INTERVIEW Alternative Proteins Magazine April 2024 35 About Alex Diana Alex Diana is a dedicated Product Manager specialized in functional feed ingredients derived from Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens). With a focus on protein ingredient applications for aquaculture, particularly for the salmonids and shrimp, Alex Diana brings a wealth of expertise to the table. Currently situated in Brussels, Belgium, he holds a degree in Marine Biology, with a specialization in aquaculture. - World’s largest database on industrial rearing of insects to leverage AI capabilities, - Powerful data management and BI system to structure and articulate data flows. • Industrial Automation: Fully integrated automated system leveraging data and automation to optimize operations on a real-time basis 24/7, - Advanced vertical breeding system, - In-house HVAC model to optimize zootechnical performance and energy consumption, - World-class rendering process designed to reach the highest product quality. Innovafeed’s technology allows the company to have superior products while enabling scalability and continuous innovation. We notice that you are working on the Hermetia Illucens species. Why did you pick these species? Are there any other species that you are currently farming or plan on farming? Today, EU regulation authorizes 8 insect species to be farmed for animal nutrition and Hermetia Illucens is one of them. Like ~70% of players in the insect industry, we decided to select this species for several reasons: • Hermetia illucens larvae are rich in high-quality nutrients - including protein, fats, and minerals. • With the same amount of food, they gain body mass more rapidly than other insect species (it multiplies its weight by 10,000 in 2 weeks!) and have shorter life cycles, enabling them to improve the economy while lowering our environmental impact. • This species thrives on a large variety of plantbased feedstocks, allowing us to consider a multitude of possible locations for our farms in the world. Each insect species requires very specific breeding conditions, so we prioritize our efforts in scaling up our activities with Hermetia illucens. We however consider other species: for example, we have supported the World Mosquito Program in improving their industrial model to farm mosquitos used to reduce the prevalence of diseases like dengue. Do you rely entirely on by-products for insect farming? Which by-products do you feed the insects with the most? Innovafeed’s mission is to build more sustainable food systems and we put circularity at the core of our model. We leverage insects as upcyclers to convert low-grade feedstocks into high-quality nutrients. That’s why we have focused on plant-based by-products to feed our larvae. In addition, our industrial strategy is based on the by-products location: We build our farms where by-products are available in large quantities and where our symbiosis model can be implemented: for example, wheat in Europe, corn in the USA, and palm in South East Asia. Our R&D team dedicates significant efforts to screening feedstocks and optimizing the nutrition of larvae at the best cost. Lastly, let's talk a little bit about your insect-based products. We see that you are carrying out innovative works in this field as well. Could you tell us about Innovafeed's product range, starting with Hilucia™, which you recently launched? In January 2024, we announced the launch of our Hilucia™ brand. This product range combines the cutting-edge technology of Innovafeed with the natural upcycling power of an exceptional insect, Hermetia illucens, to produce the highest quality ingredients at the lowest environmental cost. Hilucia™ is our functional product range for animal and plant nutrition. We are also developing new products from our insects which will be progressively released into the market.
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