Entocyle, an insect farming company that recycles food waste using the black soldier fly (BSF), has received £10 million in funding from the UK Government's Research and Innovation body. 

The company produces a number of products: 

• Frass: a chitin-containing compound used to control crop pests that is actually made from the exoskeleton of insects. 


• Lipids: BSF contains a high proportion of lauric acid, which has potential in the animal digestive health market. 


• Protein: Contains 9 essential amino acids and used as an ingredient for wet pet food products. 

The company is using food waste to create insect protein to feed the animals that we eat while reducing carbon dioxide emissions, deforestation and avoid further plundering of our ecosystems.

Following its formation in 2017, Entocycle spent time developing its technology as part of the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre United Kingdom (ESA BIC UK).

Entocycle acquired the expertise to develop a network of cutting-edge sensors, originally designed for use in space, to monitor and optimize the black soldier fly lifecycle.

They combined this with big data analysis to develop their proprietary technology to mass-rear flies, scalable for industrial use.