More environmentally friendly products and lower impacts on animal welfare. Alternative protein sources are becoming more important for sustainable food production systems, with consumers looking for more environmentally friendly products and lower impacts on animal welfare. Production of insect protein and lipids is seen as one solution, as insects can convert organic residues from food and feed
side streams with high efficiency into valuable food and feed products. Furthermore, this allows for the re-use of valuable nutrients and, therefore, the development of a circular economy in agriculture. The frass by-product of this conversion, which is a mixture of the original feed source of the insects, their f***s, and exoskeletons can function as a plant fertilizer or soil amendment, thereby contributing to closing nutrient cycles and improving soil and plant quality. Due to the presence of plant growth-promoting components, such as chitin, frass is actually be more valuable than “just” a nutrient source for plants and even act as a plant strengthener. As the organic side streams are used, the digestion tract of the insects and frass itself are hotspots of microbial activity, organisms for plants can thrive.
