Edibological Study on the Mealworm, Tenebrio molitor with Utilizing the White Albino Mice as a Biomarker Reference

Abstract Edible insects are recognized as a valuable nutritional source and a promising alternative to traditional feed ingredients. The primary objective of this study was to compare and optimize the rearing conditions of Tenebrio molitor on two diets and to use white albino mice as biomarker references for the T. molitor diet. For that purpose, T. molitor was reared on dried sunflower seeds (diet A) and wheat bran (control diet), using two treatments, frozen (FM) and dry matter (DM), before running biochemical analyses. Then, exploiting the T. molitor diet for mice and comparing them with traditional diets for five weeks, using weight measurement, total proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates as biomarker references. T. molitor / diet A showed significantly higher carbohydrate and lipid levels (110.3 ± 1.45 and 51.5 ± 1.97 mg/g FM), respectively. Otherwise, the highest weight of mice groups was recorded in the T. molitor diet group (44.34 ± 2.27 g). Likewise, the T. molitor diet group recorded high content of protein and carbohydrate (8.26 and 3.24 g/100ml), respectively. The results suggest that insects can be an effective and sustainable replacement for traditional feed in mice diets. They support healthy and sustained growth, making them a promising option for animal nutrition and sustainable agriculture.