Insects as tools for making circular economy in applied research projects

The world is currently experiencing a great contradiction between the need to feed a constantly growing human population, satisfying the need for proteins without negatively affecting the environment to obtain them, and on the other hand a shameful food waste along the different levels of the value chain. In this context, insects can play a fundamental role as bioconverters to upcycle the bio-waste into high value-added products (proteins, fats, chitin and frass fertilizer) useful for various industrial and agricultural sectors, starting from the food and feed industry. In particular, the black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens is the most widely used mini-livestock due to its extraordinarily efficient bioconversion capacity, making it a perfect tool to implement circular economy. BSF has been chosen for the valorization of various types of organic side streams in applied research projects carried out between 2016 and 2023 in Emilia Romagna region, where the agri-food production is a key sector of the region's economy. Project outcomes include: optimization of BSF larval rearing in various agri-food by-products; protocols for the fractionation of BSF biomass; pilot plants for the rearing, processing and stabilization of BSF; a patent for an egg-laying device; agronomic assessments of the frass; development of bird and fish feed formulations; LCA of the different rearing processes of the BSF; development of bioplastics from BSF proteins; GIS-based multi-criteria site suitability assessment for insect farms. Despite the great interest, insect farming is not yet a reality in Italy. Potential reasons for this situation are discussed.