PALAS DEL REI, SPAIN — Biotech company Bioflytech — through its subsidiary Alfaprogal (Alternative Fats and Proteins of Galicia) — is leading a research, development and innovation project to develop an intelligent precision system that optimizes the industrial breeding of black solider fly larvae (BSFL). According to Bioflytech, this will enable Galicia, Spain, to develop a new model of strategic livestock farming, an alternative to the traditional model that is more sustainable and technological, and which also promotes a circular economy.
“[The project] will place the community in a privileged position to lead European production of a new generation of high-quality proteins and fats, as well as biofertilizers derived from black soldier flies, with applications in sectors related to animal nutrition — aquaculture, pet food, poultry and pork — cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, with great potential for business, growth, and the creation of jobs and wealth,” said Jesús Rodríguez, chief executive officer of Bioflytech.
The project seeks to improve the efficiency, sustainability and traceability of the breeding process for BSFL through the implementation of an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that centrally controls and modulates the feeding and environmental management of the larvae. The goal is to create an automated, intelligent and scalable system that improves production performance and environmental footprint.
With this system, advanced technologies such as quantum computing, Internet of Thigs (IoT), automation and AI will be introduced, according to Bioflytech. Sensor and traceability systems will be used to monitor all process variables in real time. Computer vision and image processing technologies will be applied to detect and analyze farming status, as well as AI algorithms and automated systems to optimize feeding, irrigation and environmental control on farms. In addition, predictive models, digital tools and energy and resource efficiency strategies will be introduced to reduce the water and carbon footprint.
To carry out this project, Bioflytech will have two key partners — the ITG technology center and the University of A Coruña (UDC) — through the Water and Environmental Engineering (GEAMA) and the Center for Technological Innovation in Building and Civil Engineering (CITEEC) research groups, which make up the project consortium.
Bioflytech will provide the industrial environment where the system will be tested, namely the production facilities that the company has in Palas de Rei, with an annual production capacity of 12,000 tons of BSFL, while ITG will be the technology provider, contributing its extensive experience in industrial machine vision solutions and quantum technologies. The UDC will be responsible for environmental testing and analysis, as well as the scientific validation of the project, which has a two-year implementation period and a budget of more than €3.6 million ($4.2 million USD).
“When we think of Galicia, we imagine traditional livestock farming or aquaculture. This project leads us to imagine a totally new, technological ‘farm’ with a minimal environmental footprint,” said Luís Pena, a member of the UDC research team. “The success of this funding is crucial. It secures the resources to transform research into a real and sustainable industrial solution.”
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