Project: Farming edible insects as sustainable animal source production and packaging systems: novel technologies from improved food and public acceptance

Acronym	ITSAFE
Project Topic	Agricultural and livestock practices have critical impacts on climate change, depletion of water resources and disruption of geochemical flows. Transformation of the food systems must also consider preservation of water. Indeed, Sustainable diets will never happen if water is not managed properly. Insects can be used for the production of animal proteins and essential oils for human, pet food, livestock and aquaculture. Insect farming also provides several advantages as compared with livestock, such as lower greenhouse gas emissions, lower land use, zero waste management. Insect farming is much more water-efficient as compared with other animal farming: several insect species obtain H2O from food, thus outcompeting all traditional livestock farming in water requirements. Relying on insect farming for the transformation of the food production system is relatively new, its potential has not yet been fully explored. The ITSAFE project aims at changing dietary by relying on tenebrionid insects (mealworms) as mini-livestock, and collecting biological and sociological information so that strategies could be developed to convince consumers in eating insects. We intend to achieve this by: (i) developing novel water-based diets and rearing procedures lowering water requirements, (ii) understanding the physiological response of mealworms to these diets, (iii) developing more efficient nutrient extraction processes from insects, (iv) studying co-products (residual chitin) for the formulation of biodegradable and eco-responsible food packaging, (v) analysing risks arising from mycotoxins, (vi) studying the possibility of integrating mealworms in human diet and (vii) developing food products to gain basic knowledge about consumers' acceptance. The project will certainly have a significant impact on EU citizens by promoting healthier and sustainable food products and by-products, and addressing important issues such as water availability in a changing world.
Network	JPI HDHL
Call	FOODRETEC

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
1	University of Rennes	Coordinator	France
2	University of Lorraine	Partner	France
3	University of Applied Sciences	Partner	Austria
4	Adam Mickiewicz University	Partner	Poland
5	ÿnsect	Observer	France