BioMar and Agronutris have signed a long-term partnership to develop the next generation of black soldier fly meals specifically designed for the needs of the aquaculture industry. After years of R&D, insect meal is now seen as a promising new ingredient on a clear pathway to being widely adopted. A wide portfolio of insect meals designed for aquaculture is entering the market.
“Black soldier fly meal has always been an interesting prospect that could be well-suited for aquafeeds. In Agronutris, we have found a partner that shares our mission and dedication to reducing the environmental impacts of our aquafeeds. They have developed a scalable model for black soldier fly able to meet the nutritional and sustainability profile required by us and the industry,” said Fernando Norambuena, global category manager – Novel Raw Materials at BioMar.
Through detailed attention to its feedstock sourcing, 12 years of R&D achievements, and significant industrial investment, Agronutris solution is bringing a stable, high-quality product with a high sustainability performance demonstrated by a robust life-cycle assessment. Agronutris has created an approach by which there is a clear vision of moving from a novel source of protein into an ingredient from a circular economy that has an impact at a scale relevant to the aquaculture industry.
“For insect meal to successfully make its way into aquafeeds, it must demonstrate high nutritional value and support good growth and health for the fish and shrimp. Our innovative product has a great nutritional profile that is well-suited for the aquaculture industry. At Agronutris, we are working closely with BioMar to create the ideal product that will meet their ambitious sustainability parameters,” said Chris Haacke, director of business development at Agronutris.
“A truly sustainable insect meal should be decoupled from the human food supply chain and fed off a substrate based on waste foods and byproducts. With Agronutris, we see a viable, scalable model for producing black soldier fly meal that could see this product become a good source of nutrition in aquaculture,” said Vidar Gundersen, global sustainability director at BioMar.
There is a strong strategic alignment between Agronutris’ mission to supply low-environmental impact alternatives and BioMar, which has placed sustainability at the heart of its future strategy with the aim of 50% of ingredients from a circular and restorative economy and lowering its feed carbon footprint by 1/3 by 2030.
“As novel raw material manufacturers continue to evolve their product offerings, we will see more collaborations in BioMar like this,” concluded Norambuena.
