Loopworm, a Bengaluru-based startup is tackling one of the most pressing challenges of our time: creating sustainable, nutrient-dense protein. Ankit Alok Bagaria along with his colleagues established the Loopworm immediately after graduating from IIT-Roorkee, where he studied chemical engineering. Under his leadership, the company is addressing the pressing need for sustainable, nutritious feed ingredients for pets, aquaculture, and poultry.
In an exclusive interview, Ankit Alok Bagaria, Co- Founder, Loopworm shares insights on his company’s focus on turning insects into a powerful bioresource.
How has your vision for Loopworm evolved since its inception? Key milestones in your journey so far?
Loopworm began with a mission to reintegrate organic waste into the circular economy through the innovative use of insects. Recognizing the substantial potential of insects themselves, we quickly pivoted to focus on maximizing the value they can offer. Insects are cold-blooded, requiring significantly less land, water, and energy for cultivation. They thrive on food waste and organic biomass, making them some of the most efficient converters of organic nitrogen into protein. With their rapid reproduction and adaptability to mass production in tropical climates, insects present a sustainable solution for multiple applications.
Loopworm partners with insect producers to procure and process these insects into high-quality, sustainable products. Our initial focus was on animal and pet nutrition, a strategic choice given its demand for high volumes and relatively lighter regulatory requirements. Since then, we have expanded our R&D capabilities to develop products that serve not only the animal nutrition sector but also plant biostimulants, cosmetics, industrial chemicals, and biopharmaceuticals.
Our latest innovation is a breakthrough technology that leverages silkworms to produce complex, high-value recombinant proteins at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional mammalian or insect cell culture systems. We are building a portfolio of profitable businesses to increase both our market value and production volume, maintaining a balance between commercial biomanufacturing and cutting-edge bioscience.
Can you explain the core technology and how it processes silkworm pupae into value-added products?
Our processes utilize silkworm pupae from various segments of the silk industry value chain, particularly focusing on spent pupae—a by-product of the silk reeling industry that is often discarded in landfills. These spent pupae frequently contain residual silk impurities and may be contaminated with stones, metals, or plastics. Given the higher market value of silk compared to the leftover pupae, silk reelers have historically shown little interest in commercializing pupae. The logistical challenges of collecting spent pupae from silk reelers further complicate its use, keeping many businesses from venturing into this space.
Loopworm addresses these issues through both advanced processing technology and a unique operational model, enabling same-day collection and processing of these by-products, which prevents significant GHG emissions and waste. Once impurities are removed, the silkworm pupae are dried and processed at our LoopFactory using a proprietary extraction process that efficiently yields proteins and fats. This technology, now adapted for six popular farmed insect species, allows us to transform these materials into high-value products with 6X fewer chemicals and zero solid waste. Our output includes protein and fat derivatives, as well as chitin products, catering to sectors such as animal health, plant biostimulants, cosmetics, personal care, surfactants, lab chemicals, and biopharma.
Additionally, we leverage our LoopBac technology to use silkworms as novel bioreactors for producing complex, high molecular weight recombinant proteins. This approach has the potential to lower dependency on high-capex bioreactors by up to 40X and reduce operational expenses by over 10X. These precision proteins serve high-demand applications in advanced diagnostics, sustainable cell culture media reagents, bio-cosmetics, specialty enzymes, drug discovery, and vaccine production for both human and animal use.
“Our latest innovation is a breakthrough technology that leverages silkworms to produce complex, high-value recombinant proteins at a fraction of the cost.”
What challenges did you face in developing technology for processing insects at scale, and how did you overcome them?
As a young and emerging industry, insect processing lacks turnkey machinery solutions. Few manufacturers or engineers possess the experience required to design industrial-scale equipment specifically for insect processing. This has presented us with a unique challenge—and a valuable opportunity—in pioneering nearly every aspect of the technology we build and develop. By focusing intensively on technology development and addressing each problem from a fundamental perspective, we have been able to overcome these challenges and create innovative solutions for insect processing at scale.
Can you walk us through Loopworm’s business model?
Our business model is straightforward: we collaborate with insect producers to procure insects, then process and market insect-derived products for commercial use. Currently, we supply high-quality, sustainable ingredients B2B to manufacturers in the animal and pet nutrition sectors. Looking forward, we plan to expand into additional industries, including agro-biochemicals, cosmetics, and biopharma.
What are the key product offerings of the company and who are your clientele?
Our current product lineup includes an insect protein concentrate (insect meal) with over 65% protein and an insect-derived fat oil rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (35%) and a strong natural aroma. These are commercially supplied to aqua feed and pet food manufacturers worldwide.
Looking ahead, we have developed advanced insect protein hydrolysates, peptide mixtures, and peptones aimed at animal health supplement producers, crop biologicals manufacturers, and cell culture media developers. These products are currently in test marketing, and we are actively pursuing collaborations and partnerships to expand their reach.
Additionally, we have pioneered a unique, reactor-free recombinant protein platform and are adopting a CDMO model to bring this cutting-edge solution to market.
Any certifications for the products? How do you ensure the quality and safety of silkworm pupae based products for various industries?
We have obtained ISO 22000, GMP+, and HACCP certifications for our animal and pet nutrition products, underscoring our commitment to safety and quality. Additionally, we are in the process of securing EU TRACES certification and have received the necessary Plant Approval Certificate, facilitating our expansion into European markets.
Our stringent quality control measures cover both raw materials and finished products, supported by standardized quality assurance SOPs. We partner with reputable international third-party labs for regular testing and maintain extensive in-house R&D capabilities for comprehensive physical, chemical, and biological testing. Our facility is equipped for advanced proteomics, lipidomics, and genomics analysis, ensuring the highest standards of product quality and consistency.
Can you talk about any key partnerships or collaborations that have been instrumental in Loopworm’s technological advancements or product development?
We have developed our technology and processes in-house. Currently, we are collaborating with third-party laboratories to benchmark our products against conventional ingredients and to conduct trials that demonstrate their efficacy and safety.
Are you working with regulatory bodies to help shape the future of silkworm pupae based products, especially in food and feed industries?
Yes, we are actively engaging with stakeholders to raise awareness and foster understanding of our products. We are open to collaborating with regulatory bodies to help shape the future of not only silkworm pupae products but also insect-derived products as a whole.
“For the current fiscal year, we are aiming for revenues of $1 million and are confident in our ability to reach this target.”
