Internationale Partnersuche

Innovation & Technologie Angebot

Eco-friendly insects farming for chemical, agro, pharma and pet care applications looking for partners to develop new business

Country of Origin: Italy
Reference Number: TOIT20161130001
Publication Date: 30 November 2016

Summary

An Italian innovative startup, active in the biotechnology sector, is breeding insects into a pilot plant to create a production network which could satisfy economic, environmental and social needs with a high sustainability. The system will produce, via extraction from insects, molecules which will be used in the agriculture, chemical and industrial sector. The startup is looking for different partners under services agreement, research cooperation or technical cooperation agreement.

Description

A newly-born innovative startup from northern-Italy is active in the biotechnology sector. The enterprise took off after winning an important regional business competition for startups. The Italian startup develops insects breeding modules using renewable energy. The startup is breeding different types of insects into a pilot plant with the objective to create a productive and commercial network similar to the franchising model. The system will produce, through extraction from insects, molecules which will be used in the agriculture, chemical and industrial sector. They are now testing different diets for feeding insects to obtain high-quality products.



*Insects:

In the future, the world population will grow as to make resources scarce; food will become increasingly expensive. Insects are an excellent and sustainable protein source for the wellness and nourishment of men and animals. Insects can also produce resources with a positive impact on the environment thanks to:

- low water and land consumption

- limited gas emissions

- high nutritional efficiency

- high reproductive rate

- high nutritional conversion rate (they convert feed mass into increased body mass more efficiently than other animals).

Different diets fed to selected insects determine different protein and lipid profiles, both in terms of quantity and quality, impacting on the organic molecules to be extracted from insects. Insects' offer in proteins, lipids and molecular fractions can satisfy market needs, are of interest for human health and wellness, as well as for these of animals, in a sustainable circle.



*The breeding units model:

Insects breeding for chemical application is quite new. The startup is researching on obtaining specific molecules (mainly proteins and lipids) from specific food substrates and analysing the best customizable chemical compositions to be offered to the market to answer to current evolved consumer needs in terms of attention to environment and wellness. The startup's model aims to create a network of "farmers" running small, eco-friendly breeding units which are self-sufficient thanks to the green energy used. Units will produce semi-finished products: dried and ground insects. 

Breeding units are the hearth of the productive network, allocated to farmers/franchisees, creating an efficient system. Thanks to solar, geothermic and wind-energy chosen, the unit is self-sufficient; it can work as a remote power station, using energy surplus. This co-productive model is designed to meet demand and production objectives, cutting down costs; it is also designed to produce positive effects on economic development and employment, especially in developing countries, in rural or isolated communities as it can be installed everywhere.



*Target markets:

Proteins, lipids and others molecular fractions (e.g. chitin) extracted from the insects can be addressed to several markets:

- agricultural

- nutraceutical (functional foods) for humans and animals

- pet care

- (green) chemical

- consumer goods

- cosmetics

- biomedical

- pharmaceutical.



The company is looking for different types of partners to be involved in the new project: farmers, biochemical/molecular researchers (or research centres, universities) and industries, all active in insects breeding and/or biochemical, chemical sector, who are used to work with protein, lipids and molecules. 



The aim is to develop, together with partners found, a productive and commercial network close to the franchising model: farmers, researchers and scientists, enterprises covering the whole process chain. 



Partnerships will be considered under services agreement (probably companies, farmers), research cooperation agreement or technical cooperation agreement (probably researchers, farmers) depending on the nature of the partner.

Advantages and Innovations

*Main advantages:

- Through insects breeding modules, productivity is >25% higher if compared to current breeding systems

- no use of chemical products (thanks to thermal stratification which accelerates insects life cycle in a natural way)

- units can be installed everywhere (roofs, gardens etc.)

- energy self-sufficient

- high productivity

- eco-friendly (insects will be fed with by-oriducts from agro industries)

- simple to use

- rural areas integration.



Insects have:

- a sustainable protein source for both men and animals

- low water and land consumption

- limited gas emissions

- high nutritional efficiency

- high reproductive rate

- high nutritional conversion rate (they convert feed mass into increased body mass more efficiently than other animals).

Stage Of Development

Project already started

Requested partner

The research of new molecules can lead to new applications in the sectors of nutraceutics, cosmetics and pharmaceutical as well as entomological and agricultural fields. The business model imagined by the company is based on the breeding of insects. Given this information, the company is looking for different types of partners to be involved in the new project.



- Type of partner sought: industry, research centres, university, especially farmers, biochemical/molecular researchers and industries to be included into the farming/breeding network



- Specific area of activity of the partner: farming, insects breeding, biochemical or chemical industries who are used to work with protein, lipids and molecules in general and extraction in particular. 



- Task to be performed by the partner: create and develop, together with the Italian company, a productive and commercial network close to the franchising model in a co-productive process. 

*Farmers will be assigned breeding units, thus the ideal partners are farmers who want to run a micro-business activity producing semi-finished products i.e. dried and ground insects.   

*Researchers and scientists will be cooperate in the technical part of the work, extracting and studying molecules and insects for different market applications. 

*Enterprises will enter the process by cooperating, advising and and testing macro-molecules extracted and defining together with the company the appropriate market applications in the sectors of (green) chemistry, cosmetics, pet care, pharmaceuticals, nutraceutics and agro-food.