BLACK SOLDIER FLY: FROM BASIC SCIENCE TO APPLICATIONS

Welcome to the first international virtual conference on Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens), to be held online on August 15-16, 2022. This conference is organised by City University of Hong Kong (http://www.cityu.edu.hk) and supported by the Environmental Conservation Fund, Hong Kong government (http://www.ecf.gov.hk/en/home/index.html) and Efarm Biotech HK (http://efb.com.hk/en/). 

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The recently published UNEP Food Waste Index Report (https://www.unep.org/resources/report/unep-food-waste-index-report-2021) estimates that almost 1 billion tonnes of food waste were produced in 2019 alone, accounting for 17% of global food production. Insect-based conversion of food waste into reusable calories is increasingly recognised as an economically viable solution to this problem. Among the insects studied for food waste treatment, Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae has received the most attention. Adult Black soldier flies do not feed and are not associated with disease transmission. Black soldier fly larvae contain up to 40% protein and 30% fat, and have been reported to support the growth of poultry, swine and fish. This completes the “economic circle” for the use of Black Soldier fly in food waste treatment, as the Black soldier fly larvae yielded in the process can be sold as animal feed or even human food. This conference brings together local and international experts to discuss recent developments of the research and application on this organism, especially in the context of food waste recycling, and the resulting environmental products such as enriched compost and nutritional animal feeds.