Exploring the metabolic changes of Ceratitis capitata Vienna 8 strain across three developmental stages through probiotic larval diet supplementation

The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is revolutionizing pest control through its environmentally friendly approach, which involves rearing and sterilizing male insect pests using ionizing radiation and subsequently releasing them into the field to mate with wild females without producing offspring. Recent research has unveiled a groundbreaking enhancement in the quality of released Ceratitis capitata (medfly) males through the addition of probiotics to their larval diet. To thoroughly examine the impact of probiotic supplementation on the medfly larval diet, we conducted an in-depth analysis with GC-MS from medfly extract supplemented with probiotic Enterobacter sp. strain. The supplementation revealed a notable difference in the metabolomic signature compared to non-supplemented extract across all medfly life stages. We identified 37 known metabolites for all the stages, 12 of them were identified as biomarkers for the larval stage, 12 for the pupal stage, and 13 for the adult stage exhibiting crucial activities such as anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and sexual and aggregation pheromone. These findings underscore the considerable potential of SIT combined with probiotic supplementation for enhancing sustainable pest control strategies worldwide.