Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • FREE Magazine Subscriptions
    •  
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Poultry News
    • Production
      • Broiler Production
      • Ducks
      • Egg Production
      • Game
      • Hatching
      • Housing
      • Turkeys
    • Processing
    • Business & Politics
      • Business
      • Economics
      • EU & Politics
      • Marketing
      • People
      • Training & Education
    • Welfare
      • Environment
      • Food Safety
      • Vet & Medication
      • Welfare
    • Feed
    • Genetics
    • New Products
    • Magazines
      1. June 2022
      2. May 2022
      3. April 2022
      4. February 2022
      5. January 2022
      6. December 2021
      7. November 2021
      Featured

      Protected: Innovation Supplement 2022

      By Michael BarkerJune 1, 2022
      Recent

      Protected: Innovation Supplement 2022

      June 1, 2022

      Protected: Poultry Business – June 2022

      June 1, 2022

      Protected: Poultry Business – May 2022

      May 6, 2022
    • Jobs
      • Browse Jobs
      • Post a Job
      • Manage Jobs
    • Events
      • National Egg and Poultry Awards
      • Poultry Fair
    Poultry News
    Feed & Nutrition

    New business aiming to make mealworms viable feed source for poultry

    Chloe RyanBy Chloe RyanApril 26, 20213 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

    Farming mealworms to produce animal feed in the UK could be a sustainable and nutritionally viable alternative to soya, according to Entec Nutrition.

    Packing more protein than steak, mealworms are rich in amino acids, minerals, fats, vitamins and energy, meaning they have the potential to be a valuable feed source for poultry, as well as aquaculture and pets. In addition to this, they can be fed on organic food waste and can be reared using less land and water than their livestock alternatives, making them a more sustainable and environmentally friendly option.

    Having started out rearing insects for use in research, Olivia Champion set up Entec Nutrition in 2018 to cultivate mealworms for poultry, pet and aquaculture feed.

    Entec Nutrition (website)

    The project is currently in the research and development stage, investigating the best conditions for breeding and rearing mealworms, including optimising nutrition and growth rates. The end goal is to create a cost-effective feed source that maximises the desirable traits of mealworms, like short rearing times and increased protein content.

    One key target is to supply as much of the mealworms’ diet as possible with industry by-products, and using funding from an Agri-Tech Cornwall grant Entec is refining methods of using brewers spent grains as a substrate to feed insects. Using circular economy principles, this adds value to industry by-products through insect production, providing a new revenue stream for breweries,” said Emma Theobald, business development and research at Entec Nutriton.

    A separate grant is funding the company’s research into further optimising mealworms’ diets by looking at nutritional geometry in the form of protein, carbohydrate and lipids. These elements need to be optimised to suit different end markets. For example, aquaculture requires low fats while poultry need more. “If the priority for the buyer is cost, then it will be rearing time we focus on most,” explained Theobald.

    The firm is also researching processing of mealworms alongside Campden BRI, which looks specifically into the methods of extracting certain elements like proteins, fats or other compounds.

    In addition, the funding has gone towards exploring packaging, shelf life and potential contaminants – aspects that are essential to getting any products to market. “The industry needs to know how to safely store mealworm products and how long they will last,” said Theobald.

    So why are mealworms better than other insects like soldier flies? The answer lies in density. “You can’t rear soldier flies as densely because they are flying insects, but mealworms are comfortable in close proximity and can be densely packed in, which means that they can be vertically farmed,” she said.

    “Though products are already with a small number of partners to test, commercial roll out will require development of production facilities which we are focussing on in 2021.”

    The next hurdle to cross will be regulatory conditions. At present, EU regulations place serious restrictions on what can be fed to animals that are going into the food chain – which limits what mealworms can be fed. There are also limitations on the form in which mealworms can be fed to other animals like pigs and poultry, said Theobald. “If insects get approval for poultry feed in the UK, the market would be so undersaturated and demand would far outstrip supply.”

    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleRSPCA Assured launches new website to boost consumer awareness and trust
    Next Article Asda to switch all fresh chicken out of trays and into pouches
    Chloe Ryan

    Editor of Poultry Business, Chloe has spent the past decade writing about the food industry from farming, through manufacturing, retail and foodservice. When not working, dog walking and reading biographies are her favourite hobbies.

    Read Similar Stories

    News

    Royal Veterinary College joins UK’s top scientists to combat increasing cases of bird flu

    June 23, 2022
    News

    NFU: Government funding for Avian Influenza research is ‘positive step’

    June 23, 2022
    News

    Farmers’ input sought for new animal welfare scheme

    June 22, 2022
    Most Read

    Royal Veterinary College joins UK’s top scientists to combat increasing cases of bird flu

    June 23, 2022

    NFU: Government funding for Avian Influenza research is ‘positive step’

    June 23, 2022

    Farmers’ input sought for new animal welfare scheme

    June 22, 2022
    © 2022 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
    Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

    Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • AA Farmer
    • Farm Contractor
    • Pig World
    • OvertheCounter

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    AWSALBCORS7 daysThis cookie is managed by Amazon Web Services and is used for load balancing.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
    PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    CookieDurationDescription
    AWSALB7 daysAWSALB is a cookie generated by the Application load balancer in the Amazon Web Services. It works slightly different from AWSELB.
    explat_test_aa_weekly_lohp_2021_week_4517 days 8 hoursNo description
    ppwp_wp_session30 minutesNo description
    tk_ai14 daysGathers information for WordPress by themselves, first party analytics tool about how WP services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.
    tk_qssessionGathers information for WordPress by themselves, first party analytics tool about how WP services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    CookieDurationDescription
    OAGEOsessionOpenX sets this cookie to avoid the repeated display of the same ad.
    OAID1 yearThis cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    CookieDurationDescription
    _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
    _gat_gtag_UA_31822138_71 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
    _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
    tk_lr1 yearThe tk_lr is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
    tk_or5 yearsThe tk_or is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
    tk_r3d3 daysJetPack installs this cookie to collect internal metrics for user activity and in turn improve user experience.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo