Staying ahead of the technology curve means strengthening your competitive advantage. That is why we give you data-driven innovation insights into the agricultural industry. This time, you get to discover 5 hand-picked startups developing insect-based animal feed solutions.
Global Startup Heat Map highlights 5 Top Insect-based Animal Feed Solutions out of 180
The insights of this data-driven analysis are derived from the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 2.093.000+ startups & scaleups globally. The platform gives you an exhaustive overview of emerging technologies & relevant startups within a specific field in just a few clicks.
The Global Startup Heat Map below reveals the distribution of the 180 exemplary startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research. Further, it highlights 5 AgriTech startups that we hand-picked based on criteria such as founding year, location, funding raised, and more. You get to explore the solutions of these 5 startups & scaleups in this report. For insights on the other 175 insect-based animal feed solutions, get in touch.
Nasekomo develops Insect-based Fish Feed
Fish meal is one of the popular sources of feed when raising marine animals as it is calorically dense and cheap to produce. However, its use in the fish industry further worsens the problems of overfishing and marine ecological imbalance. Additionally, certain types of unmodified fish meal are known to be combustible which increases the danger in large-scale production, storage, and transportation. To tackle these problems, startups are developing alternative sources of fish feed such as insect-based feed.
Bulgarian startup Nasekemo specializes in the production of sustainable insect-based feed. The startup’s fish feed is a highly nutritious and digestible-defatted 60% protein meal. It contains key amino acids, trace elements, and lipids necessary for any stage of the fish cycle. Nasekomo creates value for the animal feed industry through the implementation of scalable insect farming.
InnovaFEED manufactures Black Soldier Fly (BSF)-based Feed
The majority of fish feed is made with fish farmed for human consumption, leading to overfishing. Plant-based solutions are alternatives that alleviate the problems of using fish feed while maintaining nutrition levels. However, even plant-based solutions can cause potential problems since nutrition balance needs to be closely monitored since the use of plants as a substitute requires precise proportioning to prevent overfeeding or nutritional imbalance. Startups are creating insect-based feeds that contain the right set of nutrients for optimal fish growth.
French startup InnovaFEED grows black soldier flies for use as insect feed for fish and shrimp. The high-protein feed has the same performance level as premium fish meal because the insect protein has a similar amino acid profile. It boosts health and immune resistance in shrimp due to the presence of lauric acid and chitin immunostimulant. The startup’s protein feed has a low carbon footprint and a positive impact on biodiversity.
Hexafly utilizes Vertical Insect Farming
Insect farming is more efficient and sustainable than the farming of conventional animals as insects are more efficient in converting nutrients into body mass. As vertical farming is gaining popularity in the agriculture industry, insect farmers are also adopting it to make insect farming more scalable.
Irish startup Hexafly develops vertical farming solutions to rear black soldier flies. Hexafly uses bio-conversion technology to produce sustainable, nutrient-dense, insect protein for industries that require protein as an ingredient by using the principles of the circular economy. The startup’s product range includes Hexameal, a high protein meal for aquaculture, as well as Hexaoil and Hexafrass for use in the cosmetics and agriculture industries, respectively.
Entocycle sustainably grows BSF as an Alternative Protein Source
The demand to grow plants such as soybeans for feed increases because of deforestation. Similarly, the global demand for fish feed grows as overfishing increases. Moreover, growing insects requires less space than other food alternatives while providing higher nutritional value. Startups are developing methods to further increase the sustainability of growing insects by having them upcycle waste to create proteins.
British startup Entocycle raises black soldier larvae using rejected supermarket fruit and vegetables, brewer’s grains and coffee grounds. The startup’s upcycling process reduces the amount of food waste that ends up in landfills. Once the larvae are fully grown, they are used as animal feed since they are high in protein and packed with essential amino acids, fats, and minerals.
FreezeM provides Black Soldier Fly Eggs for the Animal Feed Industry
A major challenge faced by BSF farmers is that the wet grub can scale any surface. To prevent them from escaping, growers need to maintain specific humidity levels and monitor them. Due to a lack of alternative options, farmers currently spend a considerable amount of time and energy when farming insects as sources of feed or protein. To solve these challenges, startups are developing technologies that preserve and raise soldier fly larvae and eggs to supply them in the required life cycle stage to the agriculture and feed industries.
Israeli startup FreezeM develops patent-pending preservation technologies for different stages of the black soldier flies’ life-cycle. These include the freezing of revivable eggs for long-term cryopreservation and the suspended animation of neonate larvae. This eliminates the need for companies to have their own breeding facilities, allowing them to order insects on-demand.
Discover more AgriTech Startups
AgriTech startups such as the examples highlighted in this report focus on BioTech, Smart Farming, Precision Farming as well as robotics and automation. While all of these technologies play a major role in advancing the agricultural industry, they only represent the tip of the iceberg. To explore more agricultural technologies, simply get in touch to let us look into your areas of interest. For a more general overview, you can download our free AgriTech Innovation Report to save your time and improve strategic decision-making.
