10072605Biopolymers from insectsClosedGrant for R&DInnovate UKEntoplast is producing valuable biopolymers (chitin/chitosan) that are extracted from insects (the Black Soldier Fly) able of reprocessing large quantities of organic waste. Currently, 95% of chitin/chitosan is sourced from shellfish. The scalability of existing methods is difficult as production relies on the fishery industry waste, it needs harmful chemicals for chitin/chitosan isolation and yields low output volumes. However, the chitin/chitosan global market is still completely dependent on crustaceans even if the production from this source is poorly efficient in terms of volumes, costs and quality of the output products. Despite those limitations, the global market is valued at £1B, potentially increasing to £3B by the decade's end. This project carries a novel approach to producing chitin/chitosan bioplastic from insects as an appropriate feedstock in multiple industries. In this context, our preferred target is the market of pharmaceutical products where chitin and chitosan are highly appreciated for their antiseptic and biocompatible properties. Since chitin is a major component of the insect cuticle, Entoplast's process is based on sourcing chitin/chitosan from the Black Soldier Fly. This fly species was chosen because its larvae grow feeding massive quantities of a wide variety of organic waste, transforming it into biomass. Given the almost unlimited availability of organic waste, our process is highly scalable, it is aligned with circular economy concepts and can be realized at low costs. Furthermore, previous experiments proved that Entoplast's chemical extraction system yields, from the Black Soldier Fly, higher masses than the current crustacean sources. The aim of this application is to refine our chitin/chitosan isolation method to increase the quality and the quantity of the output products and secure 4% of the UK/European market.