Insect ingredient company Protix has recorded strong results in a new life cycle assessment (LCA) conducted by the German Institute of Food Technologies (Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik, DIL eV). The new figures follow on from impressive numbers published in an assessment conducted in 2022, with the company saying that they demonstrate its black soldier fly (BSF) ingredients are performing well in terms of environmental footprint.
Protix, which has worked hard to further reduce the footprint of its ingredients for pet food, animal feed and fertilisers, attributed the improved results to continuous improvement across operations, genetics and nutritional science.
According to the latest LCA, Protix products achieved the following results:
- ProteinX insect meal reduces CO2 emissions by 78% compared with poultry meal (ProteinX: 0.832 kg CO2 eq; poultry meal: 3.8 kg CO2 eq). Poultry meal is often used in pet food and livestock feed. Compared to soy protein concentrate, an ingredient often used in aquaculture, ProteinX lowers CO2 emissions by as much as 89% (ProteinX: 0.832 kg CO2 eq; soy protein concentrate: 7.5 kg CO2 eq)
- LipidX insect fat dramatically reduces land use, using 99.9% less than coconut oil (LipidX: 0.0102 m2land use and coconut oil: 12.98 m2 land use). Coconut oil is commonly used as a fat source in livestock and aquaculture feed as well as in pet food
- PureeX insect meat uses a staggering 99.8% less water than poultry meat (PureeX at 0.098 m3 and poultry meat at 61.13 kg m3). Poultry meat is commonly used in pet food as a high moisture protein source
- Protix’s insect frass shows only 0.01 kg CO2 eq per kg of product
- Larvae, used as feed for livestock, show 0.198 kg CO2 eq per kg of product
“We take pride in leading innovations within our industry on a pathway to low-footprint-no-footprint proteins. With our previous LCA, we shared the vision that the environmental footprint of our black soldier fly ingredients could be reduced, and we have lived up to that promise: the latest DIL figures once again demonstrate an improvement in the footprint of our Protix ingredients. We look forward to translating these LCA numbers into new commercial opportunities to help our customers produce better and greener,” Protix CEO Kees Aarts said.
The data was taken from 2023, with the plant running at designed capacity.
Protix selected the BSF as its preferred and sole source of protein following in-depth research in the company’s infancy 15 years ago. It was found to be a superior source of protein for a raft of reasons, not least for being one of nature’s most efficient upcyclers.
While the latest LCA data relates directly to Protix insects derived from larvae of the black soldier fly, the company said it also shines a light on exciting potential for the insect industry as a whole to reduce the environmental impact of feed and food.
“This is an exciting time for change in the pet food, animal feed and fertiliser industries and we are scaling up our operations to meet demand. We are confident that we can achieve further outstanding figures in the future as we invest in improved genetics and build on our already deep knowledge of insect farming. When feedstock legislation changes, this will be a further driver of a lower footprint for our beloved black soldier fly. A tiny creature, but an impactful eco-warrior,” Aarts said.
