Scaling the UK Insect Protein Sector: Industrial Research for low-emission protein production

该项目的核心目标是通过解决规模化的主要障碍来加速英国的昆虫蛋白行业。英国最大的昆虫蛋白生产商AgriGrub将与昆虫饲养商Beta Bugs和供应链分析专家阿斯顿大学合作，应对这些挑战，并为英国规模化昆虫生产制定路线图，以满足需求。解决的主要障碍包括资本设备成本高、运营效率、该项目将建成英国第一个大规模的黑水虻幼虫生产设施，每年将生产550吨昆虫蛋白，AgriGrub和Beta Bugs都将生产新产品，这将使英国农民能够快速廉价地开始生产昆虫蛋白质，以满足巨大的需求。阿斯顿大学将分析整个昆虫蛋白供应链，并制定一个路线图，以扩大该部门。该团队打算利用项目的产出来扩大自己的业务，但也使产出提供给任何人谁想要开始养殖昆虫，并与感兴趣的农民合作。该项目采取系统的方法;结合并验证每个项目合作伙伴的个别创新，为英国农业提供独特和创新的组合产品。其核心目标是及时加速昆虫蛋白行业的发展，以促进到2050年英国食品生产的脱碳。

The core aim of this project is to accelerate the UK's insect protein sector by addressing major barriers to scaling. AgriGrub, the UK's largest insect protein producer, will work alongside Beta Bugs, an insect breeder, and Aston University, supply chain analysis specialists, to address these challenges and build a roadmap for scaling insect production in the UK to meet demand.The major barriers addressed include the high cost of capital equipment, operational efficiency, insufficient supply chain segmentation and a lack of sector wide strategy.This project will result in the UK's first high-scale Black Soldier Fly larvae production facility, which will produce 550 tonnes of insect protein production annually, for use in net-zero-carbon livestock feed.AgriGrub and Beta Bugs will both produce new products which will allow UK farmers to quickly and cheaply start producing insect protein to meet huge demand. Aston University will analyse the whole insect protein supply chain and produce a roadmap to scale for the sector.The team intends to use the project outputs to scale their own operations, but to also make the outputs available to anyone who wants to start farming insects, and to collaborate with interested farmers.The project takes a systems approach; combining and validating individual innovations from each project partner to produce a unique and innovative combined offering to UK agriculture. The core aim is to to accelerate the insect protein sector in time to facilitate decarbonisation of UK food production by 2050\.