There's been much discussion in the media recently about insect protein, whether utilized in imitation beef, protein bars, or other processed forms, but a startup in the UK has devised a method to incorporate insects into the food supply chain in a manner that not only reduces emissions but also doesn't upset digestion.

The now 9-year-old startup Entocycle employs insects to substitute corn, soy, and fishmeal as premium animal feed for pigs and chickens.

Of the primary meat sources globally, chickens and pigs, known in the industry as 'monogastrics,' possess one stomach unlike other meat sources such as beef, sheep, and goat, which are ruminants and possess multiple stomachs.

Ruminants exclusively consume grass, roughage, and other vegetation, but while chickens and pigs have historically been fed corn, soy, and other agricultural products, insects would have constituted a significant portion of their natural diets, particularly for the latter, which were domesticated from tropical jungle fowl.

At Entocycle's London development facility, thousands of black soldier fly larvae are converted into protein feed for pigs and chickens. This fly species consumes nearly any discarded food, making insect farming a double win for environmental waste management, as it has the potential to divert food scraps from landfills where they typically produce methane, a potent albeit short-lived greenhouse gas.

"It is the quickest, cheapest, most sustainable insect to farm and it's a non-disease, non-pest species found all over the world," remarks Entocycle founder and chief executive Keiran Whitaker.

While it may appear that a fly wouldn't be capable of producing enough eggs to generate sufficient food for all global poultry and pork farming, they indeed produce a considerable amount of protein. Yet, it extends beyond that.

A prior study published in 2021 discovered that incubating pig manure with black soldier fly larvae substantially decreased manure nutrient levels, with reductions in nitrogen, carbon, energy, phosphorus, and potassium in the residual material, potentially mitigating the environmental issues arising from excess manure on farms entering river systems during heavy rains, a significant problem in England, for instance.

These flies also positively impact animal health, with several recent scientific studies supporting the advantages. A 2022 study found that supplementing pig diets with black soldier fly larvae had beneficial effects on pig growth performance and meat quality improvement.

Consequently, a 40-foot walk-in fly breeding center developed by Entocycle was installed at the University of Leeds' Research Farm, which evaluates innovative agricultural technology on a farm striving to achieve complete circularity.

Across the Atlantic, US food giant Cargill is already utilizing insect feed in its pork and poultry operations, produced by a company called Innovafeed.

WATCH the story below from Reuters…

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