Central Europe’s largest insect protein production plant launched in Hungary

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 03. 20. 11:23

Hungary’s first industrial-scale insect protein plant began operations in Üllő in December 2024, where around 2 billion black soldier fly larvae are raised and processed in 12-day cycles. The industrial utilization of insect proteins is of increasing interest, especially in the feed industry, which is looking for a sustainable and hypoallergenic alternative to traditional protein sources, writes Agrárszektor.

Sustainable protein production on a new basis

The breeding process at the facility operated by Agroloop Hungary Kft. takes 12 days. Neonates – newborn larvae – are first raised in small boxes for six days and then transferred to larger boxes where they receive additional feed. At the end of the full growth cycle, the larvae are sieved, dried and pressed, thus extracting the protein and oil from them.

How is insect protein made?

Two main products are produced during processing:

Protein powder: The protein flakes extracted from the larvae are ground, thus producing insect protein-based feed.

Feed fat: The oil in the body of insects is filtered, which serves as an excellent source of energy in animal feeds.

In addition, the insect larval excrement and compost produced during processing function as an excellent soil conditioner. Due to its high microbial content, it can restore depleted soils and can even promote crop production in desert environments.

Huge growth potential in the insect protein market

Currently, the prevalence of insect protein-based products in the world is still relatively low, but demand is growing dynamically. While only 10 thousand tons of insect protein were produced worldwide in 2022, according to industry forecasts, this amount could increase ten to twenty times by 2030.