Client story
Harnessing the science of synthetic biology and best-in-class automation to turn organic waste into high-protein fish food.
Brief
As the world’s population continues to grow, so too does the demand for food, particularly sources of protein. Insects are recognised as a potential protein source which can be grown using waste food.
However, in the developed world, there is no equipment or infrastructure in place to reuse waste to grow insects for food.
Approach
We helped Better Origin develop a concept to grow black soldier fly larvae using food waste, working closely with them to understand user needs and the detailed process to grow the larvae.
After a series of creative workshops with our automation experts, we created a complete end-to-end concept using as much off-the-shelf equipment as possible. This concept allowed Better Origin to secure further funding. The company is now developing a network of AI-powered insect mini-farms to convert excess nutrients into essential nutrients.
Benefit
The system we developed is fully automatic: food waste is put in at one end and trays of mature larvae are taken from the other for processing into fish food. This provides the necessary infrastructure to reuse food waste economically and efficiently.
The system is designed for modularity and flexibility, and can be installed in a range of organic waste contexts.
