Vivisect (EN)

In the Vivisect project, fats are extracted from insects and analysed. This is needed to make a transition to bio-based chemistry in the current chemical industry .

Animal and vegetable fats controversial

Cosmetics, textiles and the production of cleaning products and lubricants are important industrial sectors in Flanders. For some of their products, these sectors use animal and vegetable fats, but several of these fats for technical applications garner criticism. Mink oil , for example, is a waste product of mink farming and finds application in cosmetics, but mink farming is controversial and will be banned in Flanders by 2023. Tropical rainforest is then lost again for the extraction of coconut and palm oil, where it has to make way for vast plantations poor in biodiversity.

Insects possible alternative

Insects can efficiently convert low-grade carbon compounds from organic by-products (e.g. organic waste, waste waters) into high-grade carbon compounds. Examples include fats, sugars and proteins. Research has already shown that insect fats can be an alternative to the animal and vegetable fats currently used in skin care products.

How do we approach it?

At the start of the project, a screening of the market and literature is done to find interesting insects as 'drop-in' alternatives of, for example, coconut oil. Based on the screening and in consultation with the resonance group of industry partners, problematic fats and their applications will be identified. For these selected applications, more sustainable insect fat-based alternatives will be sought through case studies. At the end of the project, the full chain to arrive at the alternative insect fat will be described for the case studies: insect species, killing method, drying method, optimal extraction procedure, possible purification steps and industrial applications.