There are more than seven billion people in the world. Today, almost two billion regularly consume one of the more than 2000 edible insect species that exist on our planet. Historically and evolutionarily speaking, entomophagy – the consumption of insects – is the rule, not the exception.

Deus ex machina in the exoskeleton

“In view of our current problem – the ever-growing world population has an ever-increasing demand for protein that we can no longer meet through our conventional protein suppliers like livestock, without causing irreparable damage to the environment and climate so we urgently need sustainable alternatives,” says Stefan. Jörg adds: “Furthermore, insects offer the possibility of a sustainable circular economy. We can use the secondary streams from food production to breed insects.”

Insects are also a sustainable alternative in relation to feed: “Afterall, in nature a chicken also eats insects,” says Dirk. Process engineer Jörg Heidhues shares an example of how a sustainable zero-waste interlinking system might work: “If a customer already has a facility with laying hens, then they can convert a few of the existing barns into an insect facility, build a biogas plant for energy production, and add a fish farm. The result is a closed, self-sustaining cycle, practically without any waste, which will be climate-neutral.”

“Of course, this also leads us to think creatively about what synergies can be created for our existing customers – the dairies, breweries, and oil mills with their various secondary streams,” says Sindermann.

Protein extraction – it takes know-how to know how

“The breeding of insects on a large scale began around 30 years ago. The starting point was mainly universities, which rediscovered insects as a biological means of plant protection and used them in greenhouses – ladybugs, for example, whose favorite food is aphids. However, breeding is quite different from fractionation, in other words making it usable for lipids and protein. This is precisely our area of expertise, so it was almost inevitable that we got involved here.

We take care of everything that needs to be done after the insects have been bred, so that the insect protein is ready for use in the food or feed industry. This includes devitalization of the larvae, crushing and heating, actual separation of the protein in the decanter with subsequent evaporation and drying, as well as polishing of the lipid phase.

However, there are a few challenges to overcome. For example, insect protein tends to oxidize during drying, which in turn affects the stability and taste of the end product. Our process line guarantees highly efficient separation, so a lot less oxidation takes place,” says Kirchner. The evaporator in turn helps to save energy.

“While around 1.3 to 1.8 tons of steam is needed to evaporate one ton of water in a dryer, the vacuum evaporator uses the condensation heat produced as a source of energy. This way around 50% of the water can be removed from the dryer without any additional thermal energy. So, this stage really pays off, not only in terms of current energy costs,” says Stefan Kirchner. “We have been designing and building centrifuges for 130 years and working with all kinds of protein varieties for over 60 years,” explains Dirk Sindermann, “but it’s not just the decades of experience, everybody at GEA is united in using our expertise to find truly tailored solutions for our customers.”

“It’s like planning a kitchen,” Dirk explains. The kitchen needs to fit the customer’s needs – their recipes and their end products. And it fits precisely – the best high-performance, state-of-the-art oven is of no use to them if their main business is making smoothies. This is where we know what needs to happen before, during, and after a process. Therefore, we also rely on wet extraction with centrifugal separation technology for insect protein, because compared to the alternative dry process, this not only has the benefits of the low oxidation rate - previously mentioned but is also more energy-efficient and ensures a higher overall product quality.”