Eating insects is one of those ideas that never quite seem to catch on. The United Nations spread the idea a decade ago, but, in the West at least, insects remain mostly absent from supermarket shelves. Faced with an unsatisfied public, scientists have been exploring other options. One is to feed the insects instead to farm animals, which are not so picky.
Of course, the insects need to eat, too. To date, they have mostly reared (饲养) on leftover chicken feed. But the supply of that is limited, and if insect-reared meat is to take off, new sources will be needed. Niels Eriksen, a biochemist at Aalborg University, suggests feeding them on the waste products of the beer industry.
The world knocks back around 185bn litres of beer every year. Each litre produces between three and ten litres of wastewater full of thrown-away grains. The mix is rich in protein but lacking in carbohydrates (碳水化合物), especially compared with chicken feed.
Most insects grown for feed depend, in the wild, on the carbohydrates found in bad fruit. Whether insects would actually consider beer waste a square meal was, therefore, unclear.
The researchers used the baby insects of the black soldier fly. The young insects were divided into three groups, which were offered beer waste, chicken feed or a mixture of both. The researchers monitored both their weight gain and the amount of CO, they produced. They found the baby insects happily consumed both beer waste and chicken feed, and grew equally well on either food source. Dr Eriksen found few differences in how nutritious the insects would be to farm animals.
The experiment may have implications beyond the beer business, too. Bone meal from farms, and waste from other food industries are all likewise plentiful and protein-rich.
All now look to be reasonable targets for nutrient recycling by insects. Whether consumers will be willing to eat insect-reared beef, though, remains to be seen.
【小题1】What is the purpose of Niels Eriksen’s research?| A．To find alternatives to chicken feed. |
| B．To recycle the wastewater in beer industry. |
| C．To change public’s attitude toward insects. |
| D．To reduce the consumption of waste products. |
| A．The future application of the research. | B．The importance of protein in the cycle. |
| C．The extended influence of the research. | D．The contribution of the beer industry. |
| A．chickens-insects-cows-humans | B．humans-beer waste-insects-cows |
| C．beer waste-insects-cows-humans | D．cows-chickens-insects-beer waste |
| A．Waste recycling will be taking off soon |
| B．Eating insects is the new option for people |
| C．Insects could help turn beer waste into beef |
| D．Insects could gain popularity in supermarket |
