The insect industry expects to reach a global production of 870,000 tons and generate more than 30,000 jobs, direct and indirect, in 2030. These are the data from the International Platform of Insects for Animal and Human Food offered by the Spanish Association of Biocompanies ( Asebio) on the occasion of World Hunger Day, this May 28.
The multiple uses of this breeding range from animal feed to bioindustrial or human food. We would be talking about a production with economic potential (in 2022 it was quantified at close to 500 million euros annually in the EU) and also environmental, as Tebrio points out. This biotechnology company is dedicated to the production of Tenebrio Molitor, or mealworm, whose use in human nutrition was authorized by the Commission
European in 2021, after a ruling from the European Food Safety Agency that concluded that it was a very nutritious and safe food.
For now, the biotechnology company from Salamanca has focused on animal nutrition, convinced that, with 40% of the currently arable land on the planet destined exclusively to feed livestock, introducing insects into their diet will allow the recovery of millions of hectares of crops for human consumption or to generate
biodiversity.
In its larval state, Tebrio obtains from these worms high-quality protein similar to that of white fish meat, and fat with an oleic and linoleic profile halfway between olive and sunflower oil. When they transform into beetles, they are used to produce chitosan, with which 100% plastics can be made.
biodegradable or treat wastewater contaminated with heavy metals. They also have antimicrobial and antifungal properties; They can be used as additives, encapsulants, in cosmetics… A true source of resources.