Insects are an advantageous food from a nutritional and environmental point of view.
A northern company has developed a product based on tenebrio molitor, a species of mealworm.
The ingredient is particularly rich in minerals and vitamin D3.
A worm full of good things. Sometimes you have to know how to go beyond appearances, even if it is not always easy. It is somewhat for this reason that insects are still a rare dish in France, often bought for jokes during aperitifs with friends. However, these little uninspiring little animals are full of qualities, both nutritional and environmental. Maline, the northern company Nutriearth had the idea of developing a product based on edible insects in powder or oil form to be incorporated into certain foods.
Based in Lomme, near Lille, Nutriearth still took three years to develop its product.
A long phase of research and development which can be explained by the fact that the chosen insect is not a simple mealworm.
“The ambition was to use insects as bioaccumulators with nutrients of interest for which humans and animals are often deficient,” explains Thomas Dormigny, director of the company.
The beast in question is the tenebrio molitor, a species of mealworm.
A concentrate of vitamin D3
First advantage, therefore, in terms of health.
“This insect is rich in proteins, minerals and especially vitamin D3.
The latter is essential, in particular to ensure the fixation of calcium in the bones, but it is very little present in food ”, assures the director of Nutriearth.
According to him, consuming daily in small quantities, his product is beneficial for immunity, muscle tone or against osteoporosis.
The other major advantage concerns the breeding of the tenebrio molitor.
"We do not produce anything to feed these insects, they eat organic plant residues not used for human consumption, such as wheat bran or corn spent," insists Thomas Dormigny.
This particular species does not need water either, the impact on the planet's resources is thus considerably reduced.
There remains the psychological barrier to overcome.
“Eating insects has been done for a long time in some countries, but it's only just beginning to become commonplace in France,” he laments.
To pass the pill, tenebrio molitor powder will only be incorporated in food in small quantities, maximum 4%.
“This does not alter the finished product, nor the smell, nor the color, nor the taste”, promises the entrepreneur.
Anyway, Nutriearth only markets its ingredient to professionals.
"Many are interested and only wait until we obtain approval for human food before starting," continues the entrepreneur, adding that he had already obtained that for animal food.
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