сухими личинками мухи H. illucens способствовала лучшему использованию и отложению азота и, как следствие, более высокому приросту живой массы у поросят из опытной группы (504,95±17,94 против 475,92±22,93 г, р > 0,05).Включение в рацион личинок черной львинки не оказывало статистически значимого отрицательного воздействия на использование животными кальция и фосфора.Таким образом, личинки мухи Hermetia illucens можно рассматривать в качестве рациональной альтернативы традиционным высокопротеиновым кормам, удовлетворяющим потребности интенсивно растущего молодняка свиней в питательных веществах.