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mealworm

Tenebrio Molitor

AKA Mealworm

 


PLEASE !! is not “Eww! a worm” but,  The larvae of a flour Beetle!!  😉 a real star – Ana


 

Common names

Yellow mealworm; gusano de la harina [Spanish]; ver de farine, ténébrion meunier [French]; bicho-da-farinha [Portuguese]; meelworm [Dutch]; Mehlwürmer [German]

 

Mealworms “are the larval form of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle. Like all holometabolic insects, they go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Larvae typically measure about 2.5 cm or more, whereas adults are generally between 1.25 and 1.8 cm in length.”

In waste disposal
“In 2015, it was discovered that mealworms are capable of degrading polystyrene into usable organic matter at a rate of about 34-39 milligrams per day. Additionally, no difference was found between mealworms fed only styrofoam and mealworms fed conventional foods, during the one-month… be curious keep learning !!


 

Resources

  • Effect of blanching followed by refrigerated storage or industrial microwave drying on the microbial load of yellow mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor)Abstract
    Yellow mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) are being introduced into Western food products. The effect of blanching, followed by either chilled storage or industrial microwave drying, on microbial counts of the larvae was investigated. Whatever time applied (10, 20 or 40 s), considerable log reductions were obtained after blanching (total viable count, Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and molds and psychrotrophs), except for aerobic endospores. No major growth was observed during subsequent chilled storage for 6 days.