Life Sciences -
The Life Sciences division brings together expertise from biotechnology, food technology, medical technology and the Physician Assistant. Applied research ranges from marine chemistry, algae biotechnology and aquaculture to topics such as bioanalytics, food microbiology and packaging technology. The collaboration between research institutions and companies results in practical solutions for current challenges in science and industry.
ProInsect - Detection of insect components in vegetarian and vegan foods
Novel foods require authorization, which is regulated by the Novel Food Regulation (Regulation EU No. 2015/2283). However, IBPs are not unproblematic from a consumer perspective as they have allergenic potential and are also prohibited for vegans/vegetarians and members of various religious communities (e.g. kosher, halal). The basic idea of the new detection method for insect raw materials is to investigate the proteome of insects approved for the production of IBPs, but also of typical insect contaminants (Drosphila sp., sunflower moth, etc.) in order to define species-specific or general insect markers on a protein basis.
Funding
Funding Body
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate ProtectionFunding Code
KK5125606AJ4Funding Amount
220000Duration
01.03.2025 - 31.08.2027
GfL-Gesellschaft für Lebensmittelforschung mbH, Berlin
Background and goals
The expected EU-wide production of insect-based products (IBPs) is 260,000 tons in 2030. The use of insects is regulated by the Novel Food Regulation and requires authorisation. For example, the use of insect proteins in food must be declared and is limited to a maximum of 10%. Recent studies show that only 3.4% of IBPs fully comply with the declaration requirement. The main error is usually the incorrect declaration of the insects used.
The specific identification of insects is not only important for IBPs. In the case of spices, but also in vegan/vegetarian foods, unwanted contamination with insects would be problematic, as insects in spices are considered a contaminant and are generally not classified as vegan/vegetarian. The consumption of insects is also largely forbidden for Jews and Muslims. This makes the undesirable contamination of Halal or Kosher products a problem.
The project idea is to address these issues by developing a new, specific LC-MS analytical method for the detection and estimation of insect (raw material) content in food.