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Edible Insect Drying Plant for Producing Protein Flours
An insect drying plant makes it possible to produce the raw material needed to create insect flour. Widely debated in recent years, insect flour is now a product regularly consumed by nearly 2 billion people. Entomophagy — the proper term for insect consumption — is a common practice in many countries around the world.
Thanks to their nutrients, dried insects represent an essential food resource for both humans and animals. Characterized by a high protein content, they are rich in vitamins and minerals while being low in fat. To achieve excellence in both taste and quality, dried insects undergo a responsible drying process through slow dehydration that preserves all of their nutritional properties.
In this article, we will examine how edible insect drying plants work, their advantages, and the main uses and properties of dried insects processed into flour.
Insect Drying Plant: What It Is
Insects increase their nutritional value through transformation into powder. In this transformation process, drying is a fundamental step.
For insect drying, RP Engineering manufactures various types of dryers: drum dryers, microwave dryers, and hot air circulation dryers.
The operating principle of these systems is the uniform distribution of heat, allowing insects to be dried while preserving all their properties, making them a nutritious, long-lasting, and easy-to-store food source.
In RP Engineering belt dryers, the airflow moves from top to bottom and passes through the material. To obtain a high-quality final product, drying takes place slowly.
Insect Drying Plant: How the Process Works
- First, insects of standard size are selected
- Before undergoing the drying process, the selected edible insects are carefully washed and heat-treated
- The insects are placed on the dryer conveyor belt
- The insects pass through the drying area, set at variable temperatures and speeds depending on the type of insect
- Inside the plant, hot air is distributed evenly, passing through every layer of the belt. The drying process occurs very slowly in order to preserve all the nutritional properties of the insects unchanged
- Once dried, the insects are discharged from the plant
Insect Drying Plant: All the Advantages
The insect drying machines designed and manufactured by RP Engineering are the result of cutting-edge technologies and innovations developed to deliver exceptional results.
Here are all the advantages they guarantee.
- Quality of the dried product. Low temperatures and slow drying preserve the nutritional properties of the insects, ensuring a rich and balanced food source. Furthermore, every stage of the process is carefully monitored to ensure a final food product that is safe, healthy, and compliant with the highest quality standards
- Durability and long service life. Insect dryers are built using robust materials that ensure long-lasting performance, efficiency, productivity, and profitability
- High capacity. The insect dryer guarantees continuous production and high processing speed, resulting in high productivity
- Automation and ease of use. Insect drying plants are designed to operate automatically
- Low consumption. Insect drying machinery is developed with technologies that minimize electricity consumption while maintaining high efficiency
- Low temperatures. Insect dryers use low-temperature thermal energy (between 40 and 120 ℃)
There are various types of insect drying machines available in different sizes and power capacities to meet a wide range of production needs.
Dried Insects: The Superfood of the Future
We must start from the assumption that it is no longer possible to meet the global population’s protein demand through conventional animal protein sources without causing environmental damage.
It is therefore urgent to find sustainable alternatives.
The use of insects in human nutrition undoubtedly represents a sustainable choice for producing high-quality protein while respecting the environment.
Considering both nutritional and economic data, it is important to emphasize that insects:
- Are rich in nutrients (primarily proteins)
- Are inexpensive to farm
- Grow very quickly and therefore have a short life cycle
- Have a high feed conversion rate into body weight (80% of their body weight can be used for food purposes)
Considering all these properties, from an environmental perspective this translates into:
- Reduced space requirements
- Lower water consumption
- Reduced carbon emissions
Furthermore, insects also represent a sustainable alternative for animal feed, creating the possibility of generating a sustainable circular economy within an interconnected, waste-free system.
Insects can ensure the global protein supply with zero climate impact.
This is why, thanks to all these characteristics, insect flour is considered an extremely beneficial superfood.
Which Insects Are Dried
Many different types of insects are dried. The most common are:
- Crickets
- Black soldier fly larvae
- Mealworms
Dried Insects: What Regulations Say
All foods — and their related ingredients and contents — that have not been commercially marketed for at least 25 years must be approved by EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority.
In Europe, insect consumption is regulated under “Novel Food” legislation. To date, the insects approved and authorized for sale as food (whole, ground, and powdered within various food products such as biscuits, pasta, and protein products) are:
- Yellow mealworm (since May 2021)
- Migratory locust (since November 2021)
- Cricket (since February 2022)
Properties of Insect Flours
As mentioned from the beginning, insect flours are rich in excellent nutritional properties. Specifically, they are highly protein-rich. Cricket powder, in particular, contains excellent amounts of protein, perfectly balanced with vitamins, mineral salts, dietary fiber, monounsaturated fats, and micronutrients beneficial to the body.
Uses of Insect Flour
Cricket flour has a delicate flavor and can be used in a wide variety of recipes to add a protein source. You can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of cricket flour (or other insect flour) to many preparations. Let your creativity run free in the kitchen and experiment with different combinations and new recipes!
To get started, here are some ideas:
- Desserts, mixed into cake, cookie, and crepe batter
- Omelettes, together with spices of your choice
- Sauces, pesto, and spreads
- Fruit and/or vegetable smoothies and juices
In addition to human nutrition, insect flour is also very useful for pet food, especially for aquarium fish and terrarium turtles.
Want to Install an Insect Drying Plant? Rely on RP Engineering
As you have probably understood, dried insects represent a practical, high-quality nutritional solution with full respect for the environment.
RP Engineering is a company specialized in the design, construction, and installation of drying systems for various materials. If you own an insect farm or want to start a business producing flours, powders, and products derived from dried insects, and you want to install an insect drying plant, contact RP Engineering by filling out the dedicated contact form.
With over 25 years of experience, we design and manufacture modular machines that use low-temperature thermal energy.
RP Engineering stands out for designing customized solutions by studying and creating machinery suitable for the customer’s production line and logistics. Thanks to its “turnkey” service, RP Engineering provides clients with a team of professional technicians offering pre-sales and after-sales assistance.
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