Insects and Microorganisms for the Valorization of Agro-Food Residues and Waste

The main objective of the course is to provide students with knowledge on the valorization of by-products, waste and residues from the agri-food chain through biotransformation by insects and microorganisms to produce high value-added products for human or animal consumption, for industrial processing or for plant protection.
Various aspects on the sustainability of insect breeding, the biology of the insect, fungal and bacterial species of greatest interest as food and feed, methods and problems of mass rearing, production and transformation processes and potential uses will be presented. Relevant legislation, food safety and marketing aspects will also be deepened.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Illustrate the advantages of using insects and microorganisms for by-product and waste valorization
- Identify the main entomological, fungal and bacterial species of interest for biotransformation
- Identify parameters useful for optimizing biotransformation processes on different growth substrates
- Illustrate the problems associated with large-scale rearing
- Illustrate the biomass conversion processes
- Illustrate the nutritional values of reared species, possible risks and benefits
- Describe the legislation on the rearing and use of insects
- Describe the legislation concerning the registration of micro-organisms or bioactive molecules against phytopathogens.