Dietary L-Carnitine Supplementation and Tenebrio molitor Larvae

L-carnitine is a natural amino acid chain that has many metabolic functions in the body including the transportation of long chain fatty acids into the mitochondria. In this study, the effect of dietary L-carnitine supplementation on Tenebrio molitor was investigated through a series of experiments and continuous observations. The results of the 2 week process showed that the L-carnitine supplemented group had shown significantly more growth than the control group. At the end of the process, they were evidently larger, longer and had weighed more. It was observed from the respirometer experiment that they were uptaking more Oxygen to respire compared to the control group. This shows that the L-carnitine supplementation had allowed the larvae to respire more rapidly since the mitochondrial membrane is impermeable to acyl-CoA thus for the import into it, acyl-CoA is transported through what is called the carnitine shuttle. This allows the acyl-CoA enter the mitochondrial matrix andgo through beta-oxidation to generate acetyl-CoA which will later on partake in the Krebs Cycle to produce ATP for the cell.