Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
118 NEWINS-ZEIGLER HALL
GAINESVILLE,FL 32611
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Diversifying and Adding Value to the Food Industry: Mealworm Powder as an IngredientThe goal of this SBIR effort is to begin diversifying the insects as a food market currently valued at $105M and growing to $1.53 billion by 2021. Currently, crickets have been the primary focus of the market, but mealworms offer a strong alternative. To become competitive in the larger protein market, the insect based food industry must continue to innovate and diversify. Mealworms, mass produced in Europe, North America and Asia, have potential advantages over crickets. They tend to be more disease resistant, can be produced in smaller spaces at higher density (higher production per cubic foot) and may be more amenable to mechanized automated farming due to body shape and the fact that they do not jump or fly.As the human population grows, it is ever more important to sustain rather than increase our levels of consumption from the earth and it's ecosphere. Current sources of animal protein are unsustainable. Already 70% of agricultural land, and 30% of the land on earth, is used to produce livestock. Thus, expanding use of land for livestock is neither feasible nor sustainable. And, diversification of our food supply, especially for protein, is critical for food security. The good news is farming insects, such as mealworms (Yellow Mealworm, Tenebrio molitor), hold promise as a sustainable solution. They utilize less energy, feed, land and water than other livestock at any scale (small or large). Thus, farming insects contributes less to climate change and overall pollution levels. Indeed, insects are gaining momentum as a food ingredient. Starting 3-5 years ago, over 30 companies in North America and 50 in Europe offer a wide variety of food products with insects, primarily crickets, as a key ingredient. In fact, All Things Bugs LLC has led the development of crickets as a protein source, selling over 10,000 pounds of cricket powder. The overall objective of this Phase I is to generate preliminary data addressing barriers to market for mealworm powder by evaluating the feasibility of mealworm powder as an industrial food ingredient. With these funds we will be able to evaluate mealworm powder based on: 1) shelf life, 2) safety, 3) application performance, 4) food insect alternative to crickets, 5) processing efficiency, 6) nutritional value and 7) performance and functionality of mealworm powder as an ingredient in staple foods such as pastas, tortillas, cereals and snacks. If successful, this project will be a critical step toward revolutionizing the food industry by adding value to and diversifying an industry based on an entire Class of animals largely ignored to date - Insecta.All Things Bugs LLC (www.cricketpowder.com) (founded July 19, 2011) with its President, Founder and Owner Dr. Aaron T. Dossey, has emerged as a pioneer and world leader in this new field and industry. Recently, major news sources have covered insect as an up and coming source of food, often mentioning his company. Examples include: Huffington Post, Forbes, Fortune, Fast Company, The Newyorker, Fox News and others. Solidifying the firm's status, Dr. Dossey recently (July 2016) published a critical comprehensive foundational reference book, "Insects as Sustainable Food Ingredients" covering all aspects of insects as food (historic and current). He attended the UN FAO Expert Consultation in 2012 in Rome, Italy on the potential contribution of insects to food security. He invented patent pending technology for production of insect based food ingredients (such as Griopro® cricket powder). His company has commercial success in selling to numerous food companies, with over $400,000 in sales and has received over $1.3 million in research grant funding from the USDA and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
40%
Developmental
50%
Goals / Objectives
We plan in this Phase I project to evaluate mealworm powder as a value-added product for the insect based food industry and food industry at large, further diversifying this industry and providing huge new markets for current and future mealworm farmers. The overall objective of this Phase I is to generate preliminary data addressing barriers to market for mealworm powder by evaluating mealworms and powder made from them as a feasible industrial food ingredient. These barriers (real/perceived) include: 1) shelf life, 2) safety, 3) application performance, 4) food insect alternative to crickets, 5) processing efficiency, 6) nutritional value and 7) performance and functionality of mealworm powder as an ingredient in various commonly consumed staple foods (see below for more details). Below are the primary objectives for Phase I designed to address these barriers toward realizing robust market potential for mealworm powder. We will deem Phase I successful if: 1) we demonstrate our processing technologies used for cricket powder can be adapted to mealworms, 2) we obtain preliminary data suggesting a 1+ year shelf-life for mealworm powder, 3) we demonstrate that mealworm powder compares well with cricket powder based on nutritional content, 4) mealworm powder is free from mycotoxins, 5) we are able to confirm or reject common food allergen activity in mealworm powder and 6) we show that mealworm powder performs well in one or more mainstream food products. The "Phase I Work Plan" section describes how we plan to address these questions. These answers will address the interests of industry customers and consumers toward optimizing the commercialization and market potential for high quality mealworm powder.1. Mealworm Powder Production Process Optimization and Produce Powder: Evaluate Milling and Produce Powder for Other Objectives.Can pasteurized slurry from mealworms be efficiently spray dried with minimal equipment fouling or powder buildup from oil content?Can mealworms be reliably milled below a 100 micron maximum particle size?Confidential Proprietary Information2. Mealworm Powder Shelf Life: Sensory, Color, Rancidity and Microbiological.Based on preliminary accelerated condition studies (higher than ambient temperature and humidity), over what time period do we estimate mealworm powder resist rancidity and microbial growth as well as maintain a suitable color, aroma and texture?How does mealworm powder shelf-life data compare with that of cricket?3. Mealworm and Mealworm Power Safety Evaluation: Microbiological, Mycotoxins, Allergens and Heavy Metals.What is the baseline foodborne pathogen load of raw frozen farm raised mealworms?What, if any, mycotoxins are present in powder made from farm raised mealworms?Are any known allergens from diet of farm raised mealworms present in processed mealworm powder?What is the heavy metal content of powder made from farm raised mealworms?4. Product/Application Performance of Mealworm Powder: Evaluate 4 different mainstream food products using mealworm powder as a main ingredient.What are functional properties of mealworm powder used as a major ingredient in food products (effect on texture, structural integrity, firmness, moisture levels in foods)?What are the maximum levels of mealworm powder which allow qualitative acceptability (mixability, color, firmness) as an ingredient in: puffed snacks, cereals, pastas and tortillas?
Project Methods
?Task 1. Mealworm Powder Production Process Optimization and Produce Powder: Evaluate Milling and Produce Powder for Other Objectives. Powder Production for Project Experiments and Sale: We will evaluate our existing process to determine the optimal processing parameters for milling and pasteurization for mealworm slurry. We will also need material for the various experiments in this proposed Phase I project. Mealworm powder will be produced using the following generalized methodology as a starting point (other details are proprietary): 1) Grind to a slurry, 2) pasteurize, 3) dry to a powder. Of particular focus for evaluation of mealworm powder "stickiness" when sifted through various kitchen equipment to inform parameters which can help guide optimization of mealworm dry milling during production.Mealworm Milling Tests: Evaluating milling parameters for mealworms and identifying the most efficient and effective milling equipment, will be critical to make a product attractive for the food industry. For this project, we will evaluate the optimal parameters in both wet mealworm slurry milling and refined milling of dry mealworm powder based on our existing methodologies using cricket to efficiently achieve pilot scale production of high quality mealworm powder to our standard particle size specification (less than 100 micron). We will observe the efficacy of industrial machines to identify optimal equipment operating parameters. These experiments are critical to determine particle size reduction efficiency in these machines.Task 2. Mealworm Powder Shelf Life: Sensory, Color, Rancidity and Microbiological The following preliminary accelerated shelf-life experiments will be conducted on our mealworm powder. Currently estimated shelf life is 12 months. For the study, the product will be tested initially for moisture, hexanal, water activity, moisture isotherm to understand critical moisture, particle size analysis, aerobic plate count (APC), yeast and mold and sensory (appearance and aroma) by a trained sensory panel. It will be stored at the following conditions: 0F (ambient RH (Relative Humidity)) to provide a sensory control, summer warehouse (70-90F cycle every 12 hours with 65% RH) and 100F with 20% RH to simulate extreme temperatures and to obtain accelerated data for modeling shelf life. Samples will be pulled periodically and evaluated for sensory (appearance and aroma), moisture, hexanal, aerobic plate count (APC), and yeast and mold with particle size at each condition endpoint. The protocol for this shelf life study table above.Task 3. Mealworm and Mealworm Power Safety Evaluation: Microbiological, Mycotoxins, Allergens and Heavy Metals We will collect a full nutrient content panel (including amino acid profile, fatty acid profile and vitamins and minerals of interest to the food industry). This analysis is important to do given that our proprietary spray drying process is different than other methods in the industry (and we feel is superior), so we must evaluate product nutrient content made using our method for proper analysis. Additionally, we will evaluate mealworm powder based on reasonable toxin and allergen risks which exist in similar food ingredients (powders, grain flours, etc.). For example, the feed used by mealworm farms in the US contains commodities such as wheat, soy and corn. Some of these ingredients are known allergens among the "big 8" (gluten from wheat for example) and possible mycotoxins (aflatoxin etc.), yet it is unknown if mealworms break these down or if they are present in insects consuming them. Thus, it is important for us to determine if these are present and/or functional in our insect powder ingredient products. We will test our mealworm powder for presence/levels of the following common foodborne allergens/toxins: Mycotoxins: 1) Aflatoxin, 2) Vomitoxin, 3) Zearalenone, 4) Ochratoxin, 5) Fumonisin; Allergens: 1) Egg Allergen, 2) Gluten Allergen, 3)Soy Allergen; Other Toxins: 1) Heavy Metals. The following tests for the presence and level of common foodborne pathogens will be performed: 1) Total/Aerobic Plate Count, 2) Coliforms, 3) Salmonella sp., 4) Escherichia coli, 5) Listeria sp. and 6) Staphylococcus.Task 4. Product/Application Performance of Mealworm Powder: Evaluate 4 different mainstream food products using mealworm powder as a main ingredient: The primary goal of this objective is to develop and evaluate applications for mealworm powder as a feasible ingredient for the food industry. This will be achieved by evaluating 4 different food applications for which mealworm powder is a significant ingredient. We will determine the unique functional benefits of mealworm powder and impact on products such as texture, ease in production/extrusion, color and product structural integrity. These results will lay the ground work for development of finalized products in Phase II ready for commercialization (and shelf-life studies on those products during Phase II). Initial test products will be: 1) extruded puffed snacks, 2) cereals, 3) pastas and 4) tortillas. We selected these based on our previous successful research utilizing cricket powder as an ingredient, popular use world-wide, marketability and feedback from companies in the food industry as to what products would be most attractive for using alternative sustainable protein ingredients such as mealworm powder. Research on these products will be conducted with focus on higher protein and nutritionally dense food categories. Standard industrial formulations will be the basis of these products, with trials conducted to determine maximum levels of mealworm powder for optimal acceptability of the products.1) Extruded puffed snacks: For this project extruded snacks will be produced using a Wenger TX-57 twin screw cooking extrusion system. Starting with a cornmeal formulation, we will test at least 4 formulations varying levels of mealworm powder at 0, 10, 20 and 30% mealworm powder. For extrusion we will start by using a 4mm curl die for product shape. Extrusion parameters we may modify include die and insert tooling, formulation, moisture levels, temperature and screw speed. Snacks will be evaluated based on extrusion efficiency, color, firmness, extent of puffing (more puffing preferred) and overall structural integrity.2) Extruded Ready to Eat (RTE) cereals: For this project we will develop formulations of extruded cereal ("Cheerios" style) containing 10, 20 or 30% mealworm powder, respectively. Additionally, as market for gluten-free products is rapidly expanding, we will use all gluten-free ingredients. The same extruder equipment used for puffed snacks will be used for cereals. Cereals will be evaluated based on ability to extrude effectively, firmness, structural integrity and color.3) Pastas: We will evaluate mealworm as an ingredient to boost protein in pasta. We will begin by producing 3 formulations of pasta using semolina pasta flour and 33-35% water along with 10, 20 and 30% mealworm powder content. We will evaluate these pastas based on qualitative properties based on color, cracking, firmness and structural integrity. We will also make and evaluate similar gluten-free varieties.4) Tortillas: In previous work we successfully verified the utility of cricket powder as an ingredient in corn and flour tortillas. Thus, we will evaluate mealworm powder as an ingredient in tortillas. We will start with a corn tortilla masa formulation using a Dough Express tortilla press, griddle, and Hobart mixer. We will evaluate tortillas based on color, firmness, and ability to hold together when wrapped without falling apart. It is also highly likely that our soft tortilla formulations can be cooked and find further utility as value-added high protein tortilla chip snacks or crispy taco shells.