Page 61 - FoodFocusThailand No.192 March 2022

STRATEGIC R&D

In her final statement, Ms. Malasithiwong added that the insect protein
market definitely has more room to grow, albeit not so extravagantly,
because this trend is in line with the environmental sustainability, which
is a trending topic of national and international interest. The insect
businesses are also a perfect match for the novel Biodiversity-Circular-
Green Economic Model (BCG) and SDGs (Sustainable Development
Goals) from UN that Thailand is currently adopting. In 2021, Thailand
ranked seventeenth in the global insect exports growth from last year for
29 percent. The COVID-19 crisis has generated challenges to the sector,
and we realize that insects have low risk to contaminate by the virus or
Protanica is a company that focuses on alternative house chemical in comparison with other types of meat and we also learned
cricket protein. Since Khun Tip, Ms. Rungtip Malasithiwong, that consumers are becoming more environmentally minded. Such
founder of Protanica, used to work in the food industry, she phenomenon further strengthens Ms. Malasithiwong’s confidence in the
recognizes very well the strengths and limitations of the sector and alternative insect protein industry even more.
realizes that the “future food” will not only fill the stomach of the
global population, but it must also bring other benefits, such as
environmental protection. As Ms. Malasithiwong prioritizes health
promotion first, she decided to pour her efforts into this business More Information Service Info C009
to secure the raw materials or products that meet her needs. That
was the beginning of her coming to learn about the alternative
insect-based protein. Due to her dedication to the research and
studies, Ms. Malasithiwong believes that house crickets or acheta เอกสารอ้างอิง / References
domestica have the highest amount of nutrients in comparison http://www.agrithai.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/แมลง-แหล่งโปรตีีนทางเลือก
with other insects. The advantages of this insect include easy ใหม่ในออสเตีรเลีย
https://www.thansettakij.com/business/494215
farming, short farming cycle, its harmless nature, and an abundance https://www.worldometers.info/th/
of nutrients essential to the human body. Additionally, house crickets
have relatively small body, legs, and wings in comparison with
other breeds. Such physiological features make it easy to convert
them into powder. The brown color of its body can also serve as
a food coloring agent, which can enhance the food appearance
as well. Protanica wants to make sure that its house crickets and
products yield benefits to the entire supply chain, ranging from
farmers, manufacturers to consumers.
The company is certified with SGS, GMP, and HACCP. In
addition, it is currently the first insect producer that is GMP-certified
by the Department of Livestock Development, which is also in line
with the standards of the GAP-certified farms that supply Protanica
with crickets. Protanica also conducts surprise audit of the suppliers’
farms to ensure that the well-established standards are constantly
maintained so that the factory will be supplied with high-quality
raw materials without any disruption. These farms belong to the
cricket farmers that have been approached by Protanica with the
objective to exchange information and opinion about insects in
order to enhance and take the cricket farming standards to the
universally accepted levels.
Protanica’s main product is cricket powder, which is to be
used as food ingredient and alternative protein source for
consumers and Thai food operators who prioritize on sustainability.
To expand the brand awareness, a new product, Cricket Bites,
was launched in 2021 and put on sale at organic products stores
or via online channels. This cricket protein snack has 3 flavors:
Tom Yum, spicy BBQ, and paprika. Both products enjoyed positive
reception from consumers as well as Thai and international food
operators. The highly nutritious cricket oil, which is now under
development, is another upcoming product that is obtained from
the cricket powder manufacturing processes.

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