»BSFood«

Our goal is to develop an integrated process for rearing Hermetia illucens on regional by-products, producing processable protein meal from them, and creating sensorily tested insect sausage products (e.g. boiled/cooked sausages) for human consumption – with a focus on economic efficiency, food safety, storage stability, and consumer acceptance.

• Sub-goals:
  • Optimisation of larval rearing through targeted feeding trials, adaptation of abiotic factors (density, feeding rate, scale), microbial pre-treatment and additives (structural components, carbohydrates, probiotics).
  • Development of post-processing and processing techniques for the production of food-grade larval meal and insect sausages with variable insect content; sensory evaluation and consumer acceptance.
  • Comprehensive chemical analysis, sensory evaluation, storage stability and quality control of raw materials, intermediate and end products.
  • Consumer proximity: standardised sensory analysis according to DIN EN ISO 8589:2007 + Amd 1:2014, hedonic tests with consumer panels, and a large-scale consumer survey on insect-based foods.
  • Economic perspective: evaluation of substrates, process parameters, scaling potential and market opportunities for novel food approval.

• Various feeding trials
• Microbiological pre-treatment of feed
• Feed and food chemical analysis of substrates, larvae, larval fractions, feed
• Follow-up technology for the production of food-grade larval meal
• Production of boiled and cooked sausages (grilled sausage, liver sausage) with varying insect content
• Olfactory analysis of larval meal and sensory evaluation of insect sausages by a panel of test subjects
• Testing the storage stability of the meal and sausages

• Use of regional by-products: Reduced feed and procurement costs, strengthens regional value creation.
• Cost and resource efficiency: Rapid larval growth (10 days) enables short production cycles and low costs per kilogram of protein.
• Scalability: Industrial fattening process plus comprehensive analysis and processing enable the transition from laboratory to pilot and industrial scale.
• New products for human nutrition: Insect meal as a raw material for meat-containing end products opens up new market segments.
• Novel food potential: Positive sensory and acceptance data support novel food applications and realistic market access.
• Sustainability profile: Lower land and water consumption and lower greenhouse gases per kg of protein offer clear environmental benefits.
• Risk diversification: Multi-stage value creation reduces dependencies and increases market opportunities.
• Partnerships and know-how transfer: Collaboration with Agravis, Illucens, Fraunhofer IME and butchers enables practical solutions and rapid market readiness.

• Secure, regulated and transparent supply chain from raw materials to end product.
• Cost efficiency through regional sourcing and efficient production cycles.
• Access to innovative, market-ready products (insect meal, insect sausages) with proven consumer acceptance.
• Strong sustainability arguments for positioning against competitors and politicians.
• Support with novel food approvals and rapid market launch by experienced partners.