The insect grows black soldiers to convert food waste into biomaterial – Wired PR Lifestyle Story

“Insects are part of this insect breeding ecosystem, but we are not an insect breed. Our specialization is developing technology to extract valuable biomaterial from the black soldier’s fly, “said Chua Kai-Ning, one of the founders. The insect.

Insect farming is no longer seen as a serious hobby or seen as a marginal activity for a few, but is now a new and prosperous trade that is focused on changing Singapore’s agricultural scene.

Insectta is one of the pioneers of the Singapore black soldier fly trade, which has given way to a growing number of insect farms here.

From fighting the “Ick” factor to stumbling upon a gold mine, Kai-Ning shares with us the direction of running Singapore’s first black fly biotechnology company.

Waste recovery with a black soldier fly

Insect farming is by no means a new profession, but what changed the game is the flight of the black soldier. It is generally a harmless insect that does not bite or bite, and is equipped with a superpower: their strong hunger.

One skill that many of us in Singapore relate to is that black soldier flies can take up four times their body weight and are even better at consuming food waste.

When a black soldier’s fly consumes all this organic material, their litter (their waste) can be used as plant fertilizer.

“This unblocked a new thing in insect growth, where insects are not only low-impact protein sources. Now they have the ability to recover waste,” Kai-Ning explained.

An ecologist at heart, the potential of a black soldier’s fly had something to say to Kai-Ning who had the potential to improve Singapore’s food waste. It is also in line with Singapore’s 30 x 30 target, which aims to produce 30 per cent of our food by 2030.

However, as time went on, it seemed that having an insect farm was not a sustainable way to go.

We soon realized that even though we are building the most efficient and amazing black soldier fly farm, unfortunately, Singapore does not have a strong agricultural industry. We do not have the resources to support economies of scale. Labor is expensive and land is also very expensive. The insect breeding model would not work in Singapore.

So as a business, that led us to think, what more value could we take on the black soldier fly? Agricultural products cannot be all that is there.

– Chua Kai-Ning, co-founder of Insectta

From an insect farm to a biotechnology company

Although Insectta started out as an insect farm, their business model has become completely different. It does not compete, but rather forms a breeding ground for insects.

“By the usual path of black soldier fly breeding, larvae are collected and used as animal feed, and larvae (or frass) are collected and used as fertilizer. However, here at Insectta, it’s different. We let the larvae grow in the cocoon, and then the adults, ”Kai-Ning said.

In the Insectta extraction model, couscous shells are used after hatching.

“A lot of people will think it’s such a weird model to let insects grow uninterrupted and let them take couscous shells,” Kai-Ning thought.

“That’s where you need to understand how Insectta enters the supply chain,” he continued. “We don’t want to be insect farmers because Singapore is not a place to grow crops. Instead, what we do is we move closer to the farms in Southeast Asia, and we remove their by-products, which are coconut shells. ”

Here things get interesting. These insect-derived biomaterials are used in high-value industries such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and bioelectronics.

The discovery is quite revolutionary, because what Insectta has basically developed is a technique for obtaining valuable biomaterials from food waste.

overcoming the ‘ick’ factor

Kai-Ning is confident that insect breeding is the future, but believes that “there will be no market if this generation grows terrified of insects.”

Therefore, the “ick factor” is considered to be one of the biggest obstacles to the launch of Insectta. After all, the fly of a black soldier is not the most polluted creature.

“As a founder, it’s not just about having a very good product; Consumer education and outreach are also important, ”Kai-Ning said.

In the early days, both Kai-Ning and its founders marketed their products in kindergartens, but as most nursery owners are older, he found that they were not so open about supplying “insect poop” on shelves.

“Insect shit? Eee, so disgusting. Are there any eggs inside? Are there insects inside? ‘Kai-Ning said. Of course, the irony of the situation is that these farms also supply chicken manure and vermicast (har-poop), and they are completely happy with that.

For Kai-Ning, the whole “ick” about insects is really on his mind. The ironic thing is that people are good with some insect products like honey, which is basically “bee vomit”.

We value it so much that it is acceptable to put it on our face and eat it, but most find other insects “disgusting,” he said.

The only way to change this perception is to educate consumers about “growing positive feelings with insects.” That’s why Insectta is said to be a product of life, to help people change the way they see insects.

We were the first black soldiers to bring flies to Singapore. We were also the first to do many, many things, not only because of the concept, the business, but also because of the legislation.

We were the ones who worked for the Singapore Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to provide guidelines for insect growth in Singapore. From handicrafts to biosecurity to how the place would be raised, we did it all ourselves.

– Kai-Ning, co-founder of Insectta

Chitosan and melanin gold mine

In addition to their outreach and education programs, Insectta is a business that extracts high-value, high-profit biomaterials. such as chitosan and melanin.

One of the products produced by insects is chitosan, a carbohydrate refined from chitin.

It has many benefits: anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and moisturizing. Considering its many beneficial properties, chitosan is already used in many agricultural and pharmaceutical products.

As large as chitosan is, the way it is produced is unbearable. Chitosan is currently being produced from shrimp and crab shells, which leads to the mining of marine resources that are detrimental to aquaculture.

In contrast, the methods used by Insects to extract chitosan from blackflies use less chemicals and generate less wastewater than traditionally produced chitosan.

“What producers and consumers get is high quality chitosan. That’s more sustainable from the beginning as well as the production method, ”Kai-Ning said.

The insect currently supplies chitosan, which is currently being used in an antimicrobial spray, for products marketed in large supermarkets. Although chitosan is already established in the field, the challenge is to change the manufacturer, which is not very difficult.

On the other hand, melanin is the real money maker.

Melanin is a naturally occurring pigment in our body that darkens our skin and hair. However, it is very expensive to produce on its own, which is why it is so valuable. To give a pelota court, the market price of melanin is about S $ 2,000 per gram.

“I have a small container of melanin worth $ 4,000 here, so I always carry a product worth $ 4,000 in my bag,” Kai-Ning said with a laugh as she held the bottle on top of our Zoom call.

Melanin is currently being investigated a cancer therapy. It is also biodegradable and biocompatible with electronics, so it can be used in implants that go under the skin. Melanin can also be used in 3D printing circuits, so the possibilities are endless.

“The whole point is that melanin can be a biodegradable and biocompatible alternative to heavy metals and many things like cancer therapy. The only bad thing about melanin is that it’s very expensive. ek.

The reason it is so expensive is because melanin is rare. It is very difficult to extract and produce in a laboratory. It also has very low performance. Since so little can be extracted at one time, its scarcity makes it even more valuable.

So what Insect has done is to develop a patented technology that allows them to extract melanin, using it primarily as a black soldier’s fly mediator from food waste.

Insects as a breeding ground to supply other farms

In addition to extracting biomaterials, Insect also acts as a breeding ground for supplying eggs to other insect farms.

Growing black soldier flies is a rather tedious and cumbersome process. Having a farm means that smaller insect farms do not have to focus on breeding a large part of their resources and focus on other parts of the farm.

At the moment, small blackfly projects may be spreading around Singapore and most of them have been opened with our help. We are the ones who have been instructed to grow insects and we have advised them all this.

We want the black soldier fly industry to grow well. These farms that produce insect products are not our competitors. We see them as collaborators, because they are the ones who will eventually buy the raw material.

– Kai-Ning, co-founder of Insectta

Aside from all of Insect’s accomplishments, Kai-Ning is something significant as a co-founder of Insectta is how STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) can help.

“One thing I realized recently, not because of my introspection, but what others tell me is that Insectta is an example of how young women can go and come to STEM. Even without a previous STEM, you can still help in the STEM industry.”

In fact, Insectta is more about mistakes. What is being done with the recovery of waste from the extraction of biomaterials is exciting and pioneering.

With the intention of moving to a power plant next year, Insectta is at the forefront of innovation and has only just begun to do so.