Ynsect to work with research institute to grow insects industry
Ynsect, the edible insects brand, has signed an agreement to collaborate with Germany’s Giessen University and Insect Biotechnology Center on the development of new products extracted from the tenebrio molitor beetle, as well as new applications of existing Ynsect technology products.
The partnership, Ynsect said, would help “to develop knowledge” of insects as food and “help the insect industry prosper in Europe and around the world”.
According to a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization, the world’s population is expected to rise to 9 billion by 2050, which will cause global demand for protein to rise by 52% between 2007 and 2030. Insects provide a natural, sustainable and viable solution for meeting this need, Ynsect said.
Its latest collaboration will contribute to the sharing of valuable insights and the improvement of Ynsect technologies’ profitability, the brand added.
“Ynsect is delighted to launch this collaboration with Giessen University through Loewe Center of Insect Biotechnology,” said Ynsect CEO Antoine Hubert. “This is the biggest public research investment ever done in the world on insect biotech for food and industrial applications. We believe this partnership will allow us to make significant progress in science and knowledge about new insect products and new applications.”
Insect Biotechnology Center director Prof Andreas Vilcinskas said: “Learning from insects means learning how to win. Joining the complementary scientific and economic expertise of Ynsect and the Loewe Center will significantly strengthen Europe’s position in the field of insect biotechnology.”
The European collaboration “completes existing Ynsect public-private R&D partnerships”, the brand said, including partnerships in France with research centres such as CEA, INRA, CNRS and AgroParisTech.
It called the latest move a “significant step in the current international development of the company”.
