Heather Jordan
Mississippi State University, MS·Microbiology & Immunology
As the population grows, traditional agriculture will be under intense pressure to supply enough protein. Some insects can eat agricultural or urban waste and turn it into protein and compost.
- Fields
Microbiology & Immunology
Plant Science & Agriculture
- Topics
insect farming
insect protein
insect microbiome
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jul 2027
What they work on
- Characterize the microbiomes of farmed insects and optimize them to improve insect nutrition, the value of insects as feed, and the conversion of waste into protein and compost.
- Test whether probiotic supplementation of farmed insects improves insect nutrition, feed nutrition and waste conversion efficiency.
- Develop quality-assurance plans using classical and molecular microbiology to prevent and detect microbial pathogens in mass insect production.
More about the research
They could therefore provide food for animals and, with regulatory approval, for people, while using less land and water and producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions. This three-site industry-university center studies insect farming. The Mississippi State University site focuses on the microbes that live in and on farmed insects.
Why it matters
Insect-based protein could help meet growing demand for animal feed, aquaculture feed and human food. At the same time, insects can recycle agricultural waste. Microbiome and probiotic research could make insect farming more efficient, and pathogen detection plans could make it safer. This could benefit livestock and aquaculture producers, the insect farming industry and the environment.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
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University of Washington, WA·Plant Science & Agriculture
Evaluate aquaponics operations in diverse geo-climatic zones and document how their technologies and practices can be adapted to support local and regional food production.
Kofi Nyarko
Morgan State University, MD·Computer Science
Assess the commercial translation potential of an AI supervisory control platform for controlled-environment agriculture, through hands-on investigation of the hydroponic and greenhouse industry.
Mahmoud Almasri
University of Missouri-Columbia, MO·Engineering
Develop a Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy sensor that uses metal nanoantennas on a side-polished optical fiber to quickly detect and measure Salmonella types in poultry samples.
The school
Mississippi State University: 9 labs on PI Pages, $342M a year on research, 168 research doctorates a year.
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