Humans and our livestock make up 96% (by weight) of all mammals. This is partly due to the success of the ‘Green Revolution’, which significantly increased global crop production. Much of the protein and carbohydrate fed to today’s livestock is derived from the large-scale agriculture of corn and soy. Egg laying chickens in industrial egg production systems are typically fed pellets that contain a constant percentage of carbohydrates, proteins, and trace elements such as calcium. The pellets are monotonous in nutritional makeup and do not provide the natural variety of nutrients available to wild relatives of chickens (i.e., junglefowl; Gallus gallus). In addition, pellet ingredients are typically derived from plant-based grain sources obtained from industrial agriculture. It is anticipated that global warming will result in unpredictable climate change that may severely impact existing agricultural systems. We seek to develop an alternative protein source for egg laying chickens by engineering a food chain that starts with cultured microorganisms (e.g., E. coli, yeast), which are fed to insects (e.g., mealworms, crickets, and black soldier fly larva (BSFL)), which are subsequently fed to egg laying chickens. The idea is that by customizing the molecular makeup of the proteins within the microorganisms, and by feeding chickens live insects, we will ultimately improve both the health of the chickens as well as the nutritional quality of the eggs they produce. Another benefit of this type of system is that microorganisms and insects can be cultured much more rapidly than agricultural protein obtained from standard crops such as soy and corn. In addition, microorganisms and insects can be cultured within climate-controlled facilities, similar to wine and beer fermentation, and thus are not as vulnerable to changing climates. To test this concept, we grew bacteria on minimal media that contains essential compounds such as the nitrogen and phosphate salts similar to those found in plant fertilizers. To verify that these compounds were moving through the engineered food chain, we used a nitrogen source (ammonium sulfate) that was 95% enriched with the NMR active isotope 15N. The cultured bacteria were fed to BSFL, which were subsequently fed to egg laying chickens. NMR spectroscopy was used to verify the presence of 15N within the cultured bacteria, the BSFL, and ultimately the eggs produced by the set of chickens that were fed 15N-labeled BSFL.

Using NMR spectroscopy to trace 15N-Isoptopes through an engineered food chain

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.