Grant: Alliance Grants
The University of Western Ontario
$76,725.00
Leveraging thermal biology to optimise cricket rearing
FY 2023-24
Summary
House crickets are a promising sustainable source of protein for human food and animal feed in a changing world. A current focus is to scale up and automate cricket production, and to optimise production for specific outcomes (e.g. maximise biomass production or protein content). Insect growth rate, nutrient content and survival are all dependent on temperature, so this project will explore these relationships, allowing Aspire Food Group to optimise their rearing environment for specific outcomes, and react flexibly to temperature variations during production. The interns will learn insect rearing in industrial and laboratory settings, a range of physiological, biochemical, and molecular biology skills relevant throughout the biotech and agricultural sectors, as well as critical thinking and communication.
Program
Alliance Grants
Recipient
Location
Ontario, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
572806-2022
Name nom
Sinclair, Brent S
Department département
Biology
Organization id
36
Institution établissement
The University of Western Ontario
Province en
Ontario
Province fr
Ontario
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2023
Competition year année de concours
2022
Award amount
76725
Program id
ALLRP
Program name en
Alliance Grants
Program name fr
Subventions Alliance
Group en
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
Group fr
PARTENARIATS DE RECHERCHE
Committee code
96
Committee name en
RPP Internal Decision Cttee
Committee name fr
Cté de décision interne - PPR
Area of application code
101
Area of application group en
Agriculture and primary food production
Area of application group fr
Agriculture et produits alimentaires primaires
Area of application en
Animal production and animal primary products
Area of application fr
Production animale et produits animaux primaires
Research subject code
5504
Research subject group en
Animal biology
Research subject group fr
Animal physiology and metabolism
Research subject en
Biologie animale
Research subject fr
Physiologie et métabolisme des animaux
Application title
Leveraging thermal biology to optimise cricket rearing
Keyword
Dynamic Energy Budget; Entomophagy; Heat Shock; Insect farming; Insect mass production; Insect physiology; Insect protein production; Thermal Biology
Application summary
House crickets are a promising sustainable source of protein for human food and animal feed in a changing world. A current focus is to scale up and automate cricket production, and to optimise production for specific outcomes (e.g. maximise biomass production or protein content). Insect growth rate, nutrient content and survival are all dependent on temperature, so this project will explore these relationships, allowing Aspire Food Group to optimise their rearing environment for specific outcomes, and react flexibly to temperature variations during production. The interns will learn insect rearing in industrial and laboratory settings, a range of physiological, biochemical, and molecular biology skills relevant throughout the biotech and agricultural sectors, as well as critical thinking and communication.
