Final event of the Galician project BIOPROINSECT

14/07/2023

Next Thursday, July 6, at 10 am, the free final event on the BIOPROINSECT project will be held at the Auga campus in Ourense. Representatives of the three participating Galician companies, including our headquarters, will explain the work that has been done to obtain high added value products from the mealworm. We will also count with the presence of Helena Peres, professor and researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR). Finally, the attendees will be able to enjoy a sampling of the insects and a guided tour of the laboratory facilities of the BiotecnIA group, from the University of Vigo.

BIOPROINSECT emerged in 2021 with a very clear objective, to obtain new products with high added value through insect bioprocessing. In recent years, the demand for high nutritional value foods has increased, but new protein sources need to be targeted in order to meet the demand. Therefore, the BIOPROINSECT project has developed an innovative enzymatic process to extract chitin derivatives, high quality proteins and fatty acids from mealworms, an insect with up to 50% protein content and low environmental impact.

This day will feature presentations by representatives of the three Galician entities that make up the project, including our headquarters along with Galinsect and the BiotecnIA group of the University of Vigo, who will explain in detail how this novel enzymatic process has been developed and what is its viability and potential for the future. A pioneering initiative that seeks to place Galicia at the forefront of innovation in the agri-food sector. Helena Peres, professor and researcher at CIIMAR, will participate in the conference and will present different applications of insect meal in aquaculture. Once the lectures are finished, attendees will be able to enjoy a guided tour of the BiotecnIA group laboratory facilities, where the different technologies developed within the framework of the BIOPROINSECT project will be shown.

  • When: Thursday, July 6.
  • Where: Auga Campus (Ourense) and online (via Teams).
  • Duration: 10:00 – 13:00
  • Free attendance upon registration here

BIOPROINSECT is funded by the call for grants to support pilot projects, development of new products, practices, processes and technologies in the agroforestry field, 75% co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), under the Rural Development Program (RDP) of Galicia 2014-2020. The Consellería do Medio Rural is the body of the Galician Administration responsible for proposing and executing the general guidelines in the rural area and encompasses the competences in agriculture, livestock, rural development and regional planning, rural structures, agri-food and forestry industries, forests and forest fire prevention and defense. The BIOPROINSECT pilot project is responsible for this content.

Total budget: 181,468.56 euros; total subsidy: 145,174.85 euros.