Vermiculture as a source of animal protein

Abstract

The paper presents a data analysis of the international scientific community on the issues of vermicultivation for the last 75 years. The authors considered terminology, the biochemical contents of earthworms’ tissues, production technology; distinguished 4 stages, 8 methods and biological aspects of their safety. The paper covers economic production characteristics. The results on the practical use of dry and paste vermiproducts have been summarized: feed additives in fishing (6 examples), poultry farming (8 examples), mammal breeding (3 examples), growth media for microorganisms (1 example). The benefits of vermiproducts as food supplements for humans have been explored. Vermi food contains a high amount of protein (64.5-72.9 % per dry weight), all essential amino- and fatty acids, calcium (cheese and milk), iron (10 times more than in soybeans).