With over 500 million cats and dogs globally, feeding our pets contributes to a soaring 56 and 151 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emission per year – similar to the combined emissions of the Philippines and Mozambique. Insect protein is a rapidly emerging sustainable pet food ingredient. Both insect producers themselves, such as Protenga in South East Asia, as well as global pet food leaders such as Nestle are boldly rethinking formulations to create environmentally sustainable pet nutrition with insects.
Partnership & Product Specialist Protenga
Senior Project Manager
Protenga
Insect protein is the latest emerging market for animal feed protein. The largest market for insect protein at present is the pet food industry. Rabobank predicts the insect protein as a pet food ingredient would rise to 150,000 metric tons by 2030. While the insect protein market as an animal feed ingredient in general could expand potentially up to 500,000 metric tons by 2030.
Pet food with insect protein is a premium segment that is expected to advance as the demand for insect-based pet food increases, especially by developed countries. Although the prices are at the higher end of the price spectrum, higher growth of the industry is forecasted due to the current trend of pet owners in providing their pets with high-protein and more natural treats with better sustainability advantages. The hypoallergenic traits of insect protein could cater for the sensitive and allergies-prone pets. The high marketing and functional value are also additional contributing factors.
EFFICIENT INSECTS
Insect species actively manufactured by multiple companies globally include housefly, crickets, locusts and mealworm. The Black Soldier Fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens) is the most popular species constituting close to 70% of the total insect production in the world. The BSF particularly thrive at high densities, have fast development, are able to store protein and fat, naturally able to reduce pathogenic bacteria and not a pest or vector species.
Black Soldier Fly
The Black Soldier Fly has the most adaptable diet and thrives on many kinds of feed including compost heaps and decomposing organic matter. Therefore, it is a voracious recycler of wet and dry food waste and byproducts. It has only a 10 days harvest cycle and thus its reproductive rate is high resulting in unparalleled yield. Significant features include a high protein content; valuable amino acid and fatty acid profile.
BENEFITS OF INSECT PROTEIN
Digestibility
Study shows insects provide an 87.7% digestibility for dogs for in-vitro research. They have high protein quality, based on the amino acid profile and digestibility. Notably, insect proteins contain favourable digestibility in extruded feed compared to conventional poultry meal in addition to fecal quality benefits due to water binding capacity.
Palatability
Insects emit an attractive smell for dogs. Studies compared olfactory attractiveness of four farmed insect species to attractant aromas used in commercial pelleted pet food. Results showed that the insects were of equal attractiveness as the commercial additives. In a palatability study by Protenga, an AAFCO-compliant diet was formulated with BSF protein as the only animal protein source (40%, no palatant or oil), conducted with an equivalent formula of using fishmeal instead of BSF, along with premium and low-cost commercial diets. Results showed clear preference for BSF over fishmeal (75% tried and finished BSF first), and the attractiveness of the premium diet was equivalent to the BSF protein feed.
Natural
Insects are in the ancestral diet of our pets, in the wild and even at home. Cats, dogs, birds, fish, naturally already eat insects; more likely for them to catch a fly to munch than picking soy to eat. It has been a publicly known long tradition in specialty pet foods at a small scale for reptiles, birds and ornamental freshwater fish to consume insects. And now, insects have become available at a much bigger scale for incorporation into mainstream pet nutrition products.
Sustainable
Pets consume 25 percent of annual meat-based calorie intake in the US. Insect production gives low environmental and resource footprint providing alternatives for rendered animal by-products and ‘food-grade’ ingredients.
Hypo-Allergenic
Insect protein has no allergenic potential identified. Fur and skin problems are one of the top concerns of cat and dog owners. Allergies are linked to common animal and plant proteins used in pet food. Insects are potentially good candidates for hypoallergenic diet formulations at present, especially in low or single protein ingredient pet food formulas.
ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE
The Black Soldier Fly larvae particularly are able to effectively convert and up-cycle traceable, clean and low value agricultural by-products into insect biomass. Insect farming incurs significantly less carbon than farming livestock, aquaculture, and swine, needing less food, water, and less space. It uses up to 50-90% less land, 40-80% less feed, producing 1000 – 2700 grams less greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of mass gain compared to conventional livestock.
Unlike production of proteins and oils from crops, insect farming does not require large areas of land nor consume significant quantities of water or manufactured inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides to grow profitably. As feed production requires 50% of global arable land, insect protein production could reduce the carbon footprint of feed leading to higher sustainability compared to specialty feed in terms of both scalability and environmental impacts. Fishmeal is a good source of protein, but it has inherent ecological limits and efficiency. Animal protein is another source of nutritious feed which can be sustainably produced but it has higher environmental carbon footprint as a whole.
HIGHLY EFFECTIVE
Insects are ectothermic (cold-blooded) animals. Since energy is not expended on regulating body temperature, insects have relatively high feed conversion ratios compared with endothermic mammals or birds depending on species and diet. This implies a highly effective breeding and economic performance of insects.
GENETIC IMPROVEMENT
Unlike domesticated animals, insects currently used in production are wild and have undergone no genetic improvement. The prospects for greatly enhancing the feed conversion ratio of insects through genetic improvement are remarkably significant.
GREAT PROMISE
Key players in the insect based pet food industry such as Yora in the United Kingdom and Protenga in South East Asia play a crucial role in the commitment to drive change necessary for our environment. The insect products and technology addresses the food system, responsible consumption and production, climate action and the need to work together in partnerships towards these goals.
Insects have hit the right sweet spots, aligning with natural diets of animals. They are highly nutritious and have low environmental impact. The market of insect protein is a rapidly emerging and innovative industry and addresses the critical demand for animal protein supply chain sustainability. It is time to have healthier food, healthier pets and a healthier planet. The future is now.
