2018 ESA Annual Meeting (August 5 -- 10)

PS 8-93 - Determining the effects of domestic bird food on Tribolium castaneum fecundity as an indirect measure of acrylamide contamination

Monday, August 6, 2018
ESA Exhibit Hall, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN

Tatiana Tatum Parker and Yusra Amer, Biological Sciences, Saint Xavier University, Chicago, IL
Tatiana Tatum Parker, Saint Xavier University; Yusra Amer, Saint Xavier University

Background/Question/Methods

Acrylamide is a chemical essential in the formation of acrylamide and polyacrylamide copolymers. These copolymers are then used in industrial and food processes, including animal feeds. The effects of acrylamide in mass-produced cat and dog food have a fair amount of studies done; however, there is a shortage of studies on the effect of this chemical on smaller animals. In our study, we compare the effects of different concentrations bird food using Tribolium castaneum as a model organism. Initially, four hundred T. castaneum beetles were evenly placed into 4 small plastic cups (one-hundred each) filled halfway with flour media, covered in plastic wrap, and placed in an incubator for 14-16 days at 24°C and 70% humidity. Once approximately 300 larvae were produced, they were separated from the beetles, and complete the larval stage then the pupa stage. Then, 60 imagos were placed in jars with various amounts of ground bird food concentrations ranging from 0% to 100% and fed for 14 days at 24°C and 70% humidity. After 2-3 weeks, the larvae of each condition were separated from the beetles, counted, and compared to the other conditions.

Results/Conclusions

Analysis of the effects of bird food on T. castaneum beetles as our model organism, will help determine whether the traces of acrylamide in bird food are harmful to domestic birds. Based on research of Caenorhabditis elegans, there was very little difference in fecundity between 0.5 μg/L up to 5 mg/L; however, there was a significant difference in the offspring of worms in the 500 mg/L acrylamide plates. Of the 19 progeny eggs, five died without hatching and the remaining 14 hatched but died before adulthood. Because the latter experiment used pure acrylamide, our experiment will yield results less harsh. The use of vertebrates as a research model is limited by their long generation times, low numbers of progeny and ethical concerns. In contrast, invertebrates such as insects breed rapidly, and produce many offspring. This use of T. castaneum allows for a quick study of the differences between food compounds, heat-stress, and fecundity as health parameters.