Posted on March 16, 2016
Developing insect protein into a viable food source
The Gryllies team are Natasha Baziuk, Adam Beaudoin and Esther Jiang.
Cattle rearing is a resource-intensive pursuit that puts a lot of pressure on the natural environment. It takes between 75 kg and 300 kg of feed to produce just one kilo of beef and there’s no end in sight to the rising demand for cheap and reliable sources of food protein.
Now, a group of Queen’s graduates aims to make food easier and cheaper to produce. Meet Gryllies, a supportable meat substitute. It’s a sustainable and healthy dry mix featuring cricket flour. That’s right, crickets are rich in nine essential amino acids and are high in magnesium and protein. The idea is to reduce beef consumption, not eliminate it altogether, so Gryllies mixes right in with your favourite ground beef meals to add nutrients while preserving flavour and mouth feel.
HIGH IN NUTRIENTS: Mix Gryllies into your hamburger for healthy treat.
Gryllies co-founder and Queen’s engineering grad, Natasha Baziuk, heads up the team.
“My background in engineering has given me the ability to think logically and understand the chemical processes in more depth,” she says.
Gryllies began in the 2015 Queen’s Innovation Connector (QIC) Summer Initiative Pitch Competition. The team is currently working to finalize the spice profile for the dry mix to better complement the taste of beef. The next steps include production and distribution. The team hopes to have the product ready for market in May, 2016.
For more, visit Gryllies.com