BioMar and Agronutris team up to develop insect meal for aquaculture

Aquafeed supplier BioMar has partnered with Agronutris, a French biotech company specializing in raising insects for feed to develop a new black soldier fly meal for the aquaculture industry.

“Black soldier fly meal has always been an interesting prospect that could be well suited for aquafeeds,” BioMar Global Category Manager Fernando Norambuena said.

“In Agronutris we have found a partner that shares our mission and dedication to reducing the environmental impacts of our aquafeeds,” Norambuena said. “They have developed a scalable model for black soldier fly able to meet the nutritional and sustainability profile required by us and the industry.”

The value of the long-term partnership was not disclosed.

“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,” Agronutris Director of Business Development Chris Haacke said.

Insects raised for aquaculture consumption, the company said, can be raised sustainably by feeding off a substrate of waste foods and byproducts, to allign wtih BioMar’s goal of achieving “50 percent of ingredients from a circular and restorative economy and lowering its feed carbon footprint by a third by 2030."

“There's a variety of business models and new and more specific solutions coming to market that collectively accelerate the coming-of-age process of the whole industry,” Protenga Founder and CEO Protenga Leon Weinsaid. “As with any market, not all models and companies will succeed.”

Singapore-based Protenga is part of a hub of insect-based aquafeed startups in Southeast Asia alongside Entobel, founded in Vietnam in 2013, Full Circle Biotechnology, founded in Thailand in 2021, and Inseact, founded in Singapore in 2019. Full Circle Biotechnology announced its insect-based aquafeed product in February.

Insect-based aquafeed has seen a surge of investment in recent years as seafood companies determine that they are a viable and sustainable option. The burgeoning industry is “very dynamic and evolving quickly,” Protenga CEO Leon Wein told SeafoodSource last year.

Photo courtesy of Choksawatdikorn/Shutterstock