DMC Research is part of the BIOFECTEN consortium, a collaborative project aimed at establishing a digital platform for the sustainable production of Tenebrio molitor for a variety of uses.
Project Objectives
The overall objective of BIOFECTEN is to promote the development of a a digitalised biofactory based on the circular economy for the comprehensive utilisation of beetle larvae Tenebrio molitor fed on agri-food by-products. The project aims to establish a technologically advanced, sustainable and traceable alternative to Europe’s heavy reliance on imported proteins such as soya.
DMC Research’s Objectives
As a key biotechnology partner in the consortium, the DMC Research Center focuses its activities on the advanced processing of larval biomass and the development of bioactive ingredients:
- Clean biomass fractionation: To develop and implement green extraction processes to isolate the larval protein whilst preserving its structural integrity.
- Obtaining bioactive peptides: To design innovative fermentation pathways and enzymatic hydrolysis processes to obtain functional low-molecular-weight peptides.
- Assessment of functionality and digestibility: Analysing digestibility in vitro, transepithelial permeability in Caco-2 cell monolayers and to validate anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and antimicrobial properties in human and animal cell lines.
- Formulation of end products: To design functional premixes for livestock feed (pigs and poultry), and nutritional supplements for pets (pet food) and prototypes of human food products (fermented bases such as yoghurt, functional plant-based drinks and hybrid meat products).
- Stabilisation and microencapsulation: Optimising dehydration processes and advanced microencapsulation protocols in collaboration with TECNALIA to protect the activity of peptides during food processing.
A national consortium of leading companies and research centres
The consortium brings together leading industrial companies and research centres specialising in biotechnology, agriculture and digitalisation:
Participating companies:
- PROTIBERIA (Consortium leader): An SME specialising in the industrial rearing of Tenebrio molitor, responsible for the supply of biomass and the automation of the production process.
- DMC: A company specialising in biotechnology, sustainable fractionation, the production of bioactive peptides and the formulation of functional ingredients.
- IDEAGRO: A leading SME in agricultural microbiology, responsible for the revaluation of the frass as a biofertiliser, microbial carrier and inducer of plant defences.
- KAAM: A digital engineering SME responsible for the development of advanced sensor technology, predictive modelling and the traceability platform blockchain.
- SERUMS AND DERIVATIVES: A company specialising in the recovery of agri-food by-products (mainly dairy) and their use in the formulation of animal feed.
Subcontracted research organisations:
- CTNC (National Technology Centre for Food Preservation and Nutrition): Contracted to carry out research into pressurised extraction, pilot-scale hydrolysis, spray drying and the characterisation of food matrices.
- EEZ-CSIC (Zaidín Experimental Station): Subcontracted to adapt the gastrointestinal digestion models in vitro INFOGEST in humans and animals.
- TECNALIA (Tecnalia Research & Innovation Foundation): Contracted to develop peptide microencapsulation technologies and provide support in the areas of traceability and the circular economy.
Innterconecta STEP Call for Applications
The BIOFECTEN project has been approved under the call for proposals INNTERCONECTA-STEP 2025 from CDTI (Centre for Technological Development and Innovation).
This initiative is co-funded by the European Union and Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, as part of the Regulation (EU) 2024/795 and in the objectives of the European platform STEP (Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform). The project contributes directly to strengthening Europe’s technological and food sovereignty in three key areas:
- Industrial biotechnology: Development of functional peptides and enzymes from secondary biomass.
- Clean technologies and resource efficiency: Green extraction processes and the zero-waste model.
- Digitalisation in the agri-food sector: Sensors, computer vision and decentralised traceability through blockchain.
Project Details
- Project title: BIOFECTEN: A digitalised biorefinery based on the circular economy for the sustainable production of alternative proteins, bioactive peptides and biofertilisers from Tenebrio molitor.
- Acronym: BIOFECTEN.
- Call for Applications and Funding: Programme INNTERCONECTA-STEP 2025 (CDTI), co-funded by the European Union and the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.
- Duration: 33 months (October 2025 – June 2028).
- DMC Budget and Grant: Budget: €576,465 Grant: €413,238
