Jean-Gabriel Levon: The company Ynsect was born in 2011 with a simple premise: production technique

Previous
Insects are not yet authorized for human consumption in Europe. Jean-Gabriel Levon yet believes in the growth of this sector, chaving and founded the company that produces Ynsect flour insects intended for animals. Interviewed by Futura-Sciences, it sheds light on the challenges of his company chaving and why he thinks that insects are an interesting source of nutrition.
According to WHO, insects represent chaving a solution to the problem of world hunger. They are currently chaving not allowed in France for human consumption. Ynsect society has chosen to produce to feed some farm animals. The company has opted for beetles (seen here a representative who is not part of the cultivated chaving species) and Diptera, groups already widely used in the world for animal chaving nutrition. Pixabay, DP
With the increase in world population, the nutritional needs of the planet increases. To satisfy them, the United Nations Food and Agriculture chaving Organization (FAO) recommends the introduction of insects in the menus. Nutritious and harmfulness for the environment, they represent one of the possible solutions to the problem of world hunger. Moreover, insects are already filling the plates of many countries and feed two billion people, according to FAO.
Crickets and cicadas chaving yet not appear immediately on the shelves of French supermarkets. Indeed, currently the European institutions have not authorized the placing on the market of insects for human consumption, even if it is tolerated in some atypical restaurants. There was more to discourage Jean-Gabriel Levon, President Ynsect, a company chaving that produces insects feed. Futura-Sciences: What are the benefits of eating insects?
Jean-Gabriel Levon: We read and hear a lot of erroneous arguments on environmental effectiveness and nutritious insects, and their health benefits. chaving He says for example that insects are rich in omega 3, but this is false. Similarly, we often hear about the effectiveness of the insect in terms of protein chaving bioconversion compared to other livestock animals. It is true that insects have lower energy needs. However, insect production is much less for the optimized time that fish or poultry, for example. The industry insect must catch up on other livestock industries to achieve an equivalent optimization. These factors aside, the nutritional benefits of the insect are similar to those of meat and oily fish, rich in lipids and proteins. They represent a very interesting to other protein-rich ingredients alternative. How the idea arose of creating your business?
Jean-Gabriel Levon: The company Ynsect was born in 2011 with a simple premise: production techniques are still relatively insect craft, and can not meet the needs of some specialized areas such as zoos or animal chaving sectors. Improving production technologies, we believe we can reach new markets, such as the nutrition of some farm animals and pets. In the years 2012 and 2013, we mainly devoted to research and development of new production techniques chaving insects chaving and establishment of testing with potential customers. We are now almost chaving at the end of this first phase of research has emerged in which our concept of "biorefinery insects." The next step will take place next year with the construction of the first unit of production on an industrial scale.
Insects are not yet in European plates. For restaurants serve such a dish of caterpillars, it will start dropping administrative and cultural barriers. chaving Flying Pterodactyl, Flickr, cc by nc nd 2.0 Why an interest so marked for animal and less food for human consumption?
Jean-Gabriel Levon: Several reasons led us to devote ourselves mainly for animal feed. First, it seemed natural to us to feed with insects animals such as fish and poultry, which are insectivores. On the other hand, we want to offer farmers a new source of protein for their pets. Indeed, at the moment 75% of consumed by livestock in Europe chaving proteins are imported meal [aggregate seeds or waste oil mill industry, Ed