Yellow Mealworm and Black Soldier Fly Larvae for Feed and Food Production in Europe, with Emphasis on Iceland
Insects are part of the diet of over 2 billion people worldwide; however, insects have not been popular in Europe, neither as food nor as a feed ingredient. This has been changing in recent years, due to increased knowledge regarding the nutritional benefits, the need for novel protein production an...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2304-8158/10/11/2744/ 2023-08-20T04:07:25+02:00 Yellow Mealworm and Black Soldier Fly Larvae for Feed and Food Production in Europe, with Emphasis on Iceland Runa Thrastardottir Hildur Thora Olafsdottir Ragnheidur Inga Thorarinsdottir agris 2021-11-09 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10112744 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Food Security and Sustainability https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/foods10112744 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Foods; Volume 10; Issue 11; Pages: 2744 mealworm black soldier fly larvae insect farming novel protein Europe food feed Iceland Text 2021 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10112744 2023-08-01T03:12:15Z Insects are part of the diet of over 2 billion people worldwide; however, insects have not been popular in Europe, neither as food nor as a feed ingredient. This has been changing in recent years, due to increased knowledge regarding the nutritional benefits, the need for novel protein production and the low environmental impact of insects compared to conventional protein production. The purpose of this study is to give an overview of the most popular insects farmed in Europe, yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, and black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens, together with the main obstacles and risks. A comprehensive literature study was carried out and 27 insect farming companies found listed in Europe were contacted directly. The results show that the insect farming industry is increasing in Europe, and the success of the frontrunners is based on large investments in technology, automation and economy of scale. The interest of venture capital firms is noticeable, covering 90% of the investment costs in some cases. It is concluded that insect farming in Europe is likely to expand rapidly in the coming years, offering new proteins and other valuable products, not only as a feed ingredient, but also for human consumption. European regulations have additionally been rapidly changing, with more freedom towards insects as food and feed. There is an increased knowledge regarding safety concerns of edible insects, and the results indicate that edible insects pose a smaller risk for zoonotic diseases than livestock. However, knowledge regarding risk posed by edible insects is still lacking, but food and feed safety is essential to put products on the European market. Text Iceland MDPI Open Access Publishing Foods 10 11 2744 |
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mealworm black soldier fly larvae insect farming novel protein Europe food feed Iceland |
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mealworm black soldier fly larvae insect farming novel protein Europe food feed Iceland Runa Thrastardottir Hildur Thora Olafsdottir Ragnheidur Inga Thorarinsdottir Yellow Mealworm and Black Soldier Fly Larvae for Feed and Food Production in Europe, with Emphasis on Iceland |
topic_facet |
mealworm black soldier fly larvae insect farming novel protein Europe food feed Iceland |
description |
Insects are part of the diet of over 2 billion people worldwide; however, insects have not been popular in Europe, neither as food nor as a feed ingredient. This has been changing in recent years, due to increased knowledge regarding the nutritional benefits, the need for novel protein production and the low environmental impact of insects compared to conventional protein production. The purpose of this study is to give an overview of the most popular insects farmed in Europe, yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, and black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens, together with the main obstacles and risks. A comprehensive literature study was carried out and 27 insect farming companies found listed in Europe were contacted directly. The results show that the insect farming industry is increasing in Europe, and the success of the frontrunners is based on large investments in technology, automation and economy of scale. The interest of venture capital firms is noticeable, covering 90% of the investment costs in some cases. It is concluded that insect farming in Europe is likely to expand rapidly in the coming years, offering new proteins and other valuable products, not only as a feed ingredient, but also for human consumption. European regulations have additionally been rapidly changing, with more freedom towards insects as food and feed. There is an increased knowledge regarding safety concerns of edible insects, and the results indicate that edible insects pose a smaller risk for zoonotic diseases than livestock. However, knowledge regarding risk posed by edible insects is still lacking, but food and feed safety is essential to put products on the European market. |
format |
Text |
author |
Runa Thrastardottir Hildur Thora Olafsdottir Ragnheidur Inga Thorarinsdottir |
author_facet |
Runa Thrastardottir Hildur Thora Olafsdottir Ragnheidur Inga Thorarinsdottir |
author_sort |
Runa Thrastardottir |
title |
Yellow Mealworm and Black Soldier Fly Larvae for Feed and Food Production in Europe, with Emphasis on Iceland |
title_short |
Yellow Mealworm and Black Soldier Fly Larvae for Feed and Food Production in Europe, with Emphasis on Iceland |
title_full |
Yellow Mealworm and Black Soldier Fly Larvae for Feed and Food Production in Europe, with Emphasis on Iceland |
title_fullStr |
Yellow Mealworm and Black Soldier Fly Larvae for Feed and Food Production in Europe, with Emphasis on Iceland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Yellow Mealworm and Black Soldier Fly Larvae for Feed and Food Production in Europe, with Emphasis on Iceland |
title_sort |
yellow mealworm and black soldier fly larvae for feed and food production in europe, with emphasis on iceland |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10112744 |
op_coverage |
agris |
genre |
Iceland |
genre_facet |
Iceland |
op_source |
Foods; Volume 10; Issue 11; Pages: 2744 |
op_relation |
Food Security and Sustainability https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/foods10112744 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10112744 |
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Foods |
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10 |
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11 |
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2744 |
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