Evaluating Acheta domesticus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) for the reduction of fumonisin B₁ levels in livestock feed

Mycotoxins that contaminate grain can cause the devaluation of agricultural products and create health risks for the consumer. Fumonisins are one such mycotoxin. Produced primarily by Fusarium verticillioides (Hypocreales: Nectriaceae) (Nirenberg, 1976) on corn, fumonisins' economic impact can be significant by causing various diseases in livestock if contaminated corn is not monitored and removed from animal feed. Finding safe alternatives to the destruction and waste of contaminated grain and restoring its economic value is needed for a sustainable future. Safe reintroduction into the farm food web may be possible through a consumable intermediary such as insects. This study demonstrates the suitability of the house cricket, Acheta domesticus L., as an alternative protein source in domestic animal feed by quantifying fumonisin B1 (FB1) levels in their subsequent insect meal and frass. Small colonies of 2nd instar A. domesticus were reared to 5th instar adults on nutrient-optimized corn-based diets treated with 4 levels of FB₁ from 0 to 20 ppm. Increasing levels of FB₁ had no adverse effects on the survivorship or growth of A. domesticus. Insect meals prepared from A. domesticus had significantly lower levels of FB₁, at 3%-5% of their respective diets, while frass did not differ significantly from their diet. The successful rearing to adulthood of A. domesticus on fumonisin-contaminated diet paired with lower levels of FB₁ in their processed insect meal supports the idea that more sustainable agricultural practices can be developed through remediation of low-value mycotoxin-contaminated grain with safer, higher-value insects as livestock feed components.