Cape Town – Maltento has unveiled its fully kitted laboratory at its insect breeding facility in Cape Town, South Africa.
The lab has been built to expand Maltento’s research on the power of insect biotechnology and aims to position the company as a global leader in the functional ingredient and sustainability space.
“With this investment, Maltento has taken a significant stride to disrupt the status quo in the pet food industry, by pioneering a new ingredient that holds the promise of being undeniably better, far more sustainable, and scientifically superior for our pets and the planet,” Ryan Ponquett, Lead Scientist at Maltento, claimed Tuesday.
The new lab was unveiled following the positive validation trial for Maltento’s PALATE+ product in the US market.
“Our product development continues to accelerate at unprecedented levels, and we are proud to fly the South African flag so prominently in such a competitive global arena,” said Dominic Malan, Commercial Director at Maltento.
Malan said this development was a monumental achievement, following years of research and dedication.
“We started this operation in a small, dark office – before that, Dean was breeding the Black Soldier flies in his bathroom at home,” recalled Malan.
“Standing in a world-class laboratory, fully equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, is a real privilege.
“It is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit and resilience of our team at Maltento and any other South African business owners and visionaries today.”
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Based in Cape Town, the Maltento team offers a true testament to the quality of South Africa’s highly skilled scientists and engineers, leading sustainability practices, and world-renowned innovation in the insect biotechnology space.
The company is also committed to creating permanent and purposeful jobs for highly qualified bio-science graduates in Cape Town.
These advancements come shortly after Maltento’s commitment to transform South Africa’s recycling landscape by breeding Black Soldier Flies to convert agro-processing waste, including spent grains from the beer industry, into high-performance, nutrient-dense proteins, and oils for pet and aquaculture feed.
“At the moment, we are using spent brewers’ grain as feed that is ingested by fly larvae at our Fly Farm in Cape Town,” said Ponquett, Maltento’s lead scientist.
“The agro-processing waste actually enriches the larvae’s natural ability to produce functional proteins, healthy fats, and essential amino acids, making mature larvae an ideal protein substitute for the meat derivatives you find in pet food today.
“Beyond protein, soldier fly larvae also produce frass as a useful by-product through their excrement of the spent brewery grains.”
Ponquett added: “Now frass also holds substantial nutritional value and serves as an excellent composted soil amendment product, capable of enhancing soil fertility, building plant immunology, promoting nutrient cycling, and improving soil structure.”
