Black soldier fly larvae bioconversion of citrus peel and apple pomace into feed and soil products
InsectBiotech's black soldier fly larvae bioconversion platform transforms pectin-rich agricultural side streams such as citrus peel and apple pomace into protein-rich insect meal, insect oil for animal feed, and frass-derived soil biostimulants. Validated pretreatment know-how improved feed conversion ratio by 60% on olive pomace, offering a higher-value alternative to energy recovery or biogas.
Overview
InsectBiotech has developed a black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) bioconversion platform that transforms low-value agricultural side streams into high-value products. This program adapts the platform—informed by validated olive-pomace pretreatment—to pectin-rich feedstocks including spent citrus peel and apple pomace. Outputs include protein-rich insect meal and insect oil for animal and aquaculture feed, plus frass-derived soil biostimulant for crops.
The platform addresses critical environmental challenges: reducing landfill use, tackling food waste, and providing sustainable, low-carbon alternatives to conventional feed and fertilizer inputs. Based on olive-pomace performance, bioconversion could deliver approximately twice the gross value of energy recovery at the processing mill and three to four times that of biogas operation.
Technical specifications
The core challenge in bioconverting citrus peel and apple pomace lies in their high moisture, acidity, fibre content, heterogeneity, and growth-inhibiting compounds. InsectBiotech's transferable workflow addresses these barriers:
- Feedstock characterisation: representative lots are assessed for pH, moisture, fibre, residual carbohydrates, minerals, amino acids, acids, salts and terpenes, while confirming regulatory status
- Minimal pretreatment: dewatering, pH correction and inhibitor management are applied, informed by patented olive-pomace pretreatment methods
- Nutritional balancing: moisture, pH, carbon and nutrient levels are rebalanced to create optimal growth conditions for BSFL
- Pilot-scale validation: operating windows are validated at larger scale, generating mass and value balances, SOPs and KPIs
On olive pomace, conditioning improved feed conversion ratio by 60% and reduced time to comparable harvest size from 19 to 7 days.
Technology readiness level
The platform has been de-risked through hundreds of trials, with validated performance on olive pomace and preliminary positive results on citrus peel. The project progresses through five gated stages: feedstock qualification, lab screening, optimisation, pilot validation, and scale-up/business case. The final stage includes techno-economic assessment and life-cycle analysis to quantify value, energy/water use and CO2e, supporting a Go/No-Go decision for industrial deployment.
About InsectBiotech
InsectBiotech is a Spanish agri-tech startup founded in 2022 that specializes in circular bioeconomy solutions by converting agricultural residues, particularly olive pomace and brewers' spent grain, into high-value products. The company utilizes black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) to bioconvert these low-value organic waste streams into sustainable outputs. Through proprietary pre-treatment methods, InsectBiotech optimizes the larvae's growth and waste conversion process. Its primary product lines include insect-based protein meal for animal feed, aquaculture, and pet food; insect-derived oils with potential for biodiesel and premium feed applications; nutrient-rich organic fertilizer known as insect frass; and chitin for various biochemical and material applications. The company operates research facilities and trials in Andalusia, including collaborations with academic institutions such as the University of Granada.
This technology addresses critical environmental challenges by reducing landfill usage, tackling food waste, and providing sustainable, low-carbon alternatives to conventional resources. InsectBiotech serves customers in the agriculture, livestock, and aquaculture sectors by offering environmentally friendly inputs that help improve soil health, crop yields, and animal nutrition. The company is currently advancing toward commercialization, with strategic plans to scale its operations by constructing multiple commercial-scale insect rearing facilities in Andalusia by 2030 and 2031. By leveraging strategic industry partnerships and securing bulk access to low-cost substrate, InsectBiotech aims to enhance profitability while scaling its circular model to meet significant revenue targets. Ongoing field trials with partners like CTAQUA and Tecnova provide empirical validation for the effectiveness of its insect-derived protein, oil, and biostimulant products.
Inquire about this partnering listing
Looking for
Industry applications
delivered to your inbox.