First ingredient range made from insects launched for human consumption: Protifarm
Duch agri-tech company Protifarm claims it has launched the first ingredient range made from inspects for human consumption.
The ingredients line, titled AdalbaPro, was launched together with foodservice distributor Caldic at FiE in Paris. Four products are now available for the B2B food industry: a textured insect protein, an insect protein concentrate, a fibre powder, and a whole buffalo powder.
Protifarm chose to work with the Alphitobius diaperinus, commonly known as the buffalo beetle, due to its flavour profile. “This insect has a very mild, slightly nutty flavour that the food industry loves,” CEO Tom Mohrmann told FoodNavigaor when we caught up at FiE.
It does not have the off-taste present in a number of other alternative proteins, he elaborated. “Pea has an off-taste, soy has an off-taste, crickets have an off-taste, and grasshoppers have an off-taste.”
Beyond taste, the product is nutritious, containing a complete profile of amino acids, as well as vitamin b12, iron, fibre, and healthy fats.
And the sustainability argument is clear. The production of insects for human consumption produces a ‘tiny fraction’ of the greenhouse gas emitted from poultry, pork, and beef production. Protifarm employs a vertical farming method to maximise its productivity per square metre, and the company is on a mission towards 100% renewable energy.
“Compared to conventional livestock or even many plant-based protein sources, our buffalo beetles require a tiny amount of water to grow. That’s because the Alphitobius diaperinus prefer to stay dry through their lifecycle consuming only the water they need for hydration,” noted the firm.
“As they produce much less waste than conventional livestock our farm consumes a fraction of the water of a cattle or pig farm.”
Protifarm uses a patented processing method to transform the buffalo beetle larvae into ‘recognisable’ ingredients for the food industry. For CEO Mohrmann, the reason behind this is two-fold.
“If you offer whole insects to the food industry, nobody knows what to do with it. And more importantly, if they do know what to do with it, nobody wants whole insects in their factory.”
Secondly, Mohrmann argued that consumers respond better to insect-based ingredients mixed into food products, rather than crunching down on recognisable, dead insects. “Consumers don’t want whole insects ending up in their food.”
Image source: Protifarm
