Impact of fungal uptretreatment of palm kernel cake on the growth and development of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus)) larvae in a total feeding system

Intan Josefin Purba; Ramadhani Putra; Intan Ahmad

Authors

Intan Josefin Purba Doctoral Program in Biology, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesa No.10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia, Indonesia
Ramadhani Putra
ramadhaniputra@itb.ac.id
Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia
Intan Ahmad School of Life Sciences and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesa No.10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia, Indonesia

Vol. 23 No. 2 (2026): (In Progress)

Articles

Published September 2, 2026

September 2, 2026

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Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae (Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus)) are recognized as effective agents for the bioconversion of organic waste, including agricultural residues. The bioconversion efficiency of BSF larvae is highly dependent on the substrate and is considerably reduced when the substrate is rich in cellulose. Palm kernel cake (PKC), a by-product of palm oil processing with considerable potential for upcycling, contains high levels of lignocellulose. Its lignin content can impede nutrient release, making pretreatment essential before its use as a feed substrate. This study evaluated the growth and developmental performance of BSF larvae reared on PKC subjected to biological pretreatment with Rhizopus oligosporus (RO), Phanerochaete chrysosporium (PC), and Aspergillus niger (AN), in combination with a total feeding system (TFS) where feed was provided only once at the start of rearing. Fungi were cultured on PKC for 10 days before being fed to six-day-old BSF larvae; non-fermented PKC and commercial chicken feed served as controls. Larval performance was assessed by measuring dimensional growth (length and weight) and survival rate (SR) across five replicates per treatment. All treatments exhibited high survival rates (85.3 ± 3.02-91.4 ± 5.69%), with the highest values observed in the positive control (91.4 ± 5.69%) and the AN treatment (91.4 ± 3.25%), and the lowest in the negative control (85.3 ± 3.02%). Among the fermented treatments, AN resulted in the highest larval growth rate (6.42 ± 0.28 mg/larva/day), which was significantly higher than that of the non-fermented negative control (4.81 ± 0.21 mg/larva/day) (p < 0.05). These results suggest that PKC pretreatment via A. niger fermentation is a suitable strategy for improving PKC quality as a feed substrate for BSF larvae.

Purba, I. J., Putra, R., & Ahmad, I. (2026). Impact of fungal uptretreatment of palm kernel cake on the growth and development of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus)) larvae in a total feeding system. Jurnal Entomologi Indonesia, 23(2). Retrieved from https://www.jurnal.pei-pusat.org/index.php/jei/article/view/958

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