Innovation Pilots

Bringing regenerative feed solutions from lab to farm

NUTRIFEEDS is not only about research — it’s about real impact on the ground.

Through three Innovation Pilots, the project validates its most promising technologies and practices under real farm and industrial conditions across Europe.

These pilots are designed to test, adapt, and demonstrate how regenerative feed innovations can perform in practice — ensuring the solutions we develop are scalable, sustainable, and ready for uptake by farmers, feed producers, and policymakers.

Together, the pilots connect NUTRIFEEDS’ work on BSFL bioconversion (WP2), targeted fermentation (WP3), climate-adapted feeding and silvopasture systems (WP4), AI-supported livestock monitoring (WP5), controlled and on-farm feeding experiments (WP6), and sustainability assessment (WP7).

1. Insect Upcycling Pilot

Transforming organic residues into sustainable protein sources

This pilot focuses on the use of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) to convert selected agri-food side-streams into high-value protein ingredients for livestock feed. Building on the substrate collection and characterisation work carried out in WP2, the most promising materials are tested as feed for BSFL to evaluate their performance in real upcycling scenarios.

The process embodies circular bioeconomy principles, turning what would otherwise be low-value or wasted biomass into nutritionally rich, locally produced protein, and helping to reduce Europe’s dependence on imported feed materials.

Within this pilot, partners:

Assess the bioconversion efficiency of different organic residues when used as BSFL feed
Characterise the nutritional composition and quality of insect-derived feed ingredients
Develop and test upscaling strategies using pilot-scale production, assessing larval yield, substrate degradation, system stability and product safety for subsequent feeding trials.

The results will provide a robust model for sustainable insect protein value chains, contributing to waste reduction, resource efficiency, and greater local feed autonomy in European livestock systems.

This pilot corresponds mainly to activities in WP2 – Alternative Feed Sources by Applying Bioconversion with Black Soldier Fly Larvae, led by FBN. ETH Zürich leads key activities on bench-scale BSFL feeding, gas exchange, digestibility and stage-specific feeding targets, while UM leads substrate characterisation, with contributions from other consortium partners.

2. Targeted Fermentation Pilot

Unlocking the full potential of feed ingredients through microbial innovation

Fermentation is a natural and powerful process that can significantly improve the nutritional, functional, and safety profile of feed ingredients.

In this pilot, NUTRIFEEDS applies advanced fermentation and bioprocessing to plant-based and side-stream materials, using selected microbial strains and consortia of bacteria and fungi to:

Increase nutrient availability and improve the nutritional quality of feed materials.
Reduce anti-nutritional compounds (e.g., tannins, phytates).
Generate beneficial metabolites and break down complex carbohydrates.
Improve feed preservation, stability, and safety.

By combining microbial optimisation, biochemical analysis and targeted fermentation, this pilot aims to develop improved feed components with the potential to enhance nutritional quality, animal health and performance while improving overall feed sustainability.

The pilot also explores the industrial scalability of fermentation systems, bridging laboratory innovation with commercial feasibility. Fermentationexperts AS (FE) supports the scale-up of fermented feed production from laboratory to semi-industrial scale, including pilot validation and quality assessment.

🔬 This pilot corresponds mainly to activities in WP3 – Improved Feed Resources by Targeted Fermentation, led by Aarhus University (AU), with contributions from FUB, UN, HMU, Fermentationexperts AS (FE), FBN and other consortium partners. FE supports the scale-up of fermented feed production from laboratory to semi-industrial scale.

3. Regenerative Farm & Silvopasture Pilot

Integrating livestock, trees, and soil regeneration for resilient farming

The third NUTRIFEEDS pilot brings the project’s regenerative feeding approach closer to real farming environments.

It connects NUTRIFEEDS’ work on alternative feed sources with climate-adapted feeding and silvopasture systems, exploring how livestock production can be better integrated with local agro-ecosystems. The project examines silvopasture systems such as Montado in Portugal and Dehesa in Spain, where trees, forage and grazing animals coexist within the same landscape.

This pilot assesses:

How alternative and regenerative feed strategies perform under controlled and real farming conditions.
The contribution of silvopasture systems to soil health, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and climate resilience.
Resource efficiency, nutrient cycling and adaptation to local environmental conditions.
The environmental, social and economic dimensions associated with regenerative feeding and farming approaches.

These activities will help assess the potential of regenerative feeding and silvopasture approaches to support animal performance, farm viability and ecosystem resilience, contributing to the development of more sustainable and locally adapted livestock systems.

🔬 This pilot brings together activities across WP4 and WP6. Silvopasture and climate-adapted feeding systems are addressed primarily through WP4, led by Terraprima (TP), while WP6, led by FUB, evaluates alternative feed sources through controlled and on-farm experiments with contributions from several consortium partners.

💡 From Research to Real-World Change

Together, these Innovation Pilots bridge science and practice, translating NUTRIFEEDS’ research outputs into solutions that can be adopted across Europe.

They connect laboratory innovation with field validation, offering a tangible path toward:

Reduced dependency on imported feed protein.
Regenerative and circular livestock systems.
Measurable climate and biodiversity benefits.
Healthier animals and resilient farming communities

🧭 The NUTRIFEEDS pilots are the backbone of our mission: to nourish Europe’s future through regenerative livestock feed.