When the fly in your soup is meant to be there

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Hello readers,

Have you ever eaten an insect?

I have; it was a cricket. But there was no adventure or novelty to it because it was deep-fried to the ninth circle of hell.

It was also just a small snack. I can’t imagine insects completely replacing chicken or pork as a source of protein.

That appears to be the general sentiment of the market and government regulators as well, causing many insect-for-food firms to pivot to other ways of selling the biomaterials of their “livestock.”

Today we look at:

• The necessary business changes insect-related firms are making
• Alodokter’s latest fundraise
• Other newsy highlights such as Nvidia’s record numbers and the US$1 billion funding of a Chinese genAI firm

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Using every part of the buffalo

Image credit: Timmy Loen

As a child, I was always encouraged to finish my grub, down to the last rice grain. While I certainly see the virtue of that thinking, it also inadvertently led to the slight dietary issues I have today, where I find myself compelled to finish everything on my plate, even if I’d already had my fill.

But, again, the no-waste approach is an important one in a world where sustainability is a growing concern. And apparently this is also true in the insect products industry, where firms are looking for alternative sales channels after insect-for-food offerings have failed to take off thus far.

• ”Biomaterials” is such a metal word: Singapore-based Insectta is one example. It pivoted away from insect farming and into the production of biomaterials like chitosan and melanin in 2019. Chitosan is used in a wide range of products, including disinfectants, cholesterol supplements, and antifungal creams. Melanin could potentially be used in bone regeneration scaffolds to help cells proliferate as well as in energy storage devices to power electronics.
• Like toy soldiers: Meanwhile, Malaysia-based Nutrition Technologies now produces animal feed and fertilizer from black soldier fly larvae and feces. Black soldier flies have very active immune systems, and products derived from these flies are therefore beneficial to animal and plant health.
• Got to think bigger: Even Altimate Nutrition, a company making cricket protein bars and powder that has obtained on-paper approval to sell its products in the UK, has plans to leverage insects’ medicinal properties.

Read more: Frustrations in insect-for-food industry spark pivot

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