The Buzz Around Serving Up Insects on the Plate

With a growing demand for alternative proteins and the push towards environmental sustainability, food products made from crickets are being touted as the next big thing.

- TOH EE MING

On the outskirts of Kranji, the sound of high-pitched chirping fills the air, melding into a soothing hum that conjures the image of a lush forest. Shelves are vertically stacked with tray upon tray: inside, hundreds of crickets are perched on egg cartons, busily munching away on a curated diet of leafy greens, wheat pollard, and soy protein. It is a combination designed to push their protein profile to the maximum and grow to the desired size. A few metres away, two workers toss hundreds of mature crickets into a special sieving machine to separate the insects from frass (comprises spent feedstock, faeces, and cuticles), as part of trials to automate the harvesting process. They are then placed in the fridge and sent into a deep sleep. Hours later, the frozen insects are washed, roasted and ground to become a fine powder.

Since Future Protein Solutions was founded in October 2021, it has been conducting trials to create the most optimum growing conditions for the insects to flourish and various processing methods.

For its CEO Christopher Leow, cricket powder offers no shortage of possibilities. It can be a component of pasta noodles, or made into a salted egg yolk-dusted snack, or — his personal favourite — brewed into a tea that tastes like hojicha. To him, its “high umami profile pairs perfectly” with rich flavours such as sambal belacan.

If regulations allow for it, the operation could be massively scaled up by working with food manufacturers and retailers to make these products available to consumers.

Farming insects for food is a nascent industry in Singapore, but a small handful of start-ups like Future Protein Solutions are already jumping into the scene. And with the local authorities’ backing, these firms hope to shake up the market.