Protix

Protix is a Dutch pioneer in the farming and processing of black soldier fly larvae into high-value protein and oil fractions for the animal feed industry. Nuutro delivered the complete processing line for Protix in Bergen op Zoom — from concept engineering through to commissioning. With a project value of multiple millions and a capacity of tons of larvae per hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, this was the world’s largest insect processing plant at the time of delivery.

The Company

Protix develops and operates large-scale insect farms where black soldier fly larvae are reared on organic residual streams and processed into valuable raw materials. The end product — a high-value protein and oil fraction — serves as a sustainable alternative to conventional animal feed ingredients such as soy and fishmeal. Protix leads internationally in the professionalization of the insect industry, combining biotechnological expertise with industrial scale. When they decided to make the step towards commercial production, a processing line had to be built that simply did not yet exist.

The Challenge

Processing insect larvae was a completely new industry in 2018. There was no existing reference framework, no proven process technology, and no supplier with relevant experience. The central technical challenge: larvae degrade extremely rapidly once ground. The quality and consistency of the protein and oil fraction depend entirely on process speed and control at every point in the line. Minimal residence times, tight temperature management, and a robust process design were not options but preconditions. The entire system also had to be designed for continuous operation at industrial scale — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — without any comparable plant ever having been built before.

Our Approach

Nuutro took full A-to-Z responsibility: from the first conceptual process description to final commissioning in Bergen op Zoom. The processing line extracts the protein and oil fraction in pure form from black soldier fly larvae. Because the process could not be derived from existing industries, the process design was built iteratively — from concept engineering through basic and detail engineering to fabrication and commissioning. Every design decision was tested against the specific product characteristics of insect larvae: the rapid degradation after grinding drove the entire process architecture. The result is a line processing 3,000 kg of larvae per hour in continuous operation, with consistent product quality as the outcome.

Why Nuutro

The Protix project illustrates what sets Nuutro apart when no handbook exists. Large process suppliers build on existing technology platforms and are structurally less suited to processes that must be developed from the ground up. Nuutro’s integrated approach — engineering and manufacturing under one roof, with direct lines between process design and execution — enables iterative development at industrial scale. That is precisely what a completely new industry requires.

• Technology independent — no proprietary process technology to defend, always the best solution for the specific product
• Tailored to the project and client — process design driven by product characteristics, not a standard catalogue
• Able to take responsibility — complete A-Z delivery from concept to commissioning, single point of contact

Results & Future

The Bergen op Zoom plant was successfully delivered and has been running in continuous operation at full capacity ever since. At the time of delivery it was the world’s largest insect processing plant. The project laid the foundation for Nuutro’s position as the engineering partner of choice for the emerging insect industry — a position later confirmed through comparable projects for Ynsect. For companies that need to build a completely new processing process without an existing reference framework, the Protix case is the most concrete proof of what Nuutro can deliver.