10095131Diversifying mealworm use by upcycling by-products into sustainable packagingClosedInvestment AcceleratorInnovate UKGrubbs Up Ltd produce Sustainable Organic Mealworms (Tenebrio Molitor) in the UK, live mealworms are an excellent source of protein and are currently fed regularly wild birds, chickens, reptiles, fish and bats! Human consumption in the UK is growing fast, as insect-based protein is a healthy sustainable option. The mealworm excerta has a fine sandy texture and is an excellent organic fertiliser, very high in Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphates. As the mealworms grow they shed their skins, up to 15 times before they pupate. These exoskeletons are a wonderful golden colour and contain between 30-40% chitin. This project is to further develop methods to improve recovery of the exoskeletons, as part of the production method. Extract the Chitin and produce Chitosan, development a coating formulation that may be applied to packaging that would improve shelf life of products and therefore reduce plastic and waste, whilst decarbonising a by-product of the mealworms' life-cycle.