Insect Bioconversion – Reforming the Food System

Reduce - Repurpose - Redistribute

Global Food

Challenges

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that one-third of all global food produced is lost or wasted between farm and fork. In the UK, that translates to 3.6 million tonnes of food being wasted by the food industry every year. Food loss and waste is also a significant contributor to habitat and biodiversity loss. The current demand for meat and fish products is expected to see a 78% increase by 2050 and without positive action will further impact already depleted land and oceans.

Feeding the World

Globally, the rising pressure to meet the expected consumption levels for the ever-growing population estimates that more than 250 million metric tonnes of additional protein will be needed per year. This puts immense pressure on our current animal feed protein sources such as soy and fishmeal. The current land degradation, declining soil fertility, unsustainable water use, overfishing and marine environment degradation are all lessening the ability of the natural resource base to supply food without making considerable detrimental impacts on the environment.

Reducing Food in Landfills

The environmental impact of food waste is already significant, responsible for 8% of global GHG emissions. When food is discarded, it’s not just the food, often still edible, that is wasted, but also the valuable resources that went into making it. Furthermore, when food decomposes in landfills, it produces a greenhouse gas, methane. This puts huge pressure on the planet as food losses and waste alone contributes to an estimated 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Putting this into perspective, if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest greenhouse gas emitter, behind China and the United States. The pressure is on to reduce the environmental impact of food production. So how will we meet this demand sustainably? The answer could be insects. Alternative efficient technologies and practices are being sought to better deal with organic substrates* (waste) whilst also providing a sustainable source of animal feed. Enter insect farming and a bioconversion methodology, as some insect species can reduce organic waste through consumption and convert the waste into high protein biomass for use in animal feed as well as other products. Insects offer a unique opportunity to address several challenges: protein supply, increased human demand, and organic waste disposal.

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Solution:
Food System Reformation

Consumers increasingly expect the food and drink industry to deliver sustainability measures in their operations, in the products that they sell, and in their supply chains. Awareness of the food system’s contribution to climate change, deforestation, water stress, food waste and other sustainability challenges is on the rise, especially as part of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. There are therefore significant commercial and reputational benefits in taking action. Many global companies, including food retailers, producers, and

Solution:
Food

distributors have already made significant moves towards reducing their impact on the environment as part of UN SDG Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and Goal 13: Climate Action. Schemes including ‘zero waste to landfill’ and reducing food losses and waste in the supply chain are making positive impacts in the industry, along with collaborating with suppliers, retailers, and local governments to advocate for system reform to address food waste and mitigate climate change.

But is that enough?

Reduce:

Reducing food waste by half would avoid 1.5 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year by 2050, but with the growing population and expected increase in food demand to be 60-70% by 2050, how can the food industry ensure they continue to meet demand, whilst also adhering to the global sustainability drive?

Repurpose:

Turn organic side streams into high-value feed ingredients. Repurposing surplus food and converting it into animal feed avoids greenhouse gases generated from landfill and potentially reduces deforestation. As insects can eat a wide range of organic materials, they are perfect for dealing with production line side streams, discarded foods or agricultural wastes. Praised for their high-quality protein content, in a natural food chain, insects take care of recycling wasted nutrients, so they don’t mind food waste, surplus/rotting crops, discarded grains, or even manure. In this way insects contribute to the circular economy Today, this sustainable solution can be realised on a large scale. Repurposing surplus food is therefore a solution to the growing levels of bio waste as well as a solution for sustainable proteins.

Redistribute:

Redistributing surplus food waste into animal feed and other high value products via insect bioconversion contributes to the circular economy and allows food waste to re-enter the food cycle without the emissions of greenhouse gases. Insects also need much less water, land, and energy to produce the same amount of feed as soy and fishmeal, the popular protein source globally for poultry, bovine, and fish.

Insects Reforming the Food System

As a largely untapped and under-exploited method, insect bioconversion (the method of converting food waste into animal feed via insects) offers a unique opportunity to address perceived challenges and mitigate the environmental impact in obtaining protein sources. When dried, insects contain up to 50% of high-quality protein as well as necessary vitamins, fats, and amino acids. They are also rich in antimicrobial, medium-chain fatty acids, depending on species, which have proven gut health benefits. Insect meal could help reduce the UK’s future soy imports, a product that is expected to see a 78% increase by 2050, by 1/5 if scaled up, reducing pressure on critical production landscapes as the sourcing and production of soy has increasingly been linked to deforestation in places such as South America.

How Does it Work?

Insects - Black soldier flies (BSF), Hermetia illucens, can valorise a wide variety of organic side streams and residues into high-quality and sustainable ingredients for application in animal feed products. Our team of experts can help you realise the potential of your waste, conduct lab trials, pilot, and scale your product, and help reduce risk.

Our solutions cover feedstock preparation using all kinds of organic residues, rearing of the larvae, their processing into protein meal and lipids, the quality and safety of insect-derived products, as well as the use of the rearing residue and insect frass as a fertiliser.

Fera can provide a range of solutions to address corporate sustainability goals including reducing food waste, reducing GHG emissions and mitigating climate change by redistributing food industry side streams, which would otherwise go to waste, through the transformation of organic residues into quality ingredients for animal feed, industrial oils, plastic materials, and fertiliser. We cover the entire supply chain from feedstock handling to rearing, separation and extraction.

Fera's Expertise

**Dr Maureen Wakefield** - Principal Scientist (Entomology)

Fera's Expertise

Damian Malins - Venturing Director

**Rosario Romero** - Senior Scientist (Biological Chemistry)

**Dr Adrian Charlton** - Principal Scientist (Chemical Safety)

**Katherina Heinrich** - Senior Scientist (Biological Chemistry)

Fera's Insect Bioconversion R&D

**Map and Analyse**

Using your current food waste streams, we will provide you with a baseline analysis of your waste locations (geographically), current costs, seasonality, waste safety and current usage in terms of quantities/volumes, and waste type category. From this information, we can provide a recommendation on whether insect bioconversion is a right fit for your business.

Insect Performance Trials -
(Large Volume)

Scaling up the initial insect performance trials utilising Fera’s Insect Research Unit, we can provide large scale production trials based on the food waste you provide. This is ideal for waste producers or insect companies that have access to specific feedstuffs. The large volume trials enable the creation of higher volumes of the product/material needed. We can then analyse the material and confirm the properties needed for passing on to animal feed producers if needed, contributing to the circular economy.

**Nutritional / Safety Analysis of Insect Products**

Fera will conduct an analysis of the larvae to look at their nutritional profile, as well as conduct safety testing to ensure the absence of harmful material that could render the larvae unsuitable for your chosen specific use. We will ensure the thorough and extensive testing of the insect products, whether it be protein, fats, oils, chitin, or frass. This is to ensure the required quality is produced and that there aren’t any chemical or biological contaminants, for example accumulation of heavy metals or high level of pathogens rendering the product unsuitable for its end use.

Insect Performance Trials
(Early & Small Scale)

Following confirmation of suitability, Fera can conduct initial, small scale growth and development studies of insects on your organic waste. During the trials, insect larvae are fed and reared, then harvested and euthanised, then they are used to produce either protein, fat, chitin, or frass. As part of the process, Fera will study how quickly insect larvae grow and develop whilst converting volumes of your organic waste into valuable biomass.

**Business Planning**

Fera can provide expertise on plans to commission your own insect unit. Our team of experts will work in tandem with you and engineering companies to build your own bioconversion unit and equip you with the knowledge needed to understand the perceived benefits, this will include a cost benefit analysis, financial modelling, and training on technological equipment. We can be involved in development plans to ensure your unit meets all country-specific regulations and assist in the full launch of the unit.

Understanding the Market -
Regulatory / Commercial Considerations

Underpinning each previous offer, we will utilise our expertise and extensive knowledge of the landscape and the regulations to underpin all activities. We’ll provide a knowledge share of location-specific regulations and policies and ensure that all processes and products meet the safety and quality standards required by the industry. We can also advise on how to achieve the most efficient and economic use of your organic residues, whilst demonstrating how our systems meet the highest quality and safety standards and offer full traceability throughout the processing chain.

Refine and Develop -
Optimise ‘Recipe’

Fera can refine and develop optimised ‘recipes’ based on your available organic residues. To enhance and shorten the lifecycle of the insects, whilst also ensuring the right nutritional value, an optimised diet can be created. This may be done by starting to mix the organic substrates (waste products) and using knowledge of the nutritional requirements of the insects to get the best possible insect-derived products.

Design, Build and Commission of an Operation IBR
(Insect Bioreactor)

An extension of the previous business planning, we will conduct onsite visits to work with engineers on the build of the insect bioreactor, whilst providing training and quality assurance.

Timeline
Fera leading key research into industrial insect applications

The following timeline illustrates key projects led by Fera and important regulation changes in industrial insect applications.

Find out how Fera can help reduce your waste side streams to improve your environmental footprint and supply chain sustainability with insect bioconversion solutions.

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