Mirzakhodjaev B., Mirzakhodjaev A., Tajenova A., Radjabov I. – ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF DRYING AND FURTHER REHYDRATION OF MULBERRY LEAF, FOR FEEDING SILKWORM CATERPILLARS (Bombyx mori L.)
ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF DRYING AND FURTHER REHYDRATION OF MUL-BERRY LEAF, FOR FEEDING SILKWORM CATERPILLARS (Bombyx mori L.)
Mirzakhodjaev B.
D.Sc., Scientific Secretary, Research Institute of Sericulture
Mirzakhodjaev A.
Ph.D, Head of the Laboratory of Mechanization, Research Institute of Sericulture
Tajenova A.
doctoral of Research Institute of Sericulture
Radjabov I.
doctoral of Research Institute of Sericulture
Abstract
Due to the global climate change and the spring frosts that have become more frequent in recent years, leading to the death of silkworm caterpillars of the first ages from lack of feed, there is an urgent need to find effective and cheap means to replace and preserve the natural food – mulberry leaf. One of the new and progressive drying methods for sericulture products is the method of sublimation dehydration in vacuum. In the laboratory of the Research Institute of Sericulture, an experimental spring feeding was carried out with a sublimated and restored mulberry leaf of the caterpillars of the silkworm of the Ipakchi 1 breed, in the amount of 200 pieces for each variant. For feeding, a mulberry leaf was used, collected before the fall of leaves in the autumn of 2022. For freeze drying of mulberry leaves, the following mode was selected: pre-freezing at t = -50 °C, then freeze drying at condenser temperature t = +40 °C, residual vacuum pressure P = 0.3 mmHg. Rehydration (hydration) and enrichment of the leaf was performed a day before feeding to caterpillars. The rehydration of the leaf was carried out in a high humidity mode. Further, the feed was enriched by introducing sucrose, ascorbic acid and potassium-phosphorus additive (K2HPO4) into the leaves.
When the leaf was rehydrated in a high humidity environment with the addition of K2HPO4 to the leaf, the viability of the caterpillars was 75%, and the duration of feeding was on average 12 days.
Sublimation drying of the leaf and its subsequent rehydration in a high humidity environment and enrichment of the dried leaf can be used to expand the forage base of sericulture, as well as to create artificial food recipes based on mulberry leaf.
Keywords: silkworm caterpillars (bombyx mori L), mulberry leaves, freeze drying, rehydration, enrichment, feeding.
