Maye Walraven, US general manager for Innovafeed (All image credits: Innovafeed).
09 May 2024 — Insect ingredient formulator Innovafeed and ADM have partnered to unveil a North American Insect Innovation Center (NAIIC) in Decatur, Illinois, hailed as the French agtech’s move to scale-up production and commercialization of insect protein in the US.
Innovafeed breeds Hermetia illucens, also known as black soldier fly, in indoor farms, while efficiently “repurposing” ADM’s agricultural by-products as part of a “zero-waste framework.”
The innovative process yields insect meal, oil and soil amendment, which Innovafeed markets under the brand Hilucia.
“The global market for insect protein across all verticals — including plant nutrition, animal feed, pet food and human food is expected to surpass €100 billion (US$106.5 billion) over the next few years, reflecting growing demand for sustainable ingredients as well as a supportive regulatory environment,” Maye Walraven, US general manager for Innovafeed, tells Food Ingredients First.
“Innovafeed is placing insects at their natural place in the food chain. COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of building resilient local food chains and insects can transform local deposits of low-value biomass into high-quality ingredients for the food chain.”
Moreover, insect-based ingredients provide hiqh-quality nutritional content with a significantly lower carbon footprint and land requirement, she adds.
Future-forward move
The companies decided to establish the pilot plant in Decatur, Illinois, due to its proximity to ADM’s North American headquarters and the world’s largest corn mill operations, notes Walraven.
At the new site, Innovafeed will upcycle ADM's corn wet mill by-products to produce animal feed protein from black soldier fly.“The State of Illinois is a fertile place for entrepreneurship and a strategic location to serve food markets. Decatur, in particular, is a strategic location for Innovafeed, at the heart of the Midwest corn belt and a historical innovation hub for the agro-industry.” The region also offers high potential for multiple sites to be deployed in the future.
A pipeline will connect the plant to the ADM’s corn processing wet mill, allowing it to recover up to 300,000 tons per year of by-products directly. These by-products will be transformed into “high-quality” insect ingredients producing up to 60,000 metric tons of animal feed protein derived from Hermetia Illucens, underscores Innovafeed.
The facility is expected to produce 20,000 metric tons of oils for poultry and swine rations each year, along with 400,000 metric tons of soil amendment.
The plant also has a part of a local ecosystem of industrial projects in Decatur that are poised to create future-focused jobs and help “solidify” the region as a catalyst for local economic growth and innovation.
On-site activities
At the Innovation Center, Innovafeed will conduct an array of lab and field tests, Walraven tells us.
This includes all aspects of the insect’s production, from feed efficiency and stocking rate to informing design and engineering decisions for the full phase.
“This approach allows for technological adaptation (e.g., to accommodate new feedstock) as well as adjusting the business model to account for local constraints (ergo: labor costs, regulation, etc.)”
Rising interest in insect protein is expected to drive the global market beyond €100 billion in the coming years.“This derisking phase is expected to last a couple of years,” she reveals.
Advancing pet nutrition
Pet food is currently North America’s largest insect ingredient market, underlines Walraven.
“Innovafeed has a partnership with ADM’s pet nutrition business to distribute Innovafeed ingredients in this segment.”
“Innovafeed’s Hilucia Protein and Hilucia Oil are already available for inclusion in adult dog food, soft chews and supplements,” she continues.
The company now plans to work with other agricultural partners to commercialize the ingredients produced at the manufacturing site to create “sustainable value chains” in the livestock segments, including the poultry and aquaculture markets.
Overcoming geographical challenges
In Decatur, the planned large-scale manufacturing facility will replicate an “industrial symbiosis model” Innovafeed uses in France.
“Pioneering our new technology in a new geography is a big challenge. Innovafeed plans to manage this challenge by applying a two-phase implementation model that has proven successful in Europe,” says Walraven.
She views Decatur as a “promising hub” for innovation with various opportunities for collaboration between Innovafeed and its neighboring projects.
Innovafeed formulates Hilucia Protein for aquaculture, oil for monogastrics and a 100% natural fertilizer from insect excrement.“As the project expands, we believe Innovafeed can benefit from a strongly qualified local workforce and contribute to developing new skills specific to our innovative industry.”
A comprehensive life cycle analysis is yet to be conducted at the NAIIC.
Insects for humans?
When asked if Innovafeed is looking to venture into insect protein for human consumption in the future, Walraven said entomo diets or insect diets can meet the needs of health and sustainability-conscious consumers.
“In order to enable the commercialization of Hilucia ingredients for human consumption in the future, we are currently focusing on product development and clarifying the regulatory framework,” she concludes.
By Insha Naureen
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