Producing more protein with far less resources
Food & feed
Antoine Hubert, co-founder and Executive Vice-President of Ÿnsect, the company operating the farm, said: ‘The FARMYNG project devised and piloted by Ÿnsect will lay the foundations for a new protein supply chain to meet the world’s immense food challenge.’
At the farm, Tenebrio molitor mealworms are bred and processed to produce sustainable, high-quality proteins and oil for the pet food and fish feed markets. Manure is recovered for use in organic fertiliser.
The FARMYNG project will lay the foundations for a new protein supply chain to meet the world’s immense food challenge
Antoine Hubert, Co-founder and Executive Vice-President of Ÿnsect
ŸnFarm is expected to reach an annual ingredient production capacity of 160,000 tonnes. In addition, the farm will create 500 direct and indirect jobs, including production engineers, shift managers and research and development staff. As of late 2022, close to 80 people had been already hired to work at the farm, 43 of whom had been trained for specific positions, including operators and line drivers.
The CBE JU funding contributed to accelerating Ÿnsect’s growth. Following the launch of the FARMYNG project, ŸnFrass, the company’s natural insect-based fertiliser, was approved by ANSES, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, in March 2020, thus making Ÿnsect the first company in the world to obtain marketing approval for a fertiliser of this kind. The company also expanded its global presence with new offices in the Netherlands and the United States.
Environmental benefits
Insects emit fewer greenhouse gases and ammonia while using less water and land than other animal protein sources; therefore, the farm will reduce the environmental footprint of protein production. By replacing fishmeal in feed with mealworms, it will eliminate the need to catch 5 tonnes of fish a year.
The key advantage of insect protein is you can produce more with far less: it takes less feed to produce the same quantities of protein while they need fewer antibiotics and chemical fertilisers.
Antoine Hubert, Co-founder and Executive Vice-President of Ÿnsect
‘There are multiple environmental advantages to insect protein, including energy efficiency – mealworm larvae require very little water and can be grown in the dark, so they consume very few resources. They also have no impact on sea biodiversity and have a limited impact on land biodiversity,' Hubert explains. ‘But, the key advantage of insect protein is you can produce more with far less: it takes less feed to produce the same quantities of protein while they need fewer antibiotics and chemical fertilisers. And because the ultimate ingredient (ŸnMeal) is 72% protein, it is proven to be highly effective as fish feed or for pet nutrition.’
A self-sustaining process
Tenebrio molitor - @levonbis
Nineteen actors from all along the value chain, from feedstock supply to final insect transformation, participate in the FARMYING project. The concept results from years of research and innovation involving entomologists, agricultural engineers and automated production specialists. Partners obtained an example of an ideal set of genes for a Tenebrio molitor beetle to facilitate breeding and sustainable production.
The vertical cultivation techniques deployed at the farm optimise the development of insect colonies in restricted spaces. To facilitate harvesting, the beetles lay their eggs through grids. Then, the eggs are collected and placed in specially designed trays to grow. After hatching, the mealworms are washed several times and sorted by size.
Around 95% of the mealworms are processed into ingredients. The rest grow into adult beetles to continue the breeding cycle, so it is rarely necessary to introduce new insects.
Precise calculations and cutting-edge technologies
The entire process is carried out on-site based on precise calculations for factors, including breeding and feeding schedules. The quantity and composition of feed are dependent on the beetles’ age and weight. In the breeding area, temperature, humidity, CO2, and light are controlled to give the larvae the right conditions for development.
Colony density must also be optimised. Storage areas are fitted with sensors to collect data, which allows climatic conditions in each container to be adapted to the beetles’ needs. Cameras and AI software make it possible to monitor the weight and health of the beetles and ensure traceability of the whole process.
All these elements will contribute to enabling FARMYNG to offer much-needed sustainable proteins and oils for animal nutrition and bio-based fertiliser.
