The Lithuanian firm was based in 2020 with the imaginative and prescient of making “high-quality insect-derived elements for the meals trade that excel in dietary and purposeful qualities.”
The corporate launched its pilot facility in 2022 enabling Divaks to develop its insect protein providing and is presently approaching the closing levels of its Collection A funding spherical, having already secured a considerable a part of its €67 million goal.
And now, Divaks has introduced its collaboration with Swiss know-how group Bühler to construct its first commercial-scale yellow mealworm plant, which is able to open for manufacturing in 2025, aiming to supply as much as 15,000 tonnes of insect-derived merchandise yearly, and double its present manufacturing by 2030.
Bühler can be answerable for all course of know-how, together with feedstock preparation to offer secure and nourishing feed to the larvae, and a totally automated larvae progress system with local weather management.
Moreover, Bühler will present the processing line to remodel the harvested larvae into textured insect proteins (TIP), insect protein concentrates (IPC), and different specialised meals elements.
Kęstutis Lipnickas, CEO of Divaks, states: “Bühler will ship the state-of-the artwork know-how we’d like, permitting us to deal with crucial actions: market growth and creating sustainable merchandise that excel in dietary and purposeful qualities.”
Why mealworms?
Yellow mealworm (the larval type of the yellow mealworm darkling beetle, referred to as Tenebrio molitor), is an “environmentally pleasant, nutritious protein supply that can be utilized in purposes together with meat alternate options, sports activities diet, snacks, and confectionery in addition to premium pet meals,” Lipnickas explains.
“They’re a superb supply of high-quality protein, with all 9 important amino acids essential for human diet. In addition they include wholesome fat, nutritional vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibres.”
Insect proteins, together with these from mealworms, have been discovered to have excessive digestibility charges.
They’ve additionally been discovered to be a supply of B-vitamins, together with B12, which might typically be missing in plant-based diets.
Moreover, they include minerals like iron, zinc, potassium, and selenium, that are very important for varied bodily capabilities, together with immune response and antioxidant safety.
Meant purposes
Yellow mealworm is a perfect ingredient for sports activities diet, Lipnickas explains, as it’s an space wherein full proteins are important for muscle restore and progress.
“Insect-derived proteins are excessive in high quality and could be simply digested, making them perfect for athletes who require environment friendly protein synthesis for muscle restore and progress.”
Moreover, he notes that “for customers centered on well being and wellness, insect proteins present a nutrient-dense possibility.
“They’re wealthy in nutritional vitamins and minerals, which might assist total well being, and could be part of diets that concentrate on weight administration resulting from their excessive protein and low carbohydrate content material.”
He provides that the potential for insect-derived elements in specialised meals merchandise is huge and continues to develop, as customers turn out to be extra conscious of the environmental and well being advantages of those sustainable protein sources.
Sustainability and circularity
The brand new plant will enable Divaks to utilise residue from the mealworm manufacturing as natural fertiliser, with the purpose of contributing to more healthy soils, in keeping with the corporate’s round economic system imaginative and prescient.
Lipnickas explains: “Mealworms contribute to a round economic system – they are often ate up low high quality by product from grain processing and switch them into high-quality proteins.”
He provides that “from the sustainability perspective, mealworms have a decrease environmental impression than conventional livestock farming.
“They emit fewer greenhouse gases, use much less water and land – they’re much extra environment friendly at changing feed into physique mass in comparison with livestock.”
Lipnickas notes as customers more and more search for sustainable choices, the yellow mealworm manufacturing adheres to the broader pattern in the direction of sustainability, and sustainable protein sources should be a part of the broader dialog.
