Sustainable food and feed from insects

Your challenges

The growing demand for high-quality proteins, sustainable feed and biodegradable materials poses major challenges for agriculture, industry and environmental research. At the same time, large quantities of organic by-products and residues are generated worldwide, which have not been adequately utilised to date.

Our solutions

This is where we come in: our goal is to efficiently and ecologically upgrade these material flows with the help of biological systems. A central element of our work is the use of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) as a model and production organism. The larvae of this insect species are capable of converting a variety of (agro)industrial by-products into high-quality biomass – including proteins, lipids and chitin.

Our methods

We identify and optimise sustainable feed based on regionally available residues. At the same time, we examine key breeding parameters such as growth, development time and survival rate, as well as the behaviour of adult animals, particularly with regard to mating and egg laying. This biological data serves as the basis for targeted control of production conditions. Another focus is on the microbial characterisation of the larvae and their environment. Using metagenomic techniques and molecular biological methods, we record changes in the microbiome depending on different feed substrates – for example, fermented palm oil residues or cottonseed press cake. This data helps us to better understand and specifically influence intestinal health, feed conversion and resistance to pathogens.

In addition, we develop and evaluate novel foods and feed from insects. These are analysed microbiologically and nutritionally to ensure product safety, quality and regulatory requirements.