Key Takeaways
- The North American Insect Center (NAIC) is a collaborative venture between Bühler and NRGene Canada, focusing on optimizing insect protein production in North America.
- Located in Saskatoon, the facility provides a platform for testing Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae strains and assessing the economic viability of larger insect protein plants.
- The NAIC’s state-of-the-art technology supports the development of sustainable protein sources, crucial for global food security.
- The center aims to foster industry collaboration through customer trials, workshops, and training sessions, promoting best practices in insect protein production.
- NAIC’s launch is set to boost Saskatchewan’s reputation as a leader in agricultural biotechnology and alternative protein research.
The recent inauguration of the North American Insect Center (NAIC) marks a pivotal moment in the landscape of sustainable protein production. This initiative, a collaboration between Bühler, a leading Swiss technology group, and NRGene Canada, a subsidiary of Israel’s NRGene Technologies Ltd., underscores a strategic commitment to advancing insect protein production, particularly focusing on Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae.
Advancing Sustainable Protein Production
The NAIC, located in Saskatoon, Canada, serves as a research and demonstration hub for optimizing the growth and utilization of BSF larvae. This insect species is gaining traction as a sustainable protein source for animal feed, capable of converting organic waste into high-quality protein. The facility allows potential investors and stakeholders to assess the viability of full-scale insect protein production by offering them a chance to evaluate different BSF varieties and their adaptability to various by-product streams.
Innovation and Collaboration at the Heart of NAIC
The launch event featured an insightful tour of the facility, showcasing its cutting-edge capabilities in insect protein research and development. Attendees included prominent figures such as Dr. Gil Ronen, CEO and Co-Founder of NRGene; Andreas Baumann, Head of Market Segment Insect Technology at Bühler; and Jeremy Harrison, Saskatchewan’s Minister of Trade and Export Development.
In his remarks, Harrison emphasized the importance of such initiatives in enhancing Saskatchewan’s reputation as a hub for agricultural innovation. “Saskatchewan continues to attract innovative companies that choose to invest and grow their business in our province,” he stated. “The North American Insect Center is a testament to our leadership in agricultural biotechnology, creating new skilled jobs and advancing our position in global food security.”
Cutting-Edge Technology and Genetic Innovation
The NAIC is equipped with Bühler’s advanced Trial Rearing Unit (TRU), which simulates industrial conditions to optimize BSF larvae growth. This facility leverages NRGene’s expertise in genomics and phenotyping to develop high-performance BSF strains, demonstrating significant advancements in the field. Initial trials at the center have already produced impressive results, highlighting the synergy between cutting-edge technology and genetic innovation.
The center’s ability to customize solutions for various waste types further enhances its versatility and impact on sustainability. Dr. Gil Ronen expressed optimism about the center’s potential, stating, “The NAIC is a testament to the power of combining genetic innovation with technological advancement. The promising results from our trials are just the beginning. This center allows our customers to explore and optimize every aspect of insect protein production, promoting a more efficient and sustainable industry.”
Fostering Industry Growth and Collaboration
The NAIC is poised to become a hub for industry players by offering customer trials, workshops, training sessions, and seminars to disseminate best practices in insect protein production. Andreas Baumann emphasized the collaborative nature of the NAIC, noting, “Combining NRGene’s genomic data tools and our advanced technologies will allow companies to leverage the deep industry and process knowledge of both companies to produce BSF larvae more efficiently and at lower costs. This will enable insect producers to bring bigger product volumes at consistent quality to the market, fostering a broader adoption of this sustainable protein source in the animal feed sector.”
Johannes Wick, CEO of Bühler’s Grains & Food business, highlighted the facility’s potential to drive market growth, stating, “This new facility will open the market up for start-ups and established businesses alike, bringing together the science, tools, technologies, and knowledge needed to further optimize the process to produce protein-rich insect larvae.”
A Vision for the Future
Looking ahead, Ian Roberts, CTO of Bühler, emphasized the importance of developing sustainable protein sources to meet the needs of the global population, projected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050. “To develop sustainable protein sources that will meet the needs of the nearly 10 billion people comprising the world’s population in 2050, we need solutions that will gain market acceptance and make business sense today,” Roberts stated. “Combining our proven experience and technology for industrial-scale BSF plants with NRGene’s leadership in genetics and AI-based genomic tools allows us to accelerate the growth of the insect protein industry.”
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