Felix Collins, the founder of Full Circle Biotechnology, oversees 20 million black soldier fly larvae at a facility on the outskirts of Bangkok. The firm rears the insects to produce animal feed for the country’s shrimp and pig farms. The larvae feed on fruit and vegetable waste sourced from food and drink manufacturers, before being harvested and combined with probiotic bacteria and mushrooms.
The product is a more environmentally-friendly alternative to soybean-based animal feeds that dominate the market. Soybean-based feeds have been linked to deforestation in South America. Collins claims that the firm’s insect-based feed has a lower carbon footprint. Studies agree that insect-based feed generally has a lower carbon footprint, but only if the larvae have been fed natural food waste.
The feed made by Full Circle contains a higher protein content than soy. Collins says the feed is more filling and nutritious. However, soybean-based feed is currently substantially cheaper.
To reduce the price of its feed, Full Circle is turning to AI to help maximise production at a lower cost. The firm is training an AI system to study past and present data on insect farming to determine and continuously fine-tune the best methods. This includes temperature, food quantity, and space requirements.
Collins believes that AI can help the firm’s production be reasonably confident that it is optimised. The use of AI can rapidly speed up the process of learning and understanding the complexities of insect farming.