Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 2 March 2021

NEWS 16 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2021 S ingapore-based agri-food tech company Nu- trition Technologies opened its first industri- al-scale insect protein factory in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, Malaysia. Since 2014, Nutrition Technolo- gies have been using black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens) to turn low-grade food waste and organic by-products into proteins and oils as a sustainable alternative to fishmeal, a commonly used ingredi- ent in animal feed. Their new factory was commis- sioned in December 2020 and is now scaling-up its production. “When fully operational, our new plant will produce 16,000 tonnes of insect products per year, [12,000t of insect frass, 3000t of insect meal and 1000t of insect oils]. This will divert 80,000 tonnes of waste per year from landfills and save tens of thousands of pelagic fish in the oceans, by pro- viding a substitute for fishmeal,” said Co-CEO and co-founder Nick Piggott. In recent years, the global fishmeal supply has stagnated. This, combined with rising demand for livestock and seafood, has left the animal feed industry facing a significant deficit in high-grade proteins. The insect protein sector has gathered in- creasing attention over the past few years. The sec- tor has seen investments totaling nearly US$1bn to date. Last year it is estimated that only 10,000t of insect meal was produced by all companies, across the world. However, this is expected to increase over the coming years as more factories start to come online. Nutrition Technologies’ new plant is a result of five years of R&D and technology development. Their vertical insect production system is opti- mised for the tropical conditions in Southeast Asia and uses bespoke automated equipment and Industry 4.0 principles to ensure strict biosafety and high-quality standards. As a zero-waste facili- ty, Nutrition Technologies is aiming for the facility to be carbon negative at full capacity. “Nutrition Technologies is committed to deliver sustainable products that meet the strict requirements of the animal feed market, as well as being low cost and environmentally friendly,” said Co-CEO and co-founder Tom Berry. Nutrition Technologies products offer a range of positive impacts on animal health and performance. These are tailored to answer the needs of the animal feed industry and support the necessary growth in fish and poultry production to support the world's growing population. “Our clients are looking for natural ways to reduce antibiotics, and efficiently promote animal health. The Black Soldier Fly Lar- vae’s unique fatty acid profile and bioactive com- pounds such as antimicrobial peptides have a key role to play in addressing these issues,” said CTO Martin Zorrilla. US$5M FUNDS RAISED On 26th February 2021, Nutrition Technologies closed a recent funding round of US$ 5m, led by Hera Capital, and supported by existing investors, Openspace Ventures and SEEDS Capital (the in- vestment arm of Enterprise Singapore). This will be used to fund new R&D projects as well as used to prepare the company for entry into new markets in Southeast Asia. Nutrition Technologies opens new insect protein factory Nutrition Technologies opened new industrial-scale insect protein factory in Malaysia and raised additional funds to prepare for next stage of growth.