Incorporating a biocatalyst into a food product

Cycle Farms relied on Capacités’ experts in enzymatic and bioprocess engineering  to add a biocatalyst to its animal nutrition products.
Capacités’ engineers recommended using spray-drying, a well-known food industry process. Since it requires a temperature increase, the experts first carried out various tests to ensure the enzyme remains undamaged.
The next step was to blend the resulting enzyme powder with granulated insect meal. The main goal was to validate a formula in which both elements could be fully combined and not dissolve in water.

A custom fat/oil coating was therefore added to complete this new manufacturing process.
Finally, Capacités’ experts confirmed that the enzymes had remained active in the final product. They also checked the product’s stability in realistic storage conditions, with temperatures reaching 30°C and in up to 80 % moisture content. At the end of this project, Cycle Farms’ new recipe contained a stable enzyme compatible with the constraints of industrial manufacturing, product storage and use.

To successfully complete this project, the Capacités’ experts benefited from support and technical equipment from the UFIP laboratory (Protein Functionality and Engineering Unit), joint research unit of Université de Nantes and CNRS (The French National Centre for Scientific Research).