QUITINSEC PROJECT: sustainable and resistant food packaging thanks to the chitin of the Tenebrio molitor insect
The CETIM technology center and the R&D&I project consortium, formed by EVERSIA and TEBRIO, met last week to evaluate the work carried out so far and to establish the next steps that will allow the creation of more sustainable packaging with better barrier, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties for the food we consume.
In QUITINSECT, research will be conducted on the optimization of extraction and transformation techniques of the biopolymer from Tenebrio molitor for high-value applications.
CETIM welcomed at its facilities members of the Tebrio group (Salamanca), leader in the production and processing of insects throughout Europe, and part of our R&D&I team at Eversia.
QUITINSECT, a key alliance for the evolution of food packaging
CETIM scientifically coordinates the QUITINSECT project, contributing its broad experience in the development of biotechnological processes and the creation of new biomaterials. Its main objective is to optimize these technologies to extract and bleach chitin from Tenebrio molitor, and to combine it with mechanical and chemical processes to obtain chitin nanofibers and chitosan nanoparticles, which will ultimately be used to create coatings and polymeric films for food packaging applications.
Tebrio, the largest biotechnology company in Europe for breeding and processing Tenebrio molitor, leads the initiative and will mainly be responsible for technological surveillance, focusing on the extraction routes of chitin, chitosan, and other derivatives, as well as defining the requirements for food packaging products. Likewise, it will research and optimize the chitin extraction process through chemical methods and its subsequent modification, in collaboration with CETIM.
Eversia will define the requirements that chitin and chitosan must meet for use in food packaging and their potential applications in different types of packaging and films. It will also carry out the extrusion process of the obtained material and analyze the properties of films with and without chitin, with the goal of comparing the results with other benchmark solutions based on polyethylene and bioplastics.
QUITINSECT Consortium Meeting 07-02-2025
Companies and research centers combine industrial and scientific vision to validate the best technical, economic, and environmental route for scaling up new biomaterials derived from Tenebrio molitor chitin.
We have worked like this for 36 months to create more sustainable food packaging with improved barrier, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties, which will have a direct positive impact on the business sector and society.
QUITINSECT is funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities / State Research Agency / 10.13039/501100011033 / FEDER, EU.