Vulnerability of a mixed diet of DDGS with different proportions of flour/yeast and commercial animal feed containing DDGS to T. castaneum infestation.

Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS) is a co-product of corn-ethanol production process and it is added to the livestock feeds and finishing diet to replace corn or other grain. Recently due to increasing corn prices, farmers have substituted candy for corn; however DDGS is a better and healthier replacement with higher protein concentration. Additionally, DDGS is usually 10 to 25% cheaper than corn, and with the recent increases in ethanol production, DDGS availability is high. Our research has shown that T. castaneum developmental time significantly increased when reared on the raw ingredient DDGS, indicating that it is not a suitable host for red flour beetles but then other ingredients are added to the diet, suitability increases. Additionally we found that females rarely lay eggs and if they do, they lay very few when presented DDGS as raw ingredient. However, understanding the relationship between DDGS and stored-product insects is critical to managing DDGS storability, especially when DDGS is added to animal feed. Thus, information about commercial animal feed containing DDGS susceptibility may help us in finding the best way to protect DDGS when stored as a raw ingredient at a feed mill or processing facility, or as an ingredient in animal feed. This presentation will address the issue of insect development on DDGS when additional ingredients are added at various proportions. It will all address the issue of insect development on a variety of commercially available animal feeds that contain DDGS as an ingredient. The results of my study will help DDGS managers, food processors, and pest management professional understand the vulnerability of animal feed, which contains DDGS as an alternative form of protein and amino acid, to T. castaneum infestation.