Tiny manufacturers: How black soldier flies are turning food waste into valuable products

In a world where manufacturing typically conjures images of sprawling factories and complex machinery, a tiny six-legged workforce is quietly revolutionising production processes at Southern Cross University.

Black soldier flies, the unassuming insects with appetites twice their body weight, are being harnessed as nature’s manufacturing plants to transform food waste into valuable resources, researchers revealed on Tuesday.

“They’re particularly unique because they break down organic matter really well,” said Professor Nigel Andrew, entomologist and Chair of Science at the university. “The larvae do the voracious feeding in compost. One female adult can produce between 200 and 400 eggs and the larvae can consume twice their body size in a day.”

This natural manufacturing process tackles Australia’s staggering 7.6 million tonnes of annual food waste while creating multiple product streams. Beyond waste processing, these industrious insects produce chitin-rich cocoons that serve as raw materials for biodegradable plastics production.

Dr Lachlan Yee, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, is applying manufacturing principles to extract and transform chitin from the larvae cocoons into chitosan, a versatile biopolymer.

“It’s a natural polymer, so it’s designed to break down and compost in the environment,” Yee explained. “There are quite expansive applications for this polymer such as wound dressing, as it also contains antibacterial properties.”

The university’s biological production facility, affectionately managed by “Mother of the Flies” Risa Otake, a Masters by Research student, resembles a miniature manufacturing plant. Otake is fine-tuning production processes by investigating how dietary inputs affect chitin output quality and quantity.

“I have been changing the ratio of meat and vegetables in their diet to see how it affects the amount of chitin in the black soldier flies,” Otake said.

This unconventional manufacturing approach embodies circular economy principles, with local Lismore restaurants including the Quick Brown Fox and La Baracca supplying organic “raw materials” for the fly farm. The resulting outputs include not just biopolymers but also protein-rich biomass for aquaculture and poultry feed, plus nutrient-dense fertiliser.

Dr Owen Hogan from the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts is investigating the commercial scalability of these micro-manufacturing plants. “Black soldier fly farming is driving a wave of entrepreneurial activity—from large-scale operations in Europe and Asia to emerging start-ups across Australia,” he noted.

The research forms part of the Federally-funded Northern Rivers Regional Circular Economy Accelerator, demonstrating how even the humblest organisms can transform manufacturing processes from linear to circular.

Picture: credit Southern Cross University