Formación de un Semillero de Investigación en INFOTEP: Innovación Agroindustrial y Empoderamiento Comunitario a través de la Cría de Tenebrio molitor en la Bioeconomía Circular.

Milagros Yinez   Oñate-Maury; Luis Alfonso   Pérez-Guerra; Marlon Jesús    Sánchez-Manzano; Mónica   Nova-Delgado; Marta Laura   González-Ávila

doi:10.47606/ACVEN/PH0411

Authors

Milagros Yinez Oñate-Maury INFOTEP- Colombia https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8764-5535
Luis Alfonso Pérez-Guerra INFOTEP- Colombia https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2214-3333
Marlon Jesús Sánchez-Manzano SENA- Colombia https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3914-4367
Mónica Nova-Delgado Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación de Colombia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8853-0211
Marta Laura González-Ávila INFOTEP- Colombia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4088-2007

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47606/ACVEN/PH0411

Keywords:

Tenebrio molitor, circular economy, biofertilizer, research seedbed, sustainability

Abstract

Tenebrio molitor is an insect with high nutritional value and bioactive properties. Its farming is more sustainable than traditional livestock farming, producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions and requiring less water, land, and energy. Additionally, it aligns with circular economy principles by converting organic waste into high-quality protein and its excrement (frass) into a potent biofertilizer. This project aims to establish a research incubator at INFOTEP in San Juan del Cesar (La Guajira), focused on T. molitor farming and the application of its byproducts. The incubator will investigate the use of frass as a biofertilizer for pumpkin crops and the characterization of organic substrates as feed sources for the insects. The methodology combines an experimental approach with controlled T. molitor rearing and a participatory approach through hands-on workshops promoting entomoculture as a sustainable alternative for animal and plant nutrition. Expected outcomes include active learning and the development of academic and social skills among students through the integration of technical and scientific knowledge. Additionally, direct improvements in local agricultural productivity are anticipated through the use of frass as fertilizer. The consolidation of this incubator will foster the training of innovative professionals and generate new research lines on T. molitor, with the long-term goal of applying findings to the local agroindustry. This will contribute to sustainable food production models and efficient resource use in agriculture.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Avolio, B., Paucar-Menacho, L. M., & Pretell, C. (2023). Formation and consolidation of research seedbeds: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 22(4), 286–309. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.22.4.17 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.22.4.17

Browne, K., Chakraborty, S., Chen, R., Willcox, M. D. P., StClair Black, D., Walsh, W. R., & Kumar, N. (2020). A new era of antibiotics: The clinical potential of antimicrobial peptides. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(19), 7047. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21197047 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21197047

Copete Cossio, H. (2017). Los semilleros de investigación, lineamiento pedagógico para edificar el aprendizaje en universidades (Vol. 16, No. 1). Universidad El Bosque. https://doi.org/10.18270/rt.v16i1.2319 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18270/rt.v16i1.2319

EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). (2021). Safety of dried yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larva) as a novel food. EFSA Journal, 19(1), e06343. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6343 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6343

Errico, S., Spagnoletta, A., Verardi, A., Moliterni, S., Dimatteo, S., & Sangiorgio, P. (2022). Tenebrio molitor as a source of interesting natural compounds, their recovery processes, biological effects, and safety aspects. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 21(1), 148–197. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12863 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12863

Errico, S., Spagnoletta, A., Verardi, A., Moliterni, S., Dimatteo, S., & Sangiorgio, P. (2025). Valorization of Tenebrio molitor frass in horticulture: Effects on lettuce growth and quality traits. Agriculture, 15(16), 1731. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15161731 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15161731

Ferri, M., Rondoni, G., & Conti, E. (2024). Functional properties of Tenebrio molitor larvae fed with chestnut pericarps: Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Insects, 15(2), 245. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15020245 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15070512

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). (2021). Looking at edible insects from a food safety perspective: Challenges and opportunities for the sector. https://www.fao.org/3/cb4094en/cb4094en.pdf

Gómez, Ó., Morales, M., & Plata, P. (2019). Transferencia de conocimiento e investigación formativa: lecciones aprendidas y desafíos para los semilleros de investigación. Revista Palobra, palabra que obra, 19(2), 203–221. https://doi.org/10.32997/2346-2884-vol.19-num.2-2019-2551 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32997/2346-2884-vol.19-num.2-2019-2551

Jacobo-Valenzuela, N., Maróstica-Junior, M. R., Zazueta-Morales, J. de J., & Gallegos-Infante, J. A. (2011). Physicochemical, technological properties, and health-benefits of Cucurbita moschata Duchense vs. Cehualca: A Review. Food Research International, 44(9), 2587–2593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2011.04.039 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2011.04.039

Langston, K., Selaledi, L., & Yusuf, A. (2023). Evaluation of alternative substrates for rearing the yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor (L.). International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, 43, 1523–1530. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-023-01061-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-023-01061-z

López Ávila, C. R., Posada Silva, W. Y., & Franco Jiménez, A. M. (2025). Los semilleros de investigación y la formación investigativa en una universidad pública de Colombia. Revista Mexicana de Investigación Educativa, 30(106), 421–448. https://ojs.rmie.mx/index.php/rmie/article/view/1206

Mesa Villa, C., Gómez-Giraldo, J. S., & Montes, R. (2020). Becoming language teacher-researchers in a research seedbed. Profile: Issues in Teachers' Professional Development, 22(1), 159–173. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v22n1.78806 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v22n1.78806

Oonincx, D. G. A. B. (2012). Environmental impact of the production of mealworms as a protein source for humans – A life cycle assessment. PLoS ONE, 7(12), e51145. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0051145 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0051145

Poveda, J., Jiménez-Gómez, A., Saati-Santamaría, Z., Usategui-Martín, R., Rivas, R., & García-Fraile, P. (2019). Mealworm frass as a potential biofertilizer and abiotic stress tolerance-inductor in plants. Applied Soil Ecology, 142, 110–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2019.04.016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2019.04.016

Poveda, J. (2021). Insect frass in the development of sustainable agriculture: A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 41, Article 5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-020-00656-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-020-00656-x

Ribeiro, N., Abelho, M., & Costa, R. (2018). A review of the scientific literature for optimal conditions for mass rearing Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Journal of Entomological Science, 53(4), 434–454. https://doi.org/10.18474/JES17-67.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18474/JES17-67.1

Rumpold, B. A., & Schlüter, O. K. (2013). Nutritional composition and safety aspects of edible insects. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 57(5), 802–823. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201200735 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201200735

Van Broekhoven, S., Oonincx, D. G. A. B., van Huis, A., & van Loon, J. J. A. (2015). Growth performance and feed conversion efficiency of mealworms. PLoS ONE, 10(12), e0144601. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0144601 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0144601

van Huis, A., Van Itterbeeck, J., Klunder, H., Mertens, E., Halloran, A., Muir, G., & Vantomme, P. (2013). Edible insects: Future prospects for food and feed security (FAO Forestry Paper No. 171). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Vargas-Cuentas, N. I., Martinez, E., Gonzalez, M., Leon, I., Mamani, R., Guzmán, A., Condori, R. P., Lopez, K., Santos, J., Panca, M., Mora, L., Zubiate, M., Ariñez, A., & Roman-Gonzalez, A. (2023). Evaluating the outcomes of a scientific seedbed program for enhancing research capacities in young students. International Journal of ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES, 10(5), 211-220. https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2023.05.025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2023.05.025

Verardi, A., Sangiorgio, P., Della Mura, B., Moliterni, S., Spagnoletta, A., Dimatteo, S., Bassi, D., Cortimiglia, C., Rebuzzi, R., Palazzo, S., & Errico, S. (2025). Tenebrio molitor Frass: A Cutting-Edge Biofertilizer for Sustainable Agriculture and Advanced Adsorbent Precursor for Environmental Remediation. Agronomy, 15(3), 758. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15030758 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15030758