Our model – Tenebrio molitor

The yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, is the larval stage of a beetle belonging to the darkling beetle family (Tenebrionidae). Despite its simple appearance, it is a remarkably versatile organism that has gained increasing importance across research, industry, and sustainability initiatives.

In nature, Tenebrio molitor is a detritivore, feeding on organic matter such as grains and decomposing plant material. This ecological role makes it highly adaptable and easy to rear under controlled conditions, which has contributed to its widespread use in laboratory studies. Its life cycle is well characterized, relatively short, and can be maintained at low cost, allowing researchers to work with large numbers of individuals in a reproducible way.

Beyond the laboratory, mealworms have attracted significant attention in the context of sustainable food systems. They are rich in protein, lipids, and micronutrients, and are increasingly explored as an alternative source of nutrition for both animal feed and human consumption. Their production requires less land, water, and energy compared to traditional livestock, and they can be reared on agricultural by-products, contributing to circular economy approaches. For these reasons, Tenebrio molitor has been approved for use as food in several regions, including the European Union.

In addition to their role in food and feed, mealworms are also being investigated for applications in biotechnology and environmental sustainability. Notably, they have shown the ability to ingest and degrade certain types of plastics, such as polystyrene (Yang et al. 2015a), through the action of their gut microbiota (Yang et al. 2015b). This has opened new avenues of research into biological approaches for waste management and recycling.

In scientific research, Tenebrio molitor has emerged as a valuable model organism in multiple fields, including physiology, immunology, toxicology, and redox biology. Its immune system shares functional similarities with innate immunity in higher organisms, making it useful for studying host–pathogen interactions. It is also widely used in toxicity testing and pharmacological screening, offering a cost-effective and ethically accessible alternative to vertebrate models. Importantly, many fundamental cellular and biochemical processes are conserved across species, allowing insights gained from this model to inform broader biological understanding.

Taken together, the combination of practical advantages, biological relevance, and growing industrial applications makes Tenebrio molitor a powerful and versatile organism at the interface of basic research, biotechnology, and sustainability.