"The next step would be to engineer, to increase that efficiency. The idea, according to Dr Rinke, would be to degrade polystyrene to styrene, then use that to create new materials. Polystyrene is primarily made from styrene, a hydrocarbon.Īlthough it can be synthesised, styrene is also a naturally occurring, highly volatile chemical that is used to make plastics, rubber and foam. It's possible, some argue, that any weight gain associated with consumption of the product is more likely to be related to other chemical elements in the styrofoam, such as flame retardants or expanding agents. Some researchers remain sceptical that the polystyrene is able to be biologically degraded. What that means is, although the researchers think they know which enzymes are responsible for breaking down the plastic, there is still some room for doubt. "The novelty here is we've used a technique called metagenomics - that allows us to identify all the genes in the microbiome," he said.Īlthough the researchers in this case inferred which enzymes were breaking down the polystyrene, no experiment to date has managed to isolate the critical enzymes and demonstrate the process in a test tube. To get that information, the researchers used genetic analysis, according to Dr Rinke. " important for translation and use of this type of approach in recycling." "This study goes a long way towards understanding how the bacteria in gut do this at the molecular level," Professor Jackson said. While it's been known for a while that some types of beetle larvae can consume polystyrene, this study takes it a step further, according to Colin Jackson from the ANU's Research School of Chemistry, who wasn't involved with this study. Though the plastic diet was found to have a negative impact overall on the worms' gut microbiome diversity and health, the researchers identified several enzymes in the superworm gut that they think can degrade the polystyrene. The researchers identified several microbes they believe are capable of degrading the polystyrene in the worms' gut. Key enzymes in the microbiomeĪt the beginning and end of the study, a portion of the worms from each group were frozen and their gut contents and microbiome analysed.īacteria in the microbiome produce enzymes that, among other functions, can aid in digestion. The rate of pupation after the three-week trial was also looked at. The "worm" or larval phase of the superworm, is followed by the development of pupae - where the animal cocoons itself and metamorphoses into a darkling beetle.Īs expected, the rate was highest in the bran-fed beetles with more than 90 per cent becoming pupae.īut there was also a significantly higher pupation rate in the polystyrene-fed beetles compared to the starved beetles - more than 60 per cent compared to 10 per cent, again indicating that the polystyrene diet was at least superior to the starvation diet.įor every larva that entered the pupa phase from each diet group, all successfully hatched as beetles. The nutritional profile of the larvae is "46.80% proteins, 43.64% lipids, 8.17% ashes and 1.39% carbohydrates."Superworms" aren't true worms, and are actually the larval stage of darkling beetles. The larvae are odor-free (but the beetles possess a pungent chemical defense that may be released when provoked), and can be easily contained, making them ideal for raising at home to feed a collection of captive insectivores. In some cases they are preferred over mealworms due to their softer exoskeleton, making them more digestible to some reptiles. Their nutritional values are similar to those of mealworms, so it is possible that supplementation with calcium is necessary if they are used as a staple food item. Superworms are accepted by lizards, turtles, frogs, salamanders, birds, koi and other insectivorous animals. They will then, upon maturation, emerge from their pupal stage as darkling beetles. To mature the superworms, they must be kept alone for about 7–10 days. Keeping superworms this way is commonly used to hinder pupation. The larvae will not pupate if kept in a container with many other larvae and plentiful food, where they receive constant bodily contact. Once they reach adult size, the larvae pupate, and later emerge as large, light coloured beetles, which in time darken to black. The larvae resemble very large mealworms, about 50 to 60 mm (1.7–2.25 in) long when full size, but unlike mealworms, the ends of their bodies are very dark, almost resembling a black color.
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