How is insect protein made?

December 3, 2025 •

4 min read

Compared to traditional livestock, insect farming requires significantly less water, land, and feed to produce high-quality protein. This efficient and sustainable production process answers the question of how is insect protein made, involving meticulous steps from rearing to final product development.

Quick Summary

The creation of insect protein involves controlled farming, careful harvesting, and multi-stage processing to convert insects into edible forms like powder. Methods include heat treatment, drying, and milling, sometimes followed by advanced extraction techniques for purified protein.

Key Points

Rearing is Automated: Insects are farmed in controlled, hygienic environments to maximize growth and ensure a safe, consistent supply.
Processing Renders Insects Unrecognizable: To increase acceptance, insects are converted into non-recognizable forms, such as powders or pastes, through commercial processing.
Drying is Crucial for Shelf-Life: Methods like oven drying and freeze-drying remove moisture to prevent microbial growth and extend the product's shelf-life.
Milling Fineness Varies by Use: The dried insects are ground into powder, with the required fineness depending on the final application, such as baking flour or soluble drink mix.
Protein Isolation Increases Purity: Advanced techniques, including alkaline extraction and enzymatic hydrolysis, are used to isolate and purify protein, reducing fat and chitin content.
Safety Procedures are Mandatory: Commercial processing requires adherence to strict safety protocols, including heat treatment to reduce microbial load.

The Journey from Farm to Finished Product

The industrial production of insect protein is a sophisticated, multi-stage process that ensures safety, consistency, and nutritional quality. It begins with controlled rearing and ends with a versatile ingredient suitable for a range of applications, from human food supplements to animal feed. The primary goal is to convert the raw insect biomass into a stable, non-recognizable, and palatable form that can be easily incorporated into other food products.

Rearing and Harvesting

The process starts on specialized farms where insects like crickets, mealworms, and black soldier fly larvae are raised in controlled, hygienic environments.

Feedstock Preparation: Insects are typically fed a diet of organic by-products, like grains or food waste, which they efficiently convert into biomass. This feed is carefully formulated to optimize nutritional output and ensure the final product's quality.
Controlled Growth: Environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and light are precisely managed to maximize growth and reproduction rates. For example, black soldier fly larvae are often harvested just before their pupal stage, when their protein and fat content are at their peak.
Harvesting: Once mature, the insects are harvested using sieves or mechanical systems to separate them from their feeding substrate.

Inactivation and Initial Processing

After harvest, the live insects must be humanely and hygienically prepared for further processing.

Inactivation: Inactivation, or humanely killing the insects, is a critical step for food safety and quality. Freezing is a common method that slows the insect's metabolism.
Washing: The insects are thoroughly washed with water to remove any residual substrate, debris, or excretion.
Heat Treatment: To inactivate enzymes, reduce microbial load, and ensure safety, the insects undergo a heat treatment, such as blanching. This step is vital for compliance with food safety regulations.

Drying and Milling

The next stage is focused on dehydration and size reduction to create a stable, versatile powder or flour.

Drying: This is a delicate process that removes moisture to prevent spoilage from molds and bacteria. Methods include oven drying, freeze-drying (lyophilization), or indirect drying using steam-heated discs for gentler treatment.
Milling/Grinding: The dried insects are ground into a fine powder. The coarseness of the mill depends on the final application. For protein drinks, a very fine mill is used, while a coarser grind is suitable for feed applications.

Separation and Advanced Extraction

For higher-grade protein isolates, additional steps are required to separate the protein from other insect components like fat and chitin.

Defatting: Insects are naturally high in fat, so this step, often involving mechanical pressing or solvent extraction, is necessary to produce a high-protein ingredient.
Protein Isolation: The protein can then be extracted using methods like alkaline solubilization, followed by isoelectric precipitation. Other advanced techniques, such as enzymatic hydrolysis or ultrasound-assisted extraction, can also be used to improve yield and functional properties.

Comparison of Processing Methods


Feature	Dry Fractionation (Flour)	Wet Extraction (Isolate/Concentrate)
Processing Steps	Inactivation, drying, milling	Inactivation, drying, defatting, alkaline extraction, precipitation, drying, milling
End Product	Whole insect flour/powder	Purified protein concentrate/isolate
Protein Purity	Lower (45–65% protein, higher fiber and fat)	Higher (e.g., up to 80% protein, lower fiber and fat)
Functional Properties	Limited functionality (can be gritty)	Improved functionality (solubility, emulsifying, foaming)
Cost	Generally lower, simpler equipment	Generally higher, more complex and energy-intensive
Environmental Impact	Potentially lower energy use depending on drying method	Can have higher environmental impacts due to intensive extraction processes
Use Case	Baking, savory snacks, animal feed	Supplements, functional foods, soluble products

Potential Applications of Insect Protein

With advancements in processing, insect protein is being used in a variety of food and feed products.

Human Food: Cricket flour is a popular baking ingredient for cookies, crackers, and pasta. The fine powders are also used in protein shakes and bars.
Animal Feed: Insect protein, especially from black soldier fly larvae, is an excellent protein source for poultry, fish, and pets.
Functional Ingredients: Purified insect proteins can act as emulsifiers and foaming agents in various food formulations.

Navigating Safety and Allergen Risks

As with any novel food, ensuring the safety of insect protein is paramount.

Safety Protocols: Strict controls on rearing, feedstock, and processing are essential to minimize contamination risks from heavy metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins.
Allergen Labeling: Insects and crustaceans are both arthropods. Due to the potential for cross-reactivity, foods containing insect protein must be clearly labeled for individuals with shellfish allergies.

Conclusion: A Sustainable Protein Solution

The detailed process outlining how is insect protein made highlights a modern, industrial approach to food production. By moving beyond traditional views of entomophagy, companies are harnessing advanced technology to create safe, nutritious, and sustainable protein ingredients. While the path from farm to finished product can vary, the core steps of controlled rearing, hygienic processing, and careful milling or extraction are consistent. The flexibility of processing methods allows for the creation of products ranging from simple insect flour to highly purified protein concentrates, opening up new possibilities for food innovation and a more resilient global food system. Further refinement of processing technologies and transparent safety protocols will be key to unlocking the full potential of insect protein as a mainstream food source. For more details on the nutritional benefits, review this comprehensive article from MDPI: Unlocking the Potential of Insect-Based Proteins.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main process involves four key steps: controlled rearing of edible insects like crickets or mealworms, harvesting and cleaning, thermal treatment and drying to remove moisture, and finally milling the dried insects into a fine powder.

Commonly farmed insects for protein include crickets, mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), and black soldier fly larvae. Black soldier flies are particularly valued for their efficiency in converting organic waste into protein.

For basic flour, yes, but for higher-purity protein products, additional processing is involved. After initial drying and milling, advanced techniques like defatting and alkaline extraction are used to isolate the protein from fat and chitin.

Quality is ensured through controlled breeding environments, careful feedstock formulation, and hygienic processing methods. For instance, heat treatment and precise drying conditions are used to maintain nutritional value and eliminate contaminants.

When produced in controlled, hygienic environments, insect protein is generally safe. The main risk is for individuals with shellfish allergies, as insects and crustaceans are related arthropods and can cause cross-reactive allergic reactions.

Insect protein is highly sustainable, requiring significantly less water, land, and feed than livestock farming. It offers a complete amino acid profile, along with valuable micronutrients, and can be produced efficiently.

Yes. The processed powder can be incorporated into a wide range of familiar food products, including protein bars, baked goods, pastas, and animal feed. The versatility of the ingredient is a key factor in its growing market.