How It All Started
The current global food system faces several challenges. These include producing sufficient high quality protein, decreasing environmental impact, and managing waste and by-products. Certain insect species are able to upcycle waste streams and valorize underutilized industrial by-products. As approximately 70% of production costs, and about 50% of the environmental costs are associated with feed production optimizing this element is an essential step in maturing the insect industry.
If nutritional and dietary requirements of insects are understood, this decreases financial and environmental costs, and increases yields. In this way, high quality protein is produced, associated environmental impact decreases and waste cannot only be managed, it can be valorized. Hence, a thorough understanding of insect nutritional physiology is needed to further develop insect production systems. In the last 15 years the number of studies on insect nutrition has grown exponentially. To a large extent these studies tested a small set of ingredients to determine optimal inclusion percentages. Although this has furthered our understanding, the required fundamental knowledge on nutritional requirements is largely lacking, and more importantly, it is fragmented.
GIN-TONIC Aims
This project creates a platform on which this fragmented knowledge is gathered from academic and industrial partners, synthesized and made publicly available. Besides creating an overview of the state of the art, it identifies gaps in knowledge fueling the creation of new projects to fill these gaps by partners within this open network. It functions as a linking pin between applied and fundamental research, furthering our collective knowledge and fostering business opportunities.
Management Committee
Dr Dennis Oonincx
Action Chair | Grant Holder Scientific Representative - Wageningen University & Research
Dr Michelle Epstein
Medical University of Vienna Waeringer Guertel. Austria, Vienna
Dr Lotte Frooninckx
Thomas More | University of Applied Sciences. Belgium, Geel
Dr Yael Arien
The Agricultural Research Organisation Of Israel - The Volcani Centre. Israel, Rishon LeZion
Prof Gianluca Tettamanti
Universita Degli Studi Dell'insubria. Italy, Varese
Prof Natasha Gjorgovska
University Ss Cyril and Methodius in Skopje, Institute of Animal and Fishery Science. North Macedonia, Skopje
Prof Vesna Levkov
University Ss Cyril and Methodius in Skopje, Institute of Animal and Fishery Science. North Macedonia, Skopje
Dr Michal Krzyzaniak
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn. Poland, Olsztyn
Dr Danka Dragojlovic
Institute of Food Technology of Novi Sad. Serbia, Novi Sad
Dr Maria Cambra-Lopez
Universitat Politècnica de València Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología. Spain, Valencia
Dr Juan José Pascual
Universitat Politècnica de València Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología. Spain, Valencia
Dr Christoph Sandrock
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, FiBL. Switzerland, Frick
Prof Umut Toprak
Ankara Universitesi Dept. of Plant Protection Faculty of Agriculture Dept of Plant Protection. Türkiye, Ankara
Dr Saša Krstović
University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture. Serbia, Novi Sad