The plasticity of insects' microbiome and the impact of feeding to chickens

There is an urgent need to find alternative sustainable protein sources to meet increasing demand. Insects are a rich source of protein that can be grown on low-value feeds and have a low carbon footprint, so have the potential to be used as an alternative feed source. Insects are eaten whole, therefore potentially passing their microbial contents on to the livestock.

In this project we will seek to determine whether the microbiome of insects could be manipulated in a positive way, which could then be used in a probiotic approach, in addition to their nutritional value for animal production.