AgriProtein is a British agricultural and
biotechnology
Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...
company that uses insects to convert
food waste
Food loss and waste is food that is not eaten. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during production, processing, distribution, retail and food service sales, and consumption. Overall, about o ...
into sustainable products including: an alternative protein for use
in livestock and aquaculture feed, a natural oil for use in animal feed, and an organic soil enhancer. The company was founded in 2008 in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. AgriProtein is a subsidiary of the ''Insect Technology Group''.
Products
Currently, AgriProtein breeds
black soldier fly
''Hermetia illucens'', the black soldier fly, is a common and widespread fly of the family Stratiomyidae.
Distribution
This species is native to the Neotropical realm, but in recent decades has spread across all continents, becoming virtually ...
larvae on food waste from a variety of sources including restaurants and supermarkets. After they
pupate
A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...
, the larvae are processed into MagMeal - a sustainable, high quality protein that can be fed to all monogastric animals such as chickens, pigs, fish
and pets.
[ The company also produces an oil (MagOil) that can be used in aquaculture and pet food. MagOil is an alternative to less-sustainable oils such as palm oil. The company also produces an organic soil conditioning product called MagSoil.]
History
AgriProtein was founded in 2008 to provide an ecologically sound replacement for fishmeal
Fish meal is a commercial product made from whole wild-caught fish, bycatch and fish by-products to feed farm animals, e.g., pigs, poultry, and farmed fish.R. D. Miles and F. A. Chapman.FA122: The Benefits of Fish Meal in Aquaculture DietsFisheri ...
, which is increasingly expensive because of the depletion of fish stocks. The AgriProtein process is noteworthy in that it diverts organic waste from landfills. After consultation with a researcher at Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University ( af, Universiteit Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant ...
, a presentation at Tedx
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
in 2011, and approximately five years of development, the company opened its first commercial factory in 2015[ in Philippi,] near Cape Town International Airport
Cape Town International Airport is the primary international airport serving the city of Cape Town, and is the second-busiest airport in South Africa and fourth-busiest in Africa. Located approximately from the city center, the airport wa ...
. They received $11 million in initial investment funding,[ including two grants from the ]Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was ...
.[
Under a partnership instituted in February 2017 with , an Austrian engineering company, AgriProtein plans to establish standardised industrial-scale factories globally.][ In 2018, they raised $105 million in funding,] the 18th largest recorded agricultural technology deal[ and the largest in the insect farming sector at the time, and agreed to buy Millibeter, a Belgian company in ]Turnhout
Turnhout () is a Belgian municipality and city located in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. In 2021, Turnhout had a total population of 45,874. The total area is . The agglomeration, ho ...
.
They were awarded the 2013 United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
Innovation Prize for Africa,[ have won the Australian Government's Blue Economy Challenge,][ were named a Global Cleantech 100 company in both 2017 and 2018,][ in 2017 were the first Food Chain Global Champion in the ]BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
Food & Farming Awards,.