A manufacturer in Poland is claiming to have made a breakthrough in the production of insect-based protein by making the ingredient scaleable and cost-effective to produce, as well as having an equivalent nutritional profile to beef.
Proteine Resources uses buffalo mealworms to create the protein, and claims to be the only manufacturer to use the species for pet food. Successive generations of the worms have been selectively bred to eat mushroom mycelium, which gives the protein both a palatable flavour and a beneficial nutrient mix, with similar levels of essential amino acids, omega fatty acids, vitamins and minerals to beef, as well as fibre and high levels of antimicrobial peptides. In addition, it is cheaper to produce than farmed beef, at €0.80 per kg, compared to the EU average of €2.36 for beef.
Proteine Resources is backed by two venture capital firms in Eastern Europe, and is building its first full-scale pilot factory in Poland and expanding an R&D facility in Krakow. The company is looking to raise further funds to expand production and build a fully scaleable factory by the end of next year.
The company is currently offering flakes, toppings and treats made with the new protein to the trade on a white label basis, with supply contracts in place for customers in the Netherlands. The protein has been given veterinary approval by the EU, and the firm eventually aims to be an ingredient supplier to the pet food manufacturing industry, where its product would replace a proportion of the animal protein currently utilised, reducing the carbon footprint of the global pet food industry.
Co-ceo Bart Roszkowski told PBW News: “When it comes to alternative protein, it needs to meet three criteria – you need the quality, so that it has the same nutritional profile (as traditional protein), you need price parity, as consumers won’t compromise on this just for sustainability, and it needs to be sustainable at scale. Other forms of alternative protein can’t meet all of these, but we have achieved all three.”
