New expertise to make insect rearing more efficient
Mass-reared insects are used for several purposes. They play a key role in managing organic waste, and in farming they are used for pest management and pollination. The use of insects in the food that we eat, along with pet and agricultural animal feed, is gaining momentum. The European insect protein market is expected to grow exponentially over the coming years. But our knowledge of what diseases insects can get, and carry, is not keeping up with the progress of the insect rearing industry. A better understanding of the pathogens farmed species are susceptible to, and the impact they have on how the insects are reared, is essential if the industry is to be well-regulated. Which is where the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions supported INSECT DOCTORS project steps in. “INSECT DOCTORS set up a joint doctoral programme because we wanted to establish a durable European framework to educate experts in insect pathology. We wanted to bridge knowledge gaps regarding the impact of pathogens on mass-reared insects,” says Monique van Oers, project coordinator based at Wageningen University. As Oers explains, the cost to a producer of an infection of a facility can be catastrophic. “If fungal or viral infections affect the rearing of house crickets, for example, which are commonly farmed for food or feed, the whole rearing facility has to be cleared, which can cost thousands of euro.” This type of expenditure can close a business down, or cause people to avoid the sector. “By training researchers about these pathogens, we can gather the necessary data to help prevent such breakouts, make the rearing more resilient and support the sector to become financially more viable,” adds Oers.
Expert input into innovative insect pathology courses
The project gathered together a small, international team to identify what most needed to be covered on the new course and then decided on a team to provide expertise on insect pathology and a range of methodologies. “A good example,” explains van Oers, “is the course ‘Mixtures and Combined Stressors; use of multi-stressor theory for invertebrate function-based end points’. This was an advanced course offered as part of the INSECT DOCTORS programme. “Participants brought together expertise from ecotoxicology and invertebrate pathology to understand how microorganisms and pathogens, or other stressors, may impact on insects being reared for food and feed.” Once the courses were designed, they opened up enrolment to PhD-level students from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Trained insect pathologists well placed to advise policymakers
INSECT DOCTORS believes a better understanding of insect pathology enables a person to directly address issues with pathogens in insect mass rearing. It improves microbial control strategies for agricultural pest insects, and for those considering disease-bearing insects’ impact on human and animal health. “People trained as insect pathologists on our courses and others like them, can advise policymakers and regulatory bodies on subjects like safety profile of new insect-based food and feed products,” van Oers adds. Support from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme also raised the project’s profile. INSECT DOCTORS became a recognised ‘brand’ at relevant international scientific meetings. “This recognition allowed us to connect more easily with important commercial players in the field, and for them to reach out to us with insect rearing-related questions,” notes van Oers.
Keywords
INSECT DOCTORS, insect pathology, mass-reared insects, food industry, pollination, agricultural
