Creating circular economy for animal feed with insects

BSF is a proven high-nutrition feed source for agricultural applications. There are challenges the industry faces in getting this excellent product into feed. Current regulations in Australia consider larvae that have eaten meat and dairy as Restricted Animal Material (RAM), and cannot be fed to ruminants or humans. There is active research within the industry and academic partners to challenge this status quo, which exists in Europe and the US markets too. We must recognise that what we waste today will not be wasted in the years and decades to come.

Volant Wills
Head of Facilities at Canberra
Goterra

Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) are an emerging source of protein for animal feed in Australia as the rest of the world ramps up to a demand base greater than possible supply. BSF consumes organic waste at a startling rate – consuming equal to its body mass daily – and produces a by-product called frass (natural insect manure). The larvae themselves are processed into protein, and sold into poultry, fish, swine, and pet feed. You may have heard of BSF protein and frass before – as circular solutions to food waste and animal feed insecurity in Australia. There is so much more our insect bio-heroes will be doing in the next decade, directly for the benefit of the feed industry.

INSECT MARKET LANDSCAPE
BSF is a proven high-nutrition feed source for agricultural applications. Below is a typical crude proximate analysis as well as amino acid profiles of available proteins.

Suppliers of BSF can be quality accredited, just like other feed sources.

There are challenges the industry faces in getting this excellent product into feed. Current regulations in Australia consider larvae that have eaten meat and dairy as Restricted Animal Material (RAM), and cannot be fed to ruminants or humans. There is active research within the industry and academic partners to challenge this status quo, which exists in Europe and the US markets too. We must recognise that what we waste today will not be wasted in the years and decades to come. ‘Clean’ waste streams, that are free from contamination, meat, and dairy, will be used directly by farmers without processing, or reclaimed for human consumption through donations and other programs. There will also be increasing costs associated with traditional feed sources, such as soya bean, as supply is restricted by environmental standards preventing deforestation and the cost of fuel to import soya increases domestic costs. To secure our supply chains and reduce Scope 3 emissions, we must look to methods that produce feed domestically from otherwise wasted organics, like BSF.

“In Australia, a number of start-up businesses are contributing to the growing local insect-protein market, both for human consumption and in the animal feed sector.”
Rabobank Australia Head of Innovation, Knowledge & Networks Nathalie Gibson said in line with consumer demand for alternative proteins, entrepreneurs in the local market were being identified through Rabobank’s FoodBytes! start-up innovation platform.
“For example, Goterra, an Australian-based alumni of FoodBytes! by Rabobank, utilises bugs as animal feed, whilst simultaneously solving waste management issues, and we expect to see more local companies using insect protein to help mitigate waste and contribute to this progressive industry in the future.”
She said the Australian market had so far focused on creating circular food systems through insect protein.
“The main applications have utilised agricultural waste to feed insects that are then recycled back into feed for livestock – which has been the system adopted by Goterra,” Ms Gibson said.
For further information see https://goterra.com.au/ and https://www.foodbytesworld.com/¹”

THE FUTURE OF INSECTS AS FEED
There is currently an available supply of insects to the feed and additive industries. The base components of the larvae have properties that will benefit the health and wellbeing of animals when included in their feed. Research and understanding the gut microbiome of the larvae, especially to promote AMPs (antimicrobial peptides) for use as an inclusion antibiotics in agriculture is a priority. This understanding will further valorise waste, however we will still benchmark this against traditional protein sources. Alternatively, the fatty acids that make up the oil component of the larvae are rich in lauric acid, which has applications as a rapid growth agent when added to feed products. Industry and academic collaboration is strongly committed to realising these benefits.

CAN WE TRULY CREATE A CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR ANIMAL FEED?
As discussed, the wastes that society generates will change in response to climate change and food insecurity. We must consider the usage of sewage and effluent as a substrate. To achieve this, research is required to understand the levels of inclusion of undesirable material, including pathogens, bacteria, heavy metals, and microplastics which will be contained by the gut biome of the larvae. Thus, the case can be made that they are safe for inclusion to animal feed and thus closing the circular economy for feed.

¹Rabobank, ‘Insect Protein as Animal Feed Creating Global Buzz’ https://www.rabobank.com.au/media-releases/2021/210305-insect-protein-as-animal-feed-creating-global-buzz/

About Volant Wills
Volant Wills is the current Head of Facilities at Canberra of the Australia-based insect waste management start-up Goterra. He has operated the Agriprotein Facility in Cape Town, South Africa as part of their Global Development team in the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium and Singapore. Volant’s ability to ensure product compliance comes with his working experience in PepsiCo and Vital Health, major food and pharmaceutical/ nutraceutical industries respectively within South Africa.