Consumption and Digestion of Plastics by Greater Hive Moth Larvae.

Simple Summary: This study tested the use of Galleria mellonella larvae as a biodegradation strategy for various types of plastics that were provided to larvae as their sole food source. The physical and enzymatic action of the larvae fragmented and consumed the plastics in various proportions, but none were digested. This was confirmed by the presence of microplastics in excreta and in larval digestive tracts, which affected their life cycle continuity by inducing the early formation of pupae and reducing the number of eggs produced. The accumulation and unsustainable management of plastic waste generate environmental pollution that affects ecosystems, wildlife, and human health. We studied the possibility of using the consumption and digestion of oxo-biodegradable, compostable plastics and polypropylene from face masks by the fifth-instar larvae of G. mellonella as a strategy for the sustainable management of plastic waste. We used Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR) to determine the percentage of consumption and presence of microplastics in the digestive tract and excreta for 10 treatments evaluated for 135 h. The effects of plastics on the continuity of the life cycle of the greater hive moth were also determined. We established that the larvae fragmented and consumed 35.2 ± 23% of the plastics evaluated, with significant differences between treatments. Larvae were able to consume more of the intermediate layers of masks (86.31%) than the other plastics. However, none of the plastics were digested. Instead, microplastics accumulated in the excreta, resulting in nutritional deficits that affected the continuity of the life cycle, including the induction of the early formation of pupae after 24 h and a reduction in the number of eggs laid by the females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]