Black soldier fly larvae. Photo / Leah - Gourmet Grub
Black soldier fly larvae. Photo / Leah - Gourmet Grub
A supply chain that uses insects to upcycle food waste into high-grade protein, animal feed and fertiliser is being built in Australia with the help of University of Queensland researchers.
Key to this innovation is the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) and the 95 per cent of food waste that ends up in landfill.
Professor Louw Hoffman from the Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) said solving the challenge of diminishing global food security required new thinking.
"Solving the challenge of diminishing global food security required new thinking," Hoffman said.
"In the past, when food security became an issue, we could bring more land under cultivation and intensify production systems.
The Fight for Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre, the world's largest dedicated food waste research and development programme, is co-funding collaborative work between Australian waste management innovators, Goterra, and The University of Queensland.
The larvae of the black soldier fly are already used to upcycle food waste into nitrogen-rich fertiliser.
Canberra-based project partner Goterra uses modular shipping containers to generate tonnes of upcycled compost/soil amendment.
"We have an opportunity to create a novel and sustainable supply chain of high-value proteins that sits well with a contemporary appetite for responsibly sourced food, especially proteins," Hoffman said.
This project takes it one step further, bringing the larvae into animal feed markets.
"It can also help divert grain currently used to feed animals back to humans through the use of balanced livestock feed formulations that include insect proteins," Hoffman said.
However, while the black soldier larvae are edible, they are only approved for fish and poultry consumption in some jurisdictions and not for pigs or ruminants.
Discussion with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), will ensure the research team conducts industry-relevant testing to provide the necessary food safety data.
"Using food waste to grow the larvae raises three key safety issues," Hoffman said.
"These issues relate to the larvae potentially accumulating microbial, heavy metal and allergen contaminants."
Professor Louw Hoffman from the Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation. Photo / Supplied
The first findings have recently been published, and the results are promising, with rinsing and blanching to process the insects proving particularly effective at reducing microbial load.
Drying had so far proved the best storage method to avoid microbial spoilage in both refrigerated and room temperature conditions.
The strategy was first to roll out larvae production as feed for fish and chickens.
The QAAFI team was now working its way up the food chain, clearing safety issues as they arose, Hoffman said.
"The intention here is not to replace livestock but to create an alternative protein source that helps remediate food waste while easing pressure on agricultural food production systems.
"Furthermore, producing the larvae is a process that is well suited to automation, allowing for scaled-up of production without drawing on over-stretched natural resources."
Fight for Food Waste, TRANSFORM programme leader, Francesca Goodman-Smith, said the use of insects could help to convert a food waste crisis into an opportunity.
"Food waste costs Australia $36.6 billion per year," she said.
"Of the 7.6 million tonnes of food wasted each year, around three million tonnes are difficult to process and currently destined for landfill.
"Enabling the use of black soldier flies to upcycle food waste into food and feed has the potential to shift the dial on Australia's efforts to halve food waste by 2030."
