I had a pleasant and fruitful collaboration with WUR team (Wageningen Food & Biobased Research). My points of contact were Dr. Carl Safi and Dr. Ben van den Broek. The objectives of the project were met and all the analysis were delivered on time.

I received the analysis of the Black Soldier Fly powder and frass:

•  In the powder: the protein content was 28.68% and the amino acids profile was determined based on ISO 13903:2005; EU 152/2009 (F). Salmonella sp. was not detected , whereas Escherichia coli count was 5100 cfu/g of powder.
• The powder was found to consist of the following: dry matter 94%, fat 17.9% and ash 12.06%. These values were 73.7%, 1.2%  and 11.96% respectively in the frass sample.
• The pH values for the powder and the frass were alkaline, 8.06 and 9.39 respectively. 
• The heavy metals (As and Pb) content was determined in the powder and the frass.
• The values of meso minerals such as Mg, Ca and S were determined.
• The values of micro elements such as Mn and Zn were also determined.
• The N-P-K content of the frass was found to be 3.1%, 1.3% and 2.7%.

I greatly benefited from the opportunity of testing my samples at WUR, as this gave me an idea about the content and value of the powder and the frass. The results will help to optimize the production process in the BSF facility. The values obtained show that there is room for improvement to reach a higher quality. Changes such as providing the BSF larvae with a more nutritious feeding substrate and better monitoring the climatic conditions in the rearing room will be applied in the future.

The results were compared with the analysis of a previous production batch carried out in a local laboratory. This will allow for monitoring the quality consistency over time.