SUSINCHAIN is a project financed by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 program.
The new European research project SUSINCHAIN starts on October 1, 2019.
The project aims to contribute to the development of solutions for obtaining innovative proteins for food and feed purposes in Europe.
The SUSINCHAIN project addresses the topic LC-SFS-17-2019 “Alternative proteins for food and feed purposes” in the “Sustainable Food Security (SFS)” competition under the program entitled “Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine and Inland Water Research and Bioeconomy”. The SUSINCHAIN project aims to contribute to research and innovation in food and nutrition safety both within Europe and beyond.
The SUSINCHAIN project includes identifying and evaluating protein obtained from four different insect species (black fly, housefly, mealworm, crickets) as new or alternative sources of protein for food and/or feed production. Research and validation of efficient production and processing technologies enabling the transformation of biomass into safe, healthy and sustainable products or high-quality ingredients by insects will be carried out. The project will also focus on characterizing the nutritional, functional and sensory values of insect-based products and will analyse protein-protein interactions for knowledge-based (re)formulation of human nutrition, taking into account new protein products that could either partially or fully replace traditional protein sources. Products obtained from insects are to be used both as ingredients of preparations intended for feeding people and for fodder for rainbow trout, sea bass, salmon, laying hens, broilers and piglets. Thanks to this synergy of applications (food and feed), especially in aspects related to agriculture, logistics, processing, safety and the sustainability of value chains in the insect industry, the thorough approach of the SUSINCHAIN project aims to be an instrument that will strengthen the insect market as an alternative protein source. The activities of the SUSINCHAIN project include research, demonstration and/or deployment in a pilot, operational or semi-operational environment to pave the way for the commercialization of insect protein.
Detailed objectives of the SUSINCHAIN project:
Developing business models, expanding market potential and exchanging best (and worst) practices among stakeholders in the value chain to overcome supply and demand barriers in the mass commercialization of high-quality insect proteins for food and feed in Europe, as well as to increase the acceptance of such products by consumers.
Improving large-scale commercial insect breeding while continually increasing quality and productivity through the exchange of best practices, as well as optimizing feed substrates, preventing insect disease, and using the side streams of production processes (faeces, chitin and fat) sustainably and economically.
Demonstrating activities and optimizing the large-scale implementation of insect transport and processing technologies at demonstration sites and industrial plants.
Validating commercially relevant studies on the use of insect proteins in animal feed with a focus on developing commercial insect-based feeds that guarantee optimal animal performance and product quality.
Pilot actions on incorporating insects into the daily diet of European consumers by researching and optimizing their nutritional value and sensory quality and increasing consumer acceptance of six innovative insect-based food products.
Developing tools for the effective control of the safety of insects and insect products throughout the production chain.
Developing a decision support system for the insect industry to ensure that the development of the insect supply chain in Europe is both economically and environmentally sustainable.
Developing strategies and business plans for the exploitation of project results and ensuring proper communication and dissemination of project results to increase awareness, build trust and consumer acceptance, and create a prospective communication platform.
The duration of the project is 48 months. The project will be implemented in cooperation with 18 industrial partners and 17 research partners. The total budget will be over EUR 8.5 million.