Key Takeaways
- Innovafeed and NaturAlleva have signed a commercial partnership to integrate BSFL ingredients into aquafeed.
- The agreement covers key Mediterranean species including sea bass, sea bream, sturgeon, and trout.
- Deployment will begin at commercial scale in January 2026.
- The partnership moves insect ingredients from pilot use to industrial adoption.
- Both companies will continue joint R&D on functional benefits in aquaculture nutrition.
Innovafeed Enters Commercial Aquafeed Partnership With NaturAlleva
Innovafeed, a global producer of insect-based ingredients, and NaturAlleva, an aquaculture feed producer and farmer, have announced a commercial partnership to integrate Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) ingredients into aquafeed formulations for Mediterranean aquaculture species.
The agreement marks a shift from pilot projects toward large-scale, market-driven deployment of insect-based ingredients in aquaculture. The partnership will initially focus on sea bass and sea bream, with applications also covering sturgeon and trout.
From Scientific Validation to Industrial Deployment
The collaboration builds on years of scientific research and commercial testing. Innovafeed’s BSFL ingredients contain functional compounds such as chitin, lauric acid, and antimicrobial peptides, which have been evaluated through more than a decade of R&D trials by NaturAlleva, alongside several years of commercial use.
Based on accumulated performance and health data, NaturAlleva has decided to deploy Innovafeed’s ingredients across all of its sea bass and sea bream feed formulations at meaningful commercial volumes starting in January 2026.
Documented benefits include support for healthy gut microbiota, improved stress resilience, and positive contributions to overall zootechnical performance.
“Our collaboration with Innovafeed supports the integration of scientifically validated functional ingredients into our feeding strategies,” said Ugo Biasin, CEO of NaturAlleva.
Functional Ingredients for Performance Aquaculture
Innovafeed Positions BSFL as a Complementary Solution
Innovafeed emphasized that its BSFL ingredients are positioned as functional components rather than simple alternatives to conventional feed ingredients. The partnership reflects a shared view that insect-based nutrition can support both animal performance and the aquaculture sector’s sustainability objectives.
“This partnership marks a key step in positioning insect-based ingredients in aquaculture as true functional components,” said Clément Ray, CEO and Co-founder of Innovafeed. “Our BSFL ingredients go beyond basic nutrition and are ready for large-scale deployment.”
In parallel with commercial rollout, both companies will continue joint R&D, with a particular focus on chitin-related functional properties and applications in additional aquaculture species.
Scaling Insect Ingredients Across the Mediterranean
The partnership will be deployed progressively across the Mediterranean region, combining Innovafeed’s industrial-scale production capabilities with NaturAlleva’s aquaculture expertise.
“I am extremely enthusiastic about the application of insect meals in fish feed formulations,” said Fabio Brambilla, Ph.D., Fish Nutritionist at NaturAlleva. “We believe insect meals represent one of the key solutions for more sustainable and efficient aquaculture.”
Elodie Petit, Animal Nutrition Sales Director at Innovafeed, added that the collaboration aims to provide Mediterranean fish farmers with solutions that improve fish health, performance, and resilience.
Both companies stated that the agreement reflects growing maturity in the insect ingredient sector, as functional insect-based nutrition moves into mainstream commercial aquaculture.
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