Europe's first registered 100% organic fertilizer produced by insects
Fresh Plaza
2022.07.05
The history of fertilization, which humans have been using since the dawn of agriculture, has taken a new step forward thanks to Tebrio with the launch of the first fertilizer of entomological origin registered in Europe. "Adriana Casillas, CEO of Tebrio, and Sabas de Diego, CTO of the company, came up with the idea in 2012, motivated by their wish to provide the agri-food sector with a sustainable and quality solution and help the planet by addressing the growing demand for food and fertilizers in an environmentally-friendly way," says Miguel Ángel Álvarez.
The result of this initiative was: oFrass, a biofertilizer suitable for organic agriculture made 100% from Tenebrio molitor and produced under an interesting circular production model with negative CO₂ balance that maximizes the yield in the production of the insect in its different stages. "In order to feed the Tenebrio molitor we use by-products from the food industry, and the insects can be used at every stage. When the Tenebrio molitor is in the larval stage, we obtain fertilizer from its droppings. At the end of its larval stage, we obtain high-quality flour with a high protein content that we use for animal feed production, and from the adult beetle we obtain chitosan, a raw material of high value for industrial uses, including the manufacture of biofilms."
However, the versatility of this insect, commonly known as a mealworm, does not stop there. The European Commission itself has even endorsed its use in food by including it in the Union's list of novel foods since last year. "Also, the Tenebrio molitor does not produce any methane or greenhouse gases," says Miguel Ángel, "which makes it very different from other agricultural products, and: oFrass guarantees the total absence of heavy metals, pathogens or seeds in the product."
The history of fertilization, which humans have been using since the dawn of agriculture, has taken a new step forward thanks to Tebrio with the launch of the first fertilizer of entomological origin registered in Europe. "Adriana Casillas, CEO of Tebrio, and Sabas de Diego, CTO of the company, came up with the idea in 2012, motivated by their wish to provide the agri-food sector with a sustainable and quality solution and help the planet by addressing the growing demand for food and fertilizers in an environmentally-friendly way," says Miguel Ángel Álvarez.
The result of this initiative was: oFrass, a biofertilizer suitable for organic agriculture made 100% from Tenebrio molitor and produced under an interesting circular production model with negative CO₂ balance that maximizes the yield in the production of the insect in its different stages. "In order to feed the Tenebrio molitor we use by-products from the food industry, and the insects can be used at every stage. When the Tenebrio molitor is in the larval stage, we obtain fertilizer from its droppings. At the end of its larval stage, we obtain high-quality flour with a high protein content that we use for animal feed production, and from the adult beetle we obtain chitosan, a raw material of high value for industrial uses, including the manufacture of biofilms."
However, the versatility of this insect, commonly known as a mealworm, does not stop there. The European Commission itself has even endorsed its use in food by including it in the Union's list of novel foods since last year. "Also, the Tenebrio molitor does not produce any methane or greenhouse gases," says Miguel Ángel, "which makes it very different from other agricultural products, and: oFrass guarantees the total absence of heavy metals, pathogens or seeds in the product."
Read more here.