Breakthrough in Smart Farm Breeding: Artificial Feed for Gosoae Developed

The Rural Development Administration has made a significant breakthrough in smart farm breeding by developing an artificial feed exclusively for ‘gosoae’ in collaboration with the Gangwon-do Agricultural Products Seed Center.

Gosoae, also known as brown beetle larvae, is a highly nutritious edible insect that contains over 75% unsaturated fatty acids and 51% protein. It has been found to have numerous health benefits, including suppressing muscle loss and anti-inflammatory effects.

According to recent statistics, 9% of domestic insect farms (278 farms) are currently raising gosoae, with sales of gosoae primary products accounting for 11% (KRW 5 billion) of the total sales of insect primary products (KRW 47.3 billion).

Key Features of the Artificial Feed

The newly developed feed is made into a pellet form by mixing wheat bran with natural antibacterial agents and vegetable powder for mineral supply. This innovative feed has been shown to significantly improve the growth and development of gosoae larvae.

Research has revealed that larvae fed medium-sized pellet feed from the third instar gained up to 2.2 times more weight than those fed 100% wheat bran. Additionally, larvae fed 100% wheat bran survived as larvae without pupating for 12 weeks, extending the harvest period.

Benefits of the Artificial Feed

The application of this new feed enables the uniform management of high-quality wheat flour, control of harvest time, and minimization of the impact of wheat bran powder on the respiratory system of workers. Furthermore, the need to separately supply moisture with cabbage leaves is eliminated, reducing labor and facilitating hygiene management of breeding facilities.

According to estimates, the use of this developed feed can generate an additional 4.5 million won in annual profits compared to 100% wheat bran feed for 100 boxes (581 kg) of Gosoaae.

Future Plans

The Rural Development Administration and Gangwon-do Agricultural Products Seed Center have applied for a patent on the results of this study and plan to produce and distribute the feed in the future at the feed manufacturing facility within the Gangwon-do insect industry hub complex.