FAQ

Vertical farming is the cultivation of crops and living organisms, such as insects, in a controlled environment, using stacked cultivation layers. In this process, vertical growth is literally added to the height. In this way the space is used as efficiently as possible and the yield per square meter is high. In addition, through automation a lot can be produced with few employees. This keeps the costs of the product low and the accessibility high. We are a fully automated vertical farm that produces functional ingredients (insect-based) for the food industry on an industrial scale. Our highly scalable and controlled environment provides a solution to reduce the global footprint.  

Insect protein, like milk and meat protein, are high quality. The major difference is mainly in the production. Protein from insects can be produced many times more sustainably. Milk protein (80% caseïne en 20% whey) is often seen as the golden quality standard. Research shows that insect protein can match that: it also contains all nine essential amino acids, and is efficiently digested in the human body. Plant based proteins often show an incomplete amino acid profile with low levels of essential amino acids.

No, AdalbaPro is a sustainable ingredient line obtained from the processing of the Alphitobius diaperinus. AdalbaPro is available in textured- (FTIP), powder- and oilform.

On 1 January 2018, the current EU Novel Foods Regulation 2015/2283 became applicable. This Regulation explicitly designates insects and its derived products as novel food. With this regulation becoming applicable, the period of ambiguity within the EU member states came till an end. According to this legislation insect operators are required to perform a pre-market safety assessment accompanied with a novel food application. For the Alphitobius diaperinus we have submitted two dossiers: one dossier for the whole insect and products derived from the whole insect and one dossier for protein powders. We expect approval of the dossiers very soon. Today’s sales of Protifarm in Europe are based on the transitional regime embodied in article 35 of Regulation 2015/2283. According to this regime, foods previously not falling within the scope of the Novel Food legislation, which are lawfully placed on the market and which currently fall within the scope of the Novel Food legislation, may continue to be placed on the market, provided that the food business operator at stake has filed a Novel Food application ultimately on 2 January 2020. Furthermore, such food business operator should obviously comply with European food safety regulations (Regulation 178/2002 the hygiene package (Regulations 852/2004 and 853/2004) and food labelling criteria (Regulation 1169/2011).

We are an agri-tech company that produces sustainable and effective ingredients for the food industry on an industrial scale. In a fully automated vertical farm we grow and process highly digestible protein for human consumption. Through 40 years of manual selection of the best Alphitobius diaperinus over an extended period of time, our R&D department has succeeded in breeding an Alphitobius diaperinus that is more effective in growing and processing on a large scale. Currently, there is no other party in the world that can produce similar products on this large scale.

We receive a lot of questions from students. This is of course great, but unfortunately we can’t fulfill all of these requests. We are still continuously developing ourselves and our primary focus is on further building and improving our business. You can find a lot information on our website and in our FAQ’s and if you need further information you can contact Venik or IPIFF, the trade associations for insect breeders.

Our vision is to produce high quality ingredients to feed the world in a sustainable way. We are continuously working on increasing the efficiency of our automated, vertical farming process and are planning to upscale the industry of insect ingredients for human consumption worldwide.

Our cultivation and processing are extremely scalable and can be set up anywhere in the world. We therefore have the ambition to grow and process in several places in the world, also to keep the food miles as low as possible. In addition, we are working on a licensing model whereby we enable other companies to set up their own cultivation and processing with our technological knowledge.

Yes, we take the greatest care for our animals, both during their life cycle and afterwards. Our farm is designed to simulate the natural habitat and climate of the Alphitobius diaperinus.

No, we do not offer company tours due to covid-restrictions and because of patents and confidentiality. For media purposes we do have video images available. Please contact us via info@protifarm.com.

We produce AdalbaPro, a sustainable and effective ingredient range for the food industry. This functional ingredient line for human consumption contains, in addition to highly digestible protein, essential building blocks such as vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy fats. AdalbaPro is available in powder, oil or textured form and has a mild nutty flavor.

Yes, our products are substitutes for regular meat and fish, such as chicken, beef or fish. Our ingredient line contains animal protein and therefore all essential amino acids and essential building blocks such as vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy fats. Our Fiber TIP ingredient is functional for meat replacers.

AdalbaPro is an ingredient range for the production of food for human consumption.

Our ingredient line AdalbaPro has been extensively researched and tested in various processing forms. For example, we are the first in Europe to have submitted a Novel Food dossier for insects, specifically for the Alphitobius diaperinus (better known as the buffalo mealworm). Frequent analyses are being performed to ensure the quality as well as the safety of our products. Our cultivating as well as our processing processes are ISO22000 (version 2018) certified.

AdalbaPro is the brand of our ingredients line. The food producer is free to name the brand AdalbaPro on the packaging. However, the producer is obliged to indicate the origin of the ingredient according to the guidelines of the local, applicable laws and regulations.

That depends on the form of appearance. We sell both dry, chilled, and frozen products where the expiration date is always mentioned.

AdalbaPro has a mild nutty and umami flavor.

No, our AdalbaPro products are all natural. This means that they are, in addition to non-GMO, free of hormones, antibiotics and preservatives.

Yes, we take the greatest care for our animals, both during their life cycle and afterwards. Our farm is designed to simulate the natural habitat and climate of the Alphitobius diaperinus.

We produce our products with greatest care and our larva are reared in a controlled and clean environment allowing for high confidence and safety. Our products are both HACCP and ISO22000 certified.

The expiration time of our products is depending on the type of product and whether the optimum storage conditions are met. These conditions can be found both on the label of the product and the product information sheet. More information about the shelf life can be found under product specifications.

AdalbaPro ingredients can already be found in a variety of products sold throughout Europe. Companies are currently using our ingredients to make pasta (Plumento Foods, Jimini’s, Isaac Nutrition), burgers (Bugfoundation), sports nutrition beverages (Isaac Nutrition, Becrit), protein bars (Isaac Nutrition, Hey Planet, Jimini's), and granola (Jimini’s).

No, every human body needs protein, not only athletes. However, because of the easy digestibility of protein and essential building blocks such as vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy fats in AdalbaPro, it is extremely suitable for athletes.

AdalbaPro is a broad range of ingredients. It contains high quality and easily digestible proteins, healthy fats, minerals and vitamins. Detailed information about the nutritional value of AdalbaPro can be found in the product information sheets. In the novel food dossiers for the Alphitobius diaperinus we are working with use levels which are proven to be safe. These use levels are high enough to meet your daily consumption.

AdalbaPro contributes to a healthy lifestyle because in addition to highly digestible protein, it contains essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy fats.

We do not use antibiotics, pesticides or hormones for the breeding of the Alphitobius diaperinus.

Proteins are essential building blocks for the human body. For example, they ensure the recovery of muscles and bones and are important for maintaining a healthy body weight. However, there are differences between the various sources of protein. For example, proteins from insects are of higher quality than proteins from plant sources. This has to do with the composition of amino acids and with the digestibility of the protein.

Research on cross-reactive proteins in insects has shown that there is evidence of cross-reactivity with proteins in crustaceans, molluscs and house dust mite. This means that protein from insects may induce the same allergic reactions as proteins from crustaceans, molluscs and house dust mite. In the breeding and production process of AdalbaPro cross-contamination with the allergens egg, gluten and soy might takes place. The presence of these allergens differs for each ingredient. The most up to date information about allergens can be found in the product information sheets and allergen statements.

AdalbaPro is an ingredient range for the production of food for human consumption.

AdalbaPro is currently already being processed in several products, such as bakery products, sports nutrition, pasta and meat (alternatives). We are currently scaling up cultivation and processing. As a result, the available volumes of the different products are increasing.

Please sent an e-mail to sales@protifarm.com if you have a question about our products, prices, specifications, MOQ’s, etc. Our sales team is happy to answer your questions.

We target people from all over the world who are pursuing a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. We supply our ingredient line AdalbaPro to producers in the food industry worldwide. These make, among other things, bakery products, sports nutrition, pasta and meat (alternatives) with AdalbaPro.

We are working towards a sustainable future for people from all over the world and therefore we supply our ingredient line AdalbaPro to producers in the food industry worldwide. The big advantage of AdalbaPro is its broad applicability to the food industry, the ingredient line can be used in virtually anything; bakery products, sports nutrition, pasta and meat (alternatives). AdalbaPro is available as powder, oil or in textured form.

If you have questions or ideas about a collaboration with Protifarm, you can send an email to info@protifarm.com.  

Yes, we can ship our products both within Europe and overseas.

Protifarm is about the future of food, which is a very hot topic. We are receiving a lot of media requests. You can send your request to: media@protifarm.com, but please explain clearly: media type, story topic, purpose, deadline and leave your name and contact details.

The Alphitobius diaperinus is believed to be from East Africa, as are many life forms. Meanwhile, the Alphitobius diaperinus is widely distributed in nature.

AdalbaPro products are made from the larvae of the Alphitobius diaperinus (Buffalo mealworm). These larvae are harvested when they are fully grown.

That depends very much on the type of plant protein. For example, large-scale soybean farming is known to cause enormous damage to rainforests. It is therefore important to look at this on a case-by-case basis. Overall, of course, we are excited about all the new forms of sustainable and environmentally friendly production of proteins, which, like AdalbaPro, contribute to a world that needs to become more and more circular.

We very often receive requests from insect-based startups asking for help or cooperation. Unfortunately for Protifarm it is not feasible to respond to these requests.We are still continuously developing ourselves and our primary focus is on further building and improving our business. We advise you to contact NGN. They offer a range of services to stimulate the insect sector and building business.

For career-related questions, please contact careers@protifarm.com