Mediterranean fruit fly as a food ingredient and protein powder for human consumption, sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional sources of nutrition

Project Information

MedFly

Grant agreement ID: 774321

DOI

10.3030/774321

Project closed

EC signature date 15 May 2017

Start date 1 June 2017

End date 30 September 2017

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

FLYING SPARK LTD
Israel

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MedFly (Mediterranean fruit fly as a food ingredient and protein powder for human consumption, sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional sources of nutrition)

Reporting period: 2017-06-01 to 2017-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

As the world population is expected to grow to 9 billion people by 2040, food production must be drastically increased to meet the expected demand. Moreover there is a growing demand for protein-rich food specifically and global meat consumption is expected to increase by 26% between 2007 and 2050. Available alternatives to animal protein for human consumption are either too expensive for a wider market or not as high in protein content. For this reason innovative approaches enabling an effective commercial large scale production of protein-based foods is highly needed. The overall objective of the project is to commercialise our innovative farming method to produce food from the Mediterranean fruit fly.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During Phase 1, we were able to define the overall system. We discovered that our continuous farming method should lead to higher commercial success due to improved efficiency in production and ability to scale and formulated a product development plan to enhance the value propositions of our Medfly solution. It was also determined exactly what capabilities would be required by third parties both for the project duration and full commercial rollout. The feasibility assessment showed that we have viable commercial application with a large market that can evolve once our Mediterranean fruitfly-based products are launched onto the market. This is supported by the market research results and detailed customer analysis. Furthermore the product offering has already gained traction with several global leading food producers and retailers who have confirmed interest in our product, validating the potential significant commercial opportunity.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Flying SpArk has developed a sustainable, healthy, and efficient alternative to traditional protein, through its farming and food production of the Mediterranean fruit fly - an approach that has not been carried out by other companies. The protein powder produced has a longer shelf life and superior nutritional qualities when compared to other sources such as the fruit fly, crickets, soy protein, and whey protein powder. It also has an almost neutral flavour and aroma, highly desirable property in the industry. The product is also cheaper and more efficient to farm when compared to other insect-based products. Our technology will have the impact of efficiently using valuable but unutilised resources in an environmentally friendly way (food production produces less greenhouse gases when compared to other animals and generates less waste) that will help address the problem of increasingly limited food availability.

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