People aren’t the only ones getting alternative protein attention. One Washington-based company aims to produce better protein for traditional livestock feed with bugs.
“We’re an animal feed ingredient supplier,” summarized Virginia Emery, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Beta Hatch.
“We’re very much looking to produce a high-quality, nutrient-dense feed ingredient that’s right in proteins and fats, which could apply to all kinds of diets. Right now, we’re focusing aquaculture and poultry as a fishmeal and fish oil alternative,” she continued.
Emery and Chief Operating Officer Lisa Newman, Ph.D., pointed out that most protein sources for animal feed come from plants such as grains and soybean at the moment.
“We really believe that we can complement that by adding in insect protein,” noted Newman.
Much of the motivation behind Beta Hatch is sustainability. Emery and Newman told WLJ that they see their niche as utilizing underused feedstocks to produce mealworms to effectively upcycle proteins.
“A big part of our technology development has been looking at different feedstocks,” Emery said. “We’ve surveyed over 100 different ingredients and what we’re really trying to find are ingredients that are underutilized in the supply chain that are of low value. We’re not trying to create something that competes with existing feedstocks but complements it.”
She explained that far more dried distillers grains are produced than are used in our existing feed systems.
“What we’re trying to figure out, in the supply chain, where do insects make the most sense and where is there an opportunity to recycle otherwise low-value or wasted nutrients.”
Industry infrastructure
Beta Hatch is the one of the largest operations of its type in the U.S. It is also the only member of the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed, an international organization based in the European Union (EU).
The company is also engaging with the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on establishing regulation for the growing insects-for-human-consumption industry even though they produce for animal feed.
“Something to keep in mind is feed is more regulated than food, which a lot of people don’t realize,” Emery told WLJ.
“We try to work closely with the regulators to educate them. It’s not so much we go to them and ask, ‘What do we need to do?’ We’re going to them and saying, ‘Here’s how we operate and what we think is appropriate.’ It’s very much a dialogue right now between the insect producers and the regulators.”
Emery and Newman often referenced the standards and sentiments of the EU in explaining their current and future-looking strategies. One extreme example is their attention to humane handling of the insects. Newman, who had just returned from the EU, reported that this is a growing concern there.
“Currently, insects are excluded from animal welfare policies, but I can tell you there’s a lot of discussion around this—whether or not insects can feel, have emotions, are they sentient or not—but it’s always best to be more on the conservative side.”
Beta Hatch harvests their mealworm stock by freezing them, then freeze drying them.
“What we do with them when we kill them is one of the most humane ways to kill an insect,” Emery said, explaining that as exotherms—so-called “cold-blooded” animals—their metabolism slows down the colder they get. Eventually they just shut down as a result.
“We are working on a very large scale on the order of hundreds of pounds at a time, and eventually we’ll be at a scale of tons at a time—as early as next year we’ll be at that scale—so harvesting needs to be thought of in that context rather than on the individual level,” she continued.
“As we think about scaling the industry, these are the types of considerations that people in the industry are constantly having. What is the appropriate approach for all of these processes?”
Selection and market share
With five Ph.D.s on an eight-person team, Beta Hatch is working on building the information base of farming and processing mealworms on an industrial scale.
“We’re very science oriented,” Emery commented, opining that such a perspective is “key to growth of the industry.” As part of this focus, she said they have mapped the genome of the mealworm and its microbiome. When asked about proverbial “mealworm EPDs” (expected progeny differences), Emery didn’t miss a beat, saying that they are developing such metrics and that they look to the traditional livestock industry for inspiration “all the time.”
“In terms of traits, it’s essentially anything that would improve throughput; biomass gain of the individuals; feed conversion efficiencies; in some cases, we’re selecting for adults with higher fecundity, how many eggs they’re laying.”
The pair stressed that, while there’s a lot of “buzz” about insects as a protein alternative to traditional livestock, they seek to complement not compete with existing agriculture.
“That’s really our goal and our mission in developing our business; not competing in anyway, but producing for farmers,” Emery said.
“Insects, as a feed ingredient—you can produce it year-round, in a distributed way that’s local, they can feed on different kinds of waste of byproducts that are produced on-farm, so there’s a lot of opportunities for insects as part of the supply chain.” — Kerry Halladay, WLJ editor
