Innovation Origins: Industrial protein production using black soldier fly larvae
Reusing waste from the food industry on an industrial scale to breed larvae for livestock and cosmetics. Finnish start-up Volare has built a factory that houses all these processes. Founder Tuure Parviainen talks to us about it.
What does Volare do?
“We have developed a circular method to process residual streams from the food industry into reusable protein powder and fats. To do this, we are using the larvae of the black soldier fly for the first time on an industrial scale. The larvae eat the waste and produce fertilizer in return. Once the protein-rich larvae are fully grown, we grind them into powder – an innovative sustainable food source for both people and animals. Soy and fishmeal can be replaced with this. Those products emit high levels of CO2 and also cause deforestation and overfishing. Our method is better than traditional methods, such as the production of biogas. That also releases a lot of CO2. Our powder is already processed in animal feed and fishmeal. The lipid fats are used in cosmetics.”
Read the full interview from Innovation Origins site