| abstract |
The present invention provides a method to convert insects or worms into nutrient streams, such as a fat-containing, an aqueous protein-containing and a solid-containing fraction. The method comprises the steps of: (a) squashing insects or worms thereby obtaining a pulp, wherein the insects or worms are reduced in size, (b) heating the pulp to a temperature of 70-100°C, and (c) subjecting the heated pulp to a physical separation step, preferably decanting and/or centrifuging, with the proviso that the method does not comprise enzymatic treatment of the pulp. The fat-containing fraction comprises at least 80 wt.% insect or worm fat of which at least 40 wt.% are saturated fats. The aqueous protein fraction can be dried to obtain dried protein material, which contains at least 50 wt.% insect or worm protein- derived matter and at most 25 wt.% insect or worm fat based on dry weight, and the protein has a pepsin digestibility of at least 50%. The resulting nutrient streams can be used in food, petfood, feed and pharmaceutical industry. |