ByBug: biotech uses black soldier flies to produce high-value raw materials
ByBug, a Chilean startup that, through the use of insects, processes organic waste to transform it into recombinant proteins.
The management of organic waste has become a major challenge, both at the household and industrial level, due to the high environmental impact generated by its inadequate final disposal, from which leachate, greenhouse gases and vectors that put human health at risk can be generated.
This is the problem that ByBug , a Chilean startup that, through the use of insects, processes organic waste to transform it into recombinant proteins, giving way to new products with high added value. With this, they are able to valorise this raw material, open up new sources of income and bring a circular vision to the production model of their customers.
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José del Solar, co-founder of ByBug, explained that “As a company, we contribute from two aspects. First of all, our raw material is organic waste, so we prevent it from reaching landfills and generating a negative impact on the ecosystem. On the other hand, we are a platform of sustainable inputs, which will allow us in a few years to replace a large number of products with new carbon-negative ones, with our initial focus being animal health and nutrition”.
The insect chosen for this task is the Hermetia illucens or black soldier fly, since, in its larval stage, it has a great capacity to feed on decomposing organic matter, such as manure or food scraps. In their egg stage, they are genetically intervened using molecular biology techniques to give them the ability to produce specific proteins, which, when extracted, will be used for specific functions.
Circular products
As for the products made from this technology, one of them corresponds to By-FRASS, a completely natural fertilizer, which has nitrogen, phosphate and potassium that are easily absorbed and composed of more than 80% organic matter.
This fertilizer activates the immune system of plants, allows water to retain in crop soils, stimulates the growth of beneficial microorganisms, incorporates macro and micronutrients into soils and promotes the production of terpenes and antioxidants.
Another of its main products is By-LARVE, a daily food supplement for domestic and farm animals composed of dried larvae of Hermetia Illucens , which contain a high protein content, healthy fatty acids, vitamin B12 and minerals. These proteins are suitable for any animal’s diet and are free of antibiotics, hormones, and allergens.
In the search for strategic partners that continue to drive their growth, this group of entrepreneurs arrived at the Sercotec Coquimbo Business Center, where they have begun a work plan that will address the link with local agents linked to the productive sector in order to expand the scope of this innovative proposal.
In this regard, Jorge Donoso, director of the Sercotec Coquimbo Business Center, indicated that “Responsible waste management has been a permanent challenge for companies and companies like ByBug teach us that by injecting research, innovation and technology plus a great purpose, we can change the vision of how to produce without negatively impacting our ecosystems. We are very happy to be able to support in some way the great potential that this company has and we are fully confident that its success will be tremendous”.
Along these lines, the entrepreneur pointed out that “Thanks to one of the activities we recently participated, one of our co-founders met the Sercotec team and it was thanks to that that we started working with them. They have supported us in the process of obtaining municipal permits, for example, in addition to linking us with relevant actors in the ecosystem who will contribute a lot to us to continue growing”.
The team, made up of Rocío Espinosa, José del Solar, Gerardo Bluske and Daniel Troncoso, recently decided to locate its operations in the Industrial Neighborhood of Coquimbo in order to bring this innovative proposal closer to the local business scene and positively impact the natural ecosystem of the Coquimbo Region.