Probing the Antioxidant Activity of Functional Proteins and Bioactive Peptides in Hermetia Illucens Larvae Fed with Food Wastes

Food waste is becoming more prevalent, and managing it is one of the most important issues in terms of food safety. In this study, functional proteins and bioactive peptides produced from the enzymatic digestion of Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L., BSF) fed with food wastes were characterized and quantified using proteomics-based analysis.The results revealed approximately 78 peptides and 57 proteins, including 40S ribosomal protein S4, 60S ribosomal protein L8, ATP synthase subunit alpha, ribosomal protein S3, Histone H2A, NADP- glutamate dehydrogenase, Fumarate hydratase, RNA helicase, Chitin binding Peritrophin-A, Lectin C-type protein, etc. were found in BSF. Furthermore, functional analysis of the proteins revealed that the 60S ribosomal protein L5 (RpL5) in BSF interacted with a variety of ribosomal proteins and played a key role in the glycolytic process (AT14039p). Higher antioxidant activity was found in peptide sequences such as GYGFGGGAGCLSMDTGAHLNR, VVPSANRAMVGIVAGGGRIDKPILK, AGLQFPVGR, GFKDQIQDVFK, and GFKDQIQDVFK. It was concluded that the bioconversion of food wastes by Hermetia illucens broght about the generation of variety of functional proteins and bioactive peptides with strong antioxidant activity. However, more studies are required for exploiting potential of Hermetia illucens in value addition of food wastes.

Design And Fabrication of a Domestic Biogas Unit for Cooking Applications

This paper presents the design and fabrication of a domestic biogas unit by using daily organic waste for cooking. Basically, this unit consists a gas storage unit and a digester barrel. Initially, the organic wastes including kitchen wastes were deposited into the digester barrel which contains water with pH 6 once in every two days for two weeks. Then the mix started to produce biogas when the pH value reached around 6.8-7.5. After that food wastes were added slowly every day. When this step is continued further, the daily collection of biogases is 50 liters. As the digestate of this anaerobic digester is rich in nutrients this is also a good organic fertilizer for plants in the home garden. Also, this unit is designed and fabricated with easy maintenance and usage. Further, it is very much beneficial to dispose biodegradable kitchen wastes in an eco-friendly manner. In order to answer the energy demand in domestic level, it is highly essential to utilize the daily organic waste as a source of energy and produce methane as an alternative solution for cooking-energy requirement.