The plasticity of insects' microbiome and the impact of feeding to chickens

Lead Supervisor: John Brameld

There is an urgent need to find alternative sustainable protein sources to meet increasing demand.  Insects are a rich source of protein that can be grown on low-value feeds and have a low carbon footprint, so have the potential to be used as an alternative feed source.   Insects are eaten whole, therefore potentially passing their microbial contents on to the livestock. 

In this project we will seek to determine whether the microbiome of insects could be manipulated in a positive way, which could then be used in a probiotic approach, in addition to their nutritional value for animal production. 

Industry partner - AB Agri/AB Vista

This project is no longer open for recruitment.

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Doctoral Training Programme

The University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

Tel: +44 (0) 115 8466946
Email: bbdtp@nottingham.ac.uk