Innovafeed and NaturAlleva signed a commercial partnership for the integration of insect ingredients into aquafeed formulations for key Mediterranean species.
Innovafeed and aquafeed producer and farmer NaturAlleva signed a commercial partnership for the integration of Black Soldier Fly (BSFL) ingredients into aquafeed formulations for key Mediterranean species, including seabass, seabream, sturgeon and trout.
This partnership marks a new milestone in the large-scale commercial deployment of insect-based ingredients in aquaculture, moving beyond pilot projects and trials toward industrial and market-driven adoption.
Backed by years of R&D and support from the academic community, Innovafeed’s BSFL ingredients, containing functional compounds such as chitin, lauric acid and Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs), have shown measurable benefits as premium aquafeed ingredients. These benefits are supported by more than a decade of R&D trials conducted by NaturAlleva and several years of successful commercial use of Innovafeed’s ingredients, with accumulated data on performance and health outcomes leading to the decision to deploy them at scale across all seabass and seabream feed formulations, including supporting a healthy gut microbiota, enhancing robustness and stress resilience of aquatic species, and contributing positively to overall zootechnical performance.
Beyond its commercial dimension, this partnership is built for scale and innovation. Starting in January 2026, NaturAlleva will deploy Innovafeed’s BSFL ingredients at meaningful commercial volumes across its seabass and seabream feed formulations, while both companies will jointly invest in R&D to further investigate additional functional properties of insect-based ingredients, with a particular focus on chitin-related benefits in other aquaculture species.
The partnership focuses on Mediterranean species that are central to the region’s aquaculture production, reinforcing the relevance of insect ingredients for mainstream markets.
“Our collaboration with Innovafeed supports the integration of scientifically validated functional ingredients into our feeding strategies, reinforcing our commitment to innovation while promoting optimal fish performance and health,” sai Ugo Biasin, CEO of NaturAlleva.
“This partnership marks a key step in positioning insect-based ingredients in aquaculture as true functional components. It clearly demonstrates that our BSFL ingredients go beyond basic nutrition: they are performance-driven solutions, ready to support improved health, robustness, and resilience across a wide range of aquaculture species,” said Clément Ray, CEO & co-founder of Innovafeed
“I am extremely enthusiastic about the application of insect meals in fish feed formulations. After many years of studying the benefits of this raw material in fish nutrition, we have identified the ideal partner to initiate its use and to continue research on this innovative ingredient and its co-products. We believe that insect meals represent one of the key solutions for a more sustainable and efficient aquaculture,” said Fabio Brambilla, fish nutritionist at NaturAlleva.
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