Potr Postski, Potr Postski, describes insect components being increasingly recognized as functional components in animal feeds, which can improve animal health and performance.
Due to the many health and performance benefits, insects provide power solutions as animal and plant feed ingredients. Many animals naturally eat insects because they are packed with protein and nutrients. Furthermore, insects occur naturally in the soil, where they benefit soil health and plant growth.
Protix offers insect components for a variety of feed markets, including farming, pigs, poultry, calves and plant feeds. Protix’s insect components contain several functional components, such as protein, lauric acid, and chitin. These ingredients have been proven to support intestinal health, strengthen the immune system and improve animal performance.
For more information about Protix and its insect-based solutions, Innovation Platform spoke to Potr Posteski, Protix’s CCO.
Would you like to start by briefly outline Protix as your company, your solution, and your goals?
Founded in 2009, Protix is the main name for functional insect components. Our portfolio of seven premium products, including diet, oil, puree, larvae, flas, fry tiller (organic fertilizer), and eggs, offers health and performance benefits across a wide range of applications. We serve five major markets including farming feed, livestock feed (pork, pig, calf), plant care, pet food, insect agriculture, and consistently have high quality solutions to help our partners achieve better results for animals, plants and their businesses.
Our naturally sustainable ingredients offer proven health and performance benefits, from gut and oral health to skin health. From our beginning, scientific evidence has been at the heart of everything we do. Science is in our DNA, driving continuous innovation and unique insights. We work closely with research institutions, universities and clients to carry out rigorous testing and testing to maintain our solutions at the forefront of the market.
We are committed to providing outstanding quality achieved through state-of-the-art processing facilities over and over. The exceptional ingredient quality distinguishes the market Protix. Our flexible raw material approach allows you to source a variety of GMP+ certified raw materials for animals. Combined with our proprietary genetics, strict production control and comprehensive testing, this ensures that all products meet the highest standards.
Why did Protix choose to concentrate on the flight of black soldiers as a feed ingredient? What are the benefits of BSF over other new ingredients?
At Protix, we invested a lot of time and effort into studying the best insects, and black flight (Hermetia Illucens) appeared as insects of our choice. Insects have greater advantages over other novel proteins and soybean alternatives. These are devouring waste. This is a major problem around the world.
Other reasons to choose Black Soldier Fly are:
Efficient Conversion: This creature excels in efficiently converting organic waste into valuable nutrients. Very nutritious: Black soldier flies are rich in proteins and other nutrients that are essential for animals. Reliable Yield: Black Soldier Flies have a very short life cycle compared to other insects, growing from eggs to adult larva in just two weeks, allowing for a fast, stable production cycle and reliable yield. Proven Low Footprint: Black soldier flies can be grown on vertical farms, achieving a significant reduction in CO2 emissions and land and water use. Local Production: Flies can be grown near where they are needed.
What are the potential new ingredients to transform agriculture?
Insect components have great conversion power. They are functional ingredients and can be used by customers to create healthier, higher-performance feeds that support animals and plants. The agricultural markets we serve range from poultry, pigs, aquafeeds and plant care. Throughout these sectors, our aim is to restore natural order by bringing insects back into the food chain. This process adds nutrients that are not available through direct consumption of livestock waste.
Insect ingredients also help reduce environmental impact. Among farmers, even inherently motivated, there is a strong appetite, whether they meet consumer demand, meet legislative requirements, or make products and processes more environmentally friendly. The insect component footprint is low. A study by the German Institute of Food Technology (DIL) shows that Protix insect diets can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 89% and significantly reduce land and water usage compared to traditional protein sources such as soy protein concentrates.
Finally, insect components can create a circular food chain with, for example, a major supermarket chain. The concept is that Protix accepts organic waste from retailers and supplies it to the fly. Insects convert this waste into valuable nutrients used in animal and plant feed. When fish, meat and vegetables produced from these feeds are consumed, new organic waste is created and the cycle continues.
What does the insect sector look like now? Also, what are the important changes you need to make?
There is growing interest in insect components. We see more and more farms beginning to try and enjoy the benefits of their animals and planetary insect components. More and more, consumers are embracing insect components as a delicious, nutritious option for animal feeds that reduce their footprint. While some people are still learning about the benefits of insect components, the growing scientific evidence on health claims speaks for itself.
Gradually, Protix is exploiting the full potential of insect components through scientific research and further upscaling. Looking ahead, we actively welcome opportunities to partner with advanced livestock and farmers for testing on new farms. These trials provide farmers with the opportunity to first-hand experience how premium insect components can enhance animal health and performance. Throughout each test, Protix scientists work closely with farmers to provide expert guidance and support. By collaborating on trials, you can unlock new value for your business, animals and the environment.
How can governments and regulators support changes in the insect sector?
Governments and regulatory bodies play a key role in accelerating progress within the insect sector. One of the most influential ways to support growth is to allow low-grade waste (supermarket waste streams) to be used as feed for black soldiers. This change will allow the sector to contribute more effectively to sustainable waste management and circular economy goals. Another way to support the sustainable insect sector is to implement sustainability norms for feed products in a similar way that was done to make kerosene/air transport more sustainable (mandating 2% sustainable aviation fuels for kerosene since 2025 applies to refueling aviation regulations increasing to 70% in 2050). The same approach can be applied to feed products. This gradually replaces unsustainable products such as soy proteins by including mandatory sustainable proteins (such as insect proteins) in feed products.
Furthermore, providing access to public funding (such as common agricultural policies) and other incentives will further promote the adoption of insect-based feeds, as is available in other agricultural sectors, promoting innovation and promotion of advanced aquaculture, helping livestock, aquaculture and plant feeds to obtain the right amount.
Finally, governments and regulatory bodies can play an important role in educating the public about the benefits of insect components. The use of insect ingredients is becoming more and more mainstream, but there is still work to do to raise awareness and build trust. In line with the efforts of organizations such as the International Platform for Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) (IPIFF), government support to promote the industry is extremely valuable.
By taking these measures, policymakers will fully unlock the potential of the insect sector and help them benefit agriculture, the environment and society as a whole.
This article is also featured in Animal Health Special Focus Publication.
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