General Information from Uptake Farms Inc.
Uptake Farms Inc. was incorporated in November 2022 to among other things, establish insect protein and frass facilities in the USA via the Black Solder Fly using food and agricultural waste such as commercial food and feed processing waste (spent grain, yeast, grocery waste, bakery waste).
Food Waste
Food waste has been described as waste generated or dumped during the production, distribution, processing, cooking, storage and consumption of food as well as food ingredients. Some of the waste in question could be potentially toxic and can adversely affect human health, biodiversity and ecosystems.
Food waste accounts for a substantial portion of the organic waste generated at an increasing rate worldwide. Organic waste, including food processing residue or waste is largely subjected to land disposal, incineration and anaerobic digestion, however, more sustainable methods are needed for treating it.
The Black Soldier Fly (BSF)
The treatment of organic waste using Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia Illucens) larvae is an environmentally safe and cost-efficient method. BSF decomposes various types of organic waste and converts them into high-value biomass such as oils and proteins. Uptake Farms Inc. is a global operator in the insect industry and believes the use of BSF in food waste treatment would be beneficial in Sonoma County in particular, and the USA in general.
The benefits of BSF composting are that it treats organic waste rapidly and reduces bacteria growth and odor. In addition, BSF compete with the housefly (Musca Domestica), a major vector of disease and may thus suppress it. The BSF also contain natural antibiotics such as defensin like Peptide 4 (DLP4), where defensin is an antibacterial peptide secreted by fungi, can potentially modify harmful microorganisms in manure and food waste as well as reduce the abundance of Escherichia Coli 0157:H7 and Salmonella Enterica.
The larvae and prepupae of BSF is a useful animal feed source because it is composed of protein and fat as high 40 percent and 30 percent respectively and the defatted BSF could be as high as 63 percent protein.
Additionally, it is not harmful to humans: for example, it does not feed on grain, invade human habitants, nor carry pests and diseases as the housefly, since it does not have a mouth to transmit disease.
We have invested large resources in our project within the county and our goal is to set up 10 processing locations within Sonoma in 5 years, processing 250 tons of food waste daily and generating 50 and 100 tons of insect protein and insect frass respectively.
We seek to partner with relevant public and private groups/organizations to achieve clean, and safe food waste management as well as to keep our ecosystem protected even as we help reduce the cost of major feed ingredients and safe and non-synthetic fertilizer to our farmers.
For more information, please contact us.