FOOD, FEED & BEVERAGES

Insect Based Proteins – App note

Insect proteins are an increasingly popular in pet treats and pet supplements with high protein content. Traditionally whole or ground dried insects, such as black solider fly larvae (BSFL), are used for bird, reptile, and fish diets. There is also a trend for human consumption due to insect’s quick growth rate leading to fast turnaround between batches compared to traditional livestock.

The world population has now reached 8 billion people and the UN expects 10.9 billion people by 2100. Undoubtedly food production will need to increase significantly to feed everyone, and insect proteins are a leading candidate. The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) states that insect proteins for feeds can contain 55-75% protein along with essential amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, zinc, and iron. Quality control of valuable components such as protein and fat are vital for novel ingredients such as insect protein. Online near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a rapid method to determine protein, fat, and moisture content in insect proteins.

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Environmentally friendly

Environmentally friendly compared to beef production, insects consume significantly less water, produce less waste and fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and require less land for growth. With increased attention around sustainability, insect proteins are a trend with staying potential. Insect farming uses the entire organism and there are no leftover byproducts like offal, bones, or hooves. Insects can replace soy in animal diets as animal feed accounts for 75% of soy production. Pet owners will likely continue the trend of spoiling their fur babies and purchasing pet food and treats that meet their environmental and economic proclivities as well as the health needs of their pets.

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Mealworms, BSFL, silkworms, and crickets

Mealworms, BSFL, silkworms, and crickets are some of the most frequently grown species in insect farming and are relatively new animals in the livestock industry. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) issued specific details about BSFL use in adult dog foods in 2021 and tentatively approved its use. Insects can be processed in readily useable ingredients such as protein isolates, frass, and oils. Frass is fecal output harvested after insect growth and used in fertilizer to further increase sustainability. IPIFF details how Europe authorized insect proteins in aqua feed as aquaculture was the first feed industry to make widespread use of insect ingredients. Correspondingly, there is growing interest in adding insect proteins in other livestock feed. IPIFF summarizes published findings of insect ingredients in fish, poultry, and swine feeds with positive growth outcomes, such as body weight, feed intake, and fecal output.

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    FAQ

    Frequently Asked Questions at tec5USA

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    Typical applications include white light interference for thin film analysis, UV absorption of proteins for quantitative analysis, colorimetry, impurity detection in water, cleaning validation for API manufacturing, polymerization inhibitor monitoring, electroplating bath monitoring....

    The spectroscopic methodology is determined by which parameters are important to monitor during a process. For example, if you want to monitor protein concentration in a bioreactor, in which the biosynthesis takes place in an aqueous medium, then you likely would want to use Raman spectroscopy for the application, as water does not contribute to the Raman signal. Alternatively, if moisture content is important, water has very strong absorption in the NIR due to several vibrational and combination modes that can be monitored; water is transparent in the UV and visible spectral region. Understanding which chemical is important as there could be various factors that influence the choice of methodology....

    NIR spectroscopy is utilized across a variety of industries for qualitative and quantitative product analysis. Typical industries include Chemistry, Pharmacology, Food Feed & Beverage, Agriculture, and others. NIR spectroscopy is well suited for species containing C-H, N-H & O-H bonds, making it a wide-range technology for a variety of applications such as moisture, fat, oil, alcohol, APIs, polymers, etc....

    Raman spectroscopy is a technique which is used for several markets. These industries include Oil and Gas, Pharmacology, Biotechnology, Petrochemistry and many others. Due to the high selectivity of Raman spectroscopy, it is a powerful tool for many applications including, hydrocarbon analysis, bioreactor protein monitoring, crystallization monitoring, API concentration, polymer identification, surfactant analysis, natural gas components and several others....

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