Loopworm is ramping up production at a facility in Bangalore capable of churning out 6,000t of silkworm and black soldier fly protein a year.
The tiny larvae are put in a state of suspended animation for up to 10 days without refrigeration, enabling insect protein producers to focus on rearing and processing.
Producing high-value proteins from genetically engineered black soldier flies is cheaper and more scalable than expressing them in engineered microbes via precision fermentation, claims Chilean startup ByBug.
Industrial-scale insect farming is not for the faint-hearted. So what business models make sense, and who is going to fund the next wave of facilities?
“In the first six years, we had more failures than successes,” says insect ag pioneer Kees Aarts.
Insect breeding and rearing/processing require very different skillsets, claims FreezeM, which supplies insect farmers with neonates in a state of ‘suspended animation.’
Industrial-scale insect farming is not for the faint-hearted. So what business models make sense, and who is going to fund the next wave of facilities?
Funding in Novel Farming Systems—an AgFunder category spanning indoor farming, insect ag, aquaculture, and algae production—fell off a cliff last year.
Technology that eliminates the earthy color, flavor and aroma of crickets could unlock new opportunities in human food markets, claims US-based startup Hoppy Planet Foods.
Entobel says it will demonstrate that “it’s possible to produce industrial volumes of insect protein at a competitive cost… and we expect this factory will be profitable early next year.”
Tyson will take a minority stake in Protix and fund further expansion of the latter’s insect protein business for animal feed and pet food.
The companies will provide expertise, equipment and services for converting organic waste into BSF larvae used for protein in animal feed.
Ÿnsect COO Shankar Krishnamoorthy will assume the role of CEO; founder Antoine Hubert will pivot to focus on science, IP and strategy.
If you’re farming edible insects for protein, scale is the name of the game, says Singapore-based startup Insectta. But if you’re mining bugs for higher-value functional ingredients, even a tiny startup can potentially compete on the global stage with the right technology.
French startup Ÿnsect has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Korean food company LOTTE to explore human food applications for edible insects.
Ÿnsect will shutter its Netherlands facility and shift from animal feed production to pet feed as the company strives for profitability.
Through a novel patent-pending process, ARC Ento Tech is turning waste into animal feeds, fertilizers and a reductant that could replace coking coal.
Future Fields has raised US $11.2 million to scale up fruit flies as production vehicles for high value ingredients including growth factors for cultivated meat production and human recombinant proteins for medical research and biopharmaceuticals.
The FlyFeed founder describes his journey from working at SaaS startups to building his own insect protein company to combat global hunger.
The insect protein startup plans to operate 10 facilities that farm insects for protein by the end of the decade, starting wtih the US.
