title: Pesticide contamination of Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) for human consumption.
abstract: The use of pesticides contributes to the productivity and the quality of the cultivated crop. A large portion of the agricultural produce is not consumed as it is not an edible part or the quality of the product is too low. This waste of agricultural produce can be valorised as a substrate for the production of certain insects for human consumption. However, pesticides applied on the plants might accumulate during the life cycle of the insects fed on the waste materials and may cause a health risk to humans consuming the insects. Pesticide residues in larvae of the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, were investigated. We monitored the accumulation of pesticides in the larvae upon consumption of contaminated fresh produce. An increased uptake rate by the insects was found for pesticides with higher Kow-values. Excretion of pesticides by the insect was inversely related to the log(Kow) values of the pesticides.
authors: Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Crop Protection, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Michael.houbraken@ugent.be.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Houbraken
authors: Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Crop Protection, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Thomas.spranghers@ugent.be.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Spranghers
authors: Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Crop Protection, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Patrick.declercq@ugent.be.
authors: Patrick
authors: P
authors: De Clercq
authors: Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Crop Protection, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Margot.Cooreman@ugent.be.
authors: Margot
authors: M
authors: Cooreman-Algoed
authors: Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Crop Protection, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Tasmien.Couchement@ugent.be.
authors: Tasmien
authors: T
authors: Couchement
authors: Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Crop Protection, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Griet.declercq@ugent.be.
authors: Griet
authors: G
authors: De Clercq
authors: Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Crop Protection, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Sarah.Verbeke@ugent.be.
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Verbeke
authors: Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Crop Protection, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Pieter.spanoghe@ugent.be.
authors: Pieter
authors: P
authors: Spanoghe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005527:Food, Fortified / Q000032:analysis*; D064106:Human Coprophagia; D006801:Humans; D007313:Insecta / Q000737:chemistry*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000737:chemistry*; D013712:Tenebrio / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides
keywords: Agricultural produce; Human consumption; Insects; Pesticide