蚕自古以来就被养殖为蚕丝。丝绸卷起来后，在几个亚洲国家，它们的蛹被当作食物食用。尽管这种昆虫有着悠久的饲养传统，很少有研究调查家蚕在整个生命周期中的微生物安全性，专注于检测家蚕病原体或食用的干of的安全性。然而,农场饲养过程，大约需要四十天，可能会影响家蚕和饲养环境的微生物负荷，以及鲜茧的质量等性能参数。没有关于微生物污染在饲养期间和不同农民之间如何变化的数据。此外，鉴于蛹可能用作食物，了解其微生物负荷如何根据含水量而变化是至关重要的。为了解决这些具体问题，我们进行了一项调查，涉及分析食物链中常用的特定微生物指标。我们从几个农场收集了环境和蚕样本。检查涵盖了蚕的整个生命周期，从第一龄幼虫开始，最后对新鲜收获和干燥的p进行审查。事实证明，意大利东北部的蚕养殖场是进行实验的适当模型系统。此外,对饲养性能进行了评估，重点关注新鲜茧的质量和昆虫的存活率。
Silkworms have been farmed for their silk since ancient times. After silk reeling, their chrysalides are consumed as food in several Asian countries. Despite the long rearing tradition of this insect, few studies have investigated the silkworm\'s microbiological safety all along the life cycle, focusing on detecting silkworm pathogens or on the safety of the dried chrysalis for food consumption. However, the in-farm rearing process, which takes around forty days, may affect the microbial load of the silkworm and of the rearing environment, as well as the quality of fresh cocoon and other performance parameters. No data is available on how microbial contamination changes during the rearing period and between different farmers. Furthermore, in light of the possible use of the chrysalis as food, it is crucial to understand how its microbial load varies according to the water content. To address these specific questions, we conducted an investigation involving the analysis of specific microbial indicators commonly used in the food chain. We collected environmental and silkworm samples from several farms. The examination covered the entire life cycle of silkworms, beginning with the first instar larvae and concluding with the scrutiny of both freshly harvested and dried pupae. Silkworm farms in Northeast Italy proved to be an appropriate model system for carrying out the experimentation. Additionally, an evaluation of rearing performance was conducted, with a focus on the quality of fresh cocoons and the survival rate of the insects.
