charset=Ascii

Black Soldier Fly Cuticle Helps Delivering Probiotics

Ushakova, N.A., Sverguzova, S.V., Shaikhiev, I.G., Sapronova, Z.A., Bastrakov, A.I., Levenko, E.A. and Khatsaeva, R.M., 2023. The Cuticle of the Black Soldier Fly (Hermietia illucens) as a Biosorbent for Probiotics. Biology Bulletin, 50(3): 478-482. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359023700267
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.