SINGAPORE - A new pilot facility that is able to convert organic waste into protein-packed nutrients for aquaculture was officially launched on Thursday (Feb 17).
The facility, set up by Singapore-based alternative protein start-up Inseact, leverages the voracious appetite of the black soldier fly to convert waste from the palm oil milling process into protein.
The protein is used to produce an insect-based shrimp feed for aquaculture.
The facility has reared more than 200 million black soldier flies since it was set up in December 2021, and has produced 21 tonnes of insect protein thus far.
The black soldier fly, in its larval form, feeds on organic waste, producing frass, a by-product that is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, thus making it suitable to be used as plant fertiliser.
The larvae themselves, being rich in protein, can be integrated into shrimp feed, which could then reduce the reliance on fishmeal - the main protein ingredient in aquaculture.
This could help to reduce the effects of overfishing, as fishmeal is a type of powder typically made from small marine fish, such as anchovies.
By using waste products of the palm oil industry as feedstock for the black soldier flies, some 11 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions are averted for every tonne of insect protein produced, said Inseact in a statement on Thursday.
Mr Tim van Vliet, Inseact's chief executive, said that many of the waste products from palm oil production would otherwise end up in landfills.
He added that as the insect protein space is booming globally, Inseact is able to differentiate itself by using palm oil waste - a more "sustainable, affordable and scalable" feedstock.
As Singapore does not have any oil palm plantations, Inseact has set its sights on establishing commercial black soldier fly facilities in regional countries such as Malaysia, and they will be built later this year, said Mr van Vliet.
Mr Michael Badeski, the company's chief operations officer, told The Straits Times that the pilot facility serves as a "proof-of-concept" as well as a sandbox for innovation.
"We also aim to collect data which enables us to design and optimise the plans for our next, much larger, facility which will be built in Malaysia. That facility will have a capacity of 1,000 tonnes per year," he added.
Mr Badeski added that Inseact is currently starting sales with its customers across South-east Asia, such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, for its insect-based shrimp feed.
The company is also working with local farms here for the use of its fertiliser to boost local vegetable production, in support of Singapore's goals to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs by 2030.
"Our commercial facility will soon be able to produce 20,000 tonnes of frass per year," he added.
