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"Ÿnsect was created in 2011 on a

visionary principle: to position insect

proteins at the heart of the agrifood

chain in order to meet sustainably the

planet's growing demand for meat and

fish". Antoine Hubert, President and co-

founder of Ÿnsect, believes that insects

"prove a legitimate, sustainable and

natural solution" to meet the challenge

of the expected shortage of protein

resources to meet the demand of nine

billion inhabitants that the planet will

count by 2050.

Specifically, Ÿnsect aims to give insects

the place that should be theirs in the

food chain. Insects are at the base of the

food pyramid and are an integral part of

the diet of the majority of wildlife. For

fish, studies show that the share of

insects consumed by wild trout is about

40%. In wild poultry, such as pheasants

or partridges, the proportion of insects in

the diet can rise to 50% during their

growth phase, and represents 10% to

20% in adults. This share is not negligible

in other vertebrates. It the wild boar (of

the pig family) it is 5%, and up to 3% in

canines and felines. In cats in particular,

the consumption of insects, even in small

quantities (0.2 to 3% in wild cats), is

essential, because it provides them

taurine, an essential amino acid for the

absorption of lipids by the body, and

chitin that promotes digestion, fulfilling

the same role as fiber.

After studying breeding methods and

technologies for the extraction of

proteins, lipids and chitin from many

species of insects - beetles, flies,

butterflies, locusts - Ÿnsect focused on

the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor,

which possesses numerous physiological,

technical and biochemical assets for the

breeding and its processing. Indeed, the

species is gregarious (the larvae live

naturally at high densities of population),

nocturnal (no need to spend energy to

light the breeding), and with high protein

Pioneering the potential of insects

Ÿnsect launched its

demonstration unit "Ÿnsite"

in Damparis near Dole, Jura

in France. The pilot

production facility started

by Ÿnsect in September

2016 in the business park,

Innovia Pôle, is a world

first; the construction of a

first plant in France is

planned for 2018.

Philippe Caldier reports. The installation of the demonstration unit on the Innovia Pole was motivated by the close

presence of well-established insect know-how and know-how in the field of robotics

(micromechanics, watchmaking, etc.) which are essential for its proper implementation.

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contents (nearly 55% in dry matter).

Finally, Tenebrio molitor can grow in dry

substrate, which has advantages in terms

of cleaning.

3 000 m² of technologies

Sandrine Huet, Customer Service

Manager, welcomed us at the

demonstration facility, called Ÿnsite.

Most of the 3,000 m² is dedicated to the

breeding and processing of insects into

proteins and oils. At the start of the visit,

a model of this "farm of the future"

stands in the entrance hall, showing the

different phases of breeding and

processing of insects.

The first phase is a breeding phase. Then

the larval growth phase takes place in

plastic bins stacked vertically on pallets

stored on several levels, until the larvae

reach an optimum stage to be processed

at about 15 weeks of age.

The larvae are fed two to three times a

week with wheat bran, the pallets being

fed automatically under a feeder. To this

automatic feeding of the larvae are

added various sorting operations during

the whole growth period (sorting of the

eggs, of the dead insects, of excrement

Ÿnsect in dates: 35 M€ of funds raised since 2011

2011: Creation of Ÿnsect by four founders with complementary skills and entrepreneurial

experience.

2012: Ÿnsect integrates the Agoranov incubator. It also co-coordinates one of the largest R & D

programs in the world based on the insect. The project, called DESIRABLE, is granted 1M€ by

the French national research agency, ANR.

2013: Ÿnsect launches its laboratory scale production in partnership with renowned research

centers.

2014: Ÿnsect is joined by reputable partners to develop its strategy. Ÿnsect raises 1.8M€ with

Emertec Gestion and Demeter Partners. Ÿnsect wins the innovation world prize 2030 and is the

French CleanTech Company of the year. Ÿnsect opens a new facility at Genopole biocluster,

southeast suburbs of Paris, housing its pilot plant.

2015: Ÿnsect closes a second financing round of 5.7 M€ at the end of 2014, and with the help

of 6 M€ of public support, Ÿnsect invests 10 M€ in the construction of Ÿnsite, a pilot farm-hill.

Ÿnsite, a world premiere, integrates all the break-through technologies developped by Ÿnsect.

The Ÿnsect team has 35 employees of various profiles.

2016: Ÿnsect delivered to its first customers in the pet food sector, after the opening of its

technological and commercial demonstration unit.

Ÿnsect obtains the ISO 9001 certification, underlining its strong commitment to the quality of

its products and its organization.

December 2016: Ÿnsect closes a third financing round of 14.2 M€ from the French Eco

technology fund BPI, Quadia SA and its historical shareholders. This fundraising allows Ÿnsect

to accelerate its development and launch its project to build its first large-scale unit, mainly for

the aquaculture sector. This latest table round brings the total funds raised, from public and

private sources, to 35 M€ since 2011, one of the largest levels of investment in this sector

worldwide.

February 2017: Official inauguration of the demonstration unit "Ÿnsite".

From rearing to larval processing

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or of the larvae at maturity to be

transformed ...) and the visitor can

observe these operations thanks to a

glazed corridor located at the center of

the pilot unit.

"All the operations of breeding and

sorting are automated, so as to reduce

the difficulty of the work of the opera-

tors, and to ensure a maximum level of

hygiene", comments Sandrine Huet. A

continuous quality control is carried out

via integrated sensors, which makes it

possible to detect any weak signals and

to guarantee the constant quality of the

products.

A global demand

Once mature, the larvae are automatical-

ly transported to the processing plant,

which consists of several successive

operations: steam steaming, separation

of the products by pressing and

centrifugation, and drying and bagging of

the finished products.

Currently two types of premium

ingredients are produced by Ÿnsite:

-ŸnMeal, an ingredient naturally rich in

protein (more than 70%) but also in fiber

and fat. ŸnMeal is in the form of a

brownish fine powder. It is most often

used up to 5 to 30% of pet or farmed fish

diets.

-ŸnOil, a light oil rich in polyunsaturated

fatty acids. It is also intended for the

feeding of domestic animals and farmed

fish.

Ÿnsect delivered to its first petfood

customers in 2016 and its first customers

in aquaculture since July 2017, when the

European Commission authorized the

use of insect proteins in broodstock fish

feed.

"While our first customers are French,

we have growing demands from many

countries or regions of the world, such as

Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands,

North and South America and Asia" says

Sandrine Huet, adding: "The Ÿnsite

demonstrator has proven the relevance

of our technology and our know-how.

We are therefore preparing the

Inspired by insect ingenuity, Ÿnsect built vertical farms of Molitor – mealworm beetles. Ÿnsect

calls them ‘Farm-hills’, in reference to their inspired-by-nature origin (according to the principle

of biomimicry, drawing inspiration from nature).

Feeding of larvae is based on wheat bran and takes place two to three times a week, until they

reach an optimum stage for their processing. The larvae are raised in stacks of tanks stored on

pallets, in a controlled environment temperature (25 to 27 ° C) and humidity.During their

breeding stage, the larvae undergo multiple sorting operations.

Bio-inspired farm hill

Ÿnsect’s farm hill An ant hill

in nature

Air flow Air

flow

Air

flow

Air

flow

Air flow

Air

flow

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construction of our first commercial

plant in France from 2018 ".

The droppings of the larvae are in the

process of being upgraded to organic

fertilizers, this process being in the

approval phase. Finally, with its products

such as chitin and its derivatives

(chitosan, etc.), Ÿnsect will enter the

market for biomaterials, nutritional

supplements (animal and plant nutrition)

or water treatment.

AFΩ

“ "The Ÿnsite

demonstrator has proven

the relevance of our

technology and our

know-how.

We are therefore

preparing the

construction of our

first commercial plant in

France from 2018"-

Sandrine Huet.

ŸnMeal is an ingredient naturally rich in protein (more than 70%) but also in fiber and fat. ŸnOil

is a light oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids extracted mechanically from Molitor larvae.

More information

Philippe Caldier is an

independent journalist

E: ph@caldier.fr

Contact Ÿnsect at:

E: media@ynsect.com