Table 2.
The single larvae weight, feed consumption, and percentage of crude protein for the different development stages of Tenebrio molitor.
| Stages of development | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount | Larvae instars | |||||||
| 3–4 | 5–6 | 7–8 | 9–10 | 11–12 | 13 | Pupa | Adult | |
| Single larvae weight (mg) | 2.1 ± 0.1f | 12.7 ± 1.1e | 34.8 ± 4.5d | 72.7 ± 6.5b | 98.0 ± 11.6a | 114 ± 10.9a | 73.0 ± 5.5b | 46.5 ± 4.1c |
| Crude protein weight (mg) | 1.24 ± 0.1f | 7.37 ± 0.4e | 20.2 ± 1.8d | 40.4 ± 5.2b | 48.0 ± 4.4ab | 55.3 ± 2.9a | 33.0 ± 1.9c | 18.4 ± 1.2d |
| Crude protein proportion (%) | 59.19 | 58.05 | 58.08 | 55.53 | 49.02 | 48.6 | 45.15 | 39.59 |
| Single larvae feed consumption (mg) | 17.3 ± 1.1f | 36.3 ± 2.1e | 88.7 ± 0.7d | 200.7 ± 5.2c | 214.0 ± 7.9b | 236.67 ± 9.7a | – | – |
| Feed consume proportion (%) | 2.18 | 4.58 | 11.17 | 25.28 | 26.96 | 29.82 | – | – |
| Feed assimilability (%) | 61.26 | 60.83 | 42.74 | 12.61 | 7.48 | –17.32 | – | – |
| Feed–protein conversion rate (%) | 35.43 | 35.31 | 22.78 | 3.79 | 3.41 | –9.42 | – | – |
Data are presented as the mean ± SD. Means with different superscripts in column differ significantly (p ≤ 0.05). n = 3.