Comparison of the Effects of Various Low Carbon Footprint Diets on the Growth Parameters of Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus) (Col. Tenebrionidae) as a Climate-Friendly Protein Source

This study investigated the use of food waste as a dietary source for the larvae of the yellow mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor L.). The main objective was to optimize the use of food waste to reduce food waste and carbon footprint. The experimental results showed that the larvae in the treatment of a mixture of lemon peel and wheat bran (LS) had the highest survival rate (SR) with an average (93.33% ± 1.49%). In contrast, the treatment with pistachio hull (P) had the lowest survival rate, with an average (1.67% ± 0.75%). In terms of weight gain (WG), the highest value was recorded for the control treatment with wheat bran (S), with an average (1.43 ± 0.10) grams, followed by the treatment of a mixture of student restaurant waste and wheat bran (GS), with an average (1.22 ± 0.11) grams. Additionally, the highest specific growth rate (SGR) was observed in the control treatment (S), with an average (8.25% ± 0.63%), followed by GS with an average (8.19% ± 0.14%). These two treatments did not show a significant difference from each other but showed significant differences compared to other treatments, except for the LS treatment. The highest feed conversion ratio (FCR) was recorded for the pistachio hull and wheat bran mixture (PS) with an average (50.58 ± 7.81) grams, while the lowest value was found in the GS treatment with an average (3.64 ± 0.34) grams. Furthermore, the protein efficiency ratio (PER) and lipid efficiency ratio (LER) were favorable in the control (S), LS, and GS treatments. The results indicated that wheat bran, wheat bran mixed with lemon peel, and wheat bran mixed with student restaurant waste are suitable options for yellow mealworm beetle farming due to their optimal performance across all indicators.