NEWS Alternative Proteins Magazine April 2024 27 regional food industry. After around twelve days, the larvae are processed into insect oil and meal, which have already shown promising results in trials on farms in terms of production and animal health in poultry and pigs. The aim is to produce 100 tonnes of larvae on a daily basis. Europe's farmers want to avoid importing some of their soya from overseas in future by using insect-based protein feed. Even though beneficial insects have been authorised as an ingredient in fish feed since 2017, such animal feed has so far been a niche product in Europe, DLG stated. Only since September 2021 has it been possible to feed processed animal protein from farmed insects to pigs and poultry in the EU under a special regulation. This opens up new growth areas for producers of insect proteins such as Livin Farms AgriFood, Illucens and Viscon. However, experts like Prof. Nils Borchard see even more potential applications. In addition to being used as animal feed, the farmed insects or their constituents could also be used in the production of meat substitutes and other foods as well as in the manufacture of cosmetics. Until now, the production of insect protein has often been difficult from an economic point of view, as the production and processing methods are not yet able to compete with conventional animal feed. "Utilising agricultural by-products and by-products from the food industry as feed for insect breeding can help reduce production costs," says Borchard. How the potential of organic residues and waste can be exploited is therefore one of the questions that will be discussed at the "Expert Stage: Inhouse Farming" on 12 November as part of the Insects theme day. The IPIFF (International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed), a non-profit EU organisation representing the interests of the insect production sector, is an expert partner in the development of the content. INSECTS AS UPCYCLING PROFESSIONALS The answer to this question has long since attracted the attention of research institutions and start-ups. There are more than enough residual materials, because "in the European Union, around 58 million tonnes of unused food are produced every year," explains Prof. Jörg Woidasky from the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences. The university has been cooperating with Alpha-Protein, a start-up from Bruchsal, Germany, for several years. "In addition to selecting suitable by-products from the food industry, we were also able to optimise the handling of the sensitive animals," explains the expert in sustainable product development. Alpha-Protein uses these by-products as food for the mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) and upcycles them into a protein-rich raw material with vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids and minerals. "In addition, we obtain a nutrient-rich plant fertiliser when rearing the mealworms, which has many other positive effects such as soil activation and long-term fertilisation," says company founder Gia Tien Ngo. Industrial production is currently being planned in Ludwigshafen, Germany on an area of two hectares. The plan is to produce 1,000 tonnes of dried insects and over 5,000 tonnes of fertiliser annually. The plan is to feed used bread from bakeries in the region as a primary source of animal feed. CHALLENGES OF AUTOMATED BREEDING The control of environmental factors such as temperature and humidity, the precise handling of sensitive fly eggs and the uniform portioning of freshly hatched larvae are complex tasks that need to be solved when automating breeding - a topic that the exhibiting companies at the "Inhouse Farming - Feed & Food Show" are also addressing. WEDA Dammann & Westerkamp, a specialist in feeding technologies, will also be present in Hanover. The company from Lutten recently supplied a corresponding system, including control and process visualisation, to the Portuguese company EntoGreen. The larvae of the black soldier fly are fed with the residues in the system of containers and mixing tanks until they reach their final weight. Read more>> Prof. Nils Borchard SPECIAL NEWS
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