Teguh Rahayu

Context: Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. and its components may have antihypertensive effects through renin inhibition. Aims: To assess the in vitro renin inhibitory activity of extracts with various solvents from the C. asiatica leaves and asiaticoside, asiatic acid, madecacosside, and madecaside acid. Additionally, the study evaluates each extract's total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Methods: Renin inhibitor activity in vitro was assessed using the renin inhibitor screening assay kit. Total phenolics and total flavonoid contents were spectrophotometrically measured using Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride, respectively. Results: The extracts of ethanol, hexane, ethyl acetate, and butanol have renin inhibitory activity with IC50 = 1.329, 23.73, 53.76, and 61.38 μg/mL, respectively. Meanwhile, asiaticoside, asiatic acid, madecacosside, and madecaside acid showed IC50 = 2.09, 63.65, 48.2, and 38.12 μg/mL, respectively. Aliskiren, as a reference, exhibited an IC50 = 3.56 × 10-3 μg/mL. The total phenol levels for ethanol, hexane, ethyl acetate, and butanol extracts were 61.03 ± 3.44, 45.75 ± 0.77, 49.60 ± 2.33, and 76.78 ± 3.44 mgGAE/g, respectively. The total flavonoid contents were 51.95 ± 0.74, 70.01 ± 0.50, 50.46 ± 0.53, and 72.95 ± 1.28 mg QE/g, respectively. Conclusions: The ethanol extract showed the lowest IC50 value, indicating better renin inhibitory potency. Asiaticoside may inhibit renin because its IC50 is lower than the other three. Since butanol extract displayed the highest total phenol and flavonoid contents, it could inhibit renin due to its antioxidant qualities.

The pursuit of novel food products with good nutritional value for both direct and indirect human consumption is crucial. Given the nutritional benefits of insects and the sustainability of this sort of farming, using them as food for farmed animals is a promising alternative. In this regard, the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is most capable of efficiently converting a wide variety of organic materials, from food waste to manure, into insect biomass generating value and closing nutrient loops as they reduce pollution and costs. Their larvae have 29% fat and 42% crude protein, yet they have more saturated fats than most insects. They don't concentrate hazards such as mycotoxins or insecticides. Although rapid development is expected, insects remain underutilized in the animal feed industry mainly due to technical, financial, and regulatory barriers. The social stigmas and legal prohibitions against eating organisms that eat waste are added to extant taboos facing insect consumption. Bridging the knowledge gap is crucial to bring together stakeholders and to better understand the opportunities and challenges of this novel industry, so as to develop guidelines on producing insects on an industrial scale to facilitate the wider use of BSF products as animal feed, and fertilizer.

Food security remains a pressing concern in the face of an increasing world population and environmental challenges. As climate change, biodiversity loss, and water scarcity continue to impact agricultural productivity, traditional livestock farming faces limitations in meeting the growing global demand for meat and dairy products. In this context, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) have emerged as a promising alternative for sustainable food production. BSFL possess several advantages over conventional livestock, including their rapid growth, adaptability to various organic waste substrates, and low environmental impact. Their bioconversion rate, the ability to transform organic waste into valuable products, and final product optimization are key factors that enhance their potential as a nutrient-rich protein source, fertilizer, and biofuel. This review explores strategies to enhance the bioconversion rate and improve the end products derived from BSF treatment. It highlights the benefits of using BSFL over other interventions and underscores the significance of optimizing their bioconversion rate to meet the challenges of global food security sustainably. Despite the promising prospects of BSF-derived products, consumer acceptance and regulatory hurdles remain critical aspects to address in realizing their full market potential. The utilization of BSFL as a sustainable source of food and feed can contribute to waste management, reduce environmental pollution, and address the pressing issue of food security in an environmentally responsible manner. However, there is a need for further research and innovation to ensure the safety, quality, and economic viability of BSF-based products for both animal and human consumption.

Genetically modified MON 89034 corn (Zea mays L.) expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal proteins, viz. Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2, is a biotechnological option being considered for the management of the major corn pest in Indonesia, the Asian corn borer (Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)). As a part of a proactive resistance-management program for MON 89034 corn in Indonesia, we assessed the baseline susceptibility of field-collected populations of O. furnacalis to Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 proteins. Dose–response bioassays using the diet-dipping method indicated that the lethal concentration (LC₅₀) values of Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 in 24 different field populations of O. furnacalis ranged from 0.006 to 0.401 µg/mL and from 0.044 to 4.490 µg/mL, respectively, while the LC₉₅ values ranged from 0.069 to 15.233 µg/mL for Cry1A.105 and from 3.320 to 277.584 µg/mL for Cry2Ab2. The relative resistance ratios comparing the most tolerant field populations and an unselected laboratory population were 6.0 for Cry1A.105 and 2.0 for Cry2Ab2 based on their LC₅₀ values. Some field populations were more susceptible to both proteins than the unselected laboratory population. The LC₉₉ and its 95% fiducial limits across the field populations were calculated and proposed as candidate diagnostic concentrations. These data provide a basis for resistance monitoring in Bt Corn and further support building resistance-management strategies in Indonesia.

The residual population growth imposes an increase in food demand, driving humans to practice agricultural intensification on a large scale. Paradoxically, food and feed production may end up causing various environmental problems. At the same time, about 2.37 billion people in the World currently lack basic food security insurance. As a consequence, alternative sources that can substantially address the demand for food and feed sustainably are needed. Insect farming may offer an environmentally friendly solution for mitigating global food and feed challenges. The article aims to explore the potential of insects as sustainable food and feed sources while assessing their environmental impact, offering innovative solutions for global food security challenges. By highlighting the benefits of edible insects, the article supports informed decision-making and promotes sustainable practices. Mass production of edible insects has seen record growth over the decade, and their demand as future proteins is projected to reach up to 3 million tons in 2030. Additionally, insect farming is evidenced to be economically viable. To meet the demand for edible insects, a breakthrough such as the internet of things can be used to scale up production and processing. However, detailed environmental impact assessments are needed to predict scenarios of large-scale insect farming. Life cycle assessments of some edible insect production systems have validated that insect farming has various beneficial environmental impacts. The utilization of edible insects as food and feed is promising for significantly improving food security and the environmental sustainability of food.

Black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), is predominantly reared on organic wastes and other unused complementary substrates. However, BSF may have a buildup of undesired substances in their body. The contamination of undesired substance, e.g., heavy metals, mycotoxins, and pesticides, in BSF mainly occurred during the feeding process in the larval stage. Yet, the pattern of accumulated contaminants in the bodies of BSF larvae (BSFL) is varied distinctively depending on the diets as well as the contaminant types and concentrations. Heavy metals, including cadmium, copper, arsenic, and lead, were reported to have accumulated in BSFL. In most cases, the cadmium, arsenic, and lead concentration in BSFL exceeded the recommended standard for heavy metals occurring in feed and food. Following the results concerning the accumulation of the undesired substance in BSFL’s body, they did not affect the biological parameters of BSFL, unless the amounts of heavy metals in their diets are highly exceeding their thresholds. Meanwhile, a study on the fate of pesticides and mycotoxins in BSFL indicates that no bioaccumulation was detected for any of the target substances. In addition, dioxins, PCBs, PAHs, and pharmaceuticals did not accumulate in BSFL in the few existing studies. However, future studies are needed to assess the long-term effects of the aforementioned undesired substances on the demographic traits of BSF and to develop appropriate waste management technology. Since the end products of BSFL that are contaminated pose a threat to both human and animal health, their nutrition and production process must be well managed to create end products with a low contamination level to achieve a closed food cycle of BSF as animal feed. Graphical Abstract

Insects need a sufficient quantity of macro- and micronutrients in their diet for maximising their growth, development, and reproduction. To achieve high efficiency in the mass production of a particular insect species, the quality of the diet given must be considered, both in terms of its chemical (nutrients) and physical (hardness and form) characteristics. Black soldier fly (BSF),Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), is a beneficial insect widely reared due to its easy and cost-effective maintenance. An example of the end-product of BSF larvae (BSFL) is known as BSF oil, which can be used for animal feed, raw material in bar/liquid soap, and biodiesel. To obtain the best quality of oil produced from BSFL, finding an optimal substrate through diet mixing or manipulation is quite necessitated. Fatty acids with more than 18 carbons should be found in the substrate to be absorbed into the fat of BSFL to obtain a high-quality oil. There is a positive correlation between the fatty acid concentration in the substrate and the concentration in BSFL, that the concentration in BSFL is influenced by the concentration in the substrate. This emphasises the importance of the substrate’s fatty acid content in incorporating these fatty acids into BSF oil. Although the oils produced by the insect are especially high in medium-chain fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids, yet, to produce on such a large scale requiring further investigations.