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KALARVO R1 Update + Public Project Introduction
Manna Insect and Jepro are working with Kajaanin ammattikorkeakoulu (KAMK) on a public research project — KALARVO — evaluating the usability of Finnish fish side streams in BSF (black soldier fly) production.
01 · Project
A public research project
The question we're answering: can rainbow trout gut mass, rainbow trout filleting waste, and low-value Finnish lake fish feed BSF larvae profitably — and at what fish inclusion rate?
The work is split across three rounds — mapping → optimization → validation. Tens of recipes have now been tested in different combinations with other Kainuu side streams (potato, barley brewer's spent grain, wheat bran, garlic). Over the next 6–8 weeks we conclude the trial, analyse the most profitable recipes for each fish stream, and publish the results.
02 · Findings
What round one shows
Preliminary findings — Round 1 in progress
Huge differences between recipes. Two patterns dominate.
→ Cycle length is a trade-off, not a fixed setting. Fast cycles — as short as 5 days — give smaller larvae. Slower cycles — closer to 10 days — give nearly twice the larva size. Optimal BCR and economics depend on which side of that curve a particular recipe sits on. It's recipe-specific, not universal.
→ About 60–70% of the recipes won't be profitable. That's expected — and exactly why Round 1 has to be wide. You can't find the top 10–15% without testing the full set. Round 2 takes the survivors forward; Round 3 validates with full lab analysis.
03 · Precondition
Climate control comes first
One precondition for any of this
This kind of substrate optimization — and BSF production at industrial quality more generally — only works when climate is fully controlled. Temperature, humidity, ventilation, and CO2 levels all dialed in continuously. Without that, recipe results aren't comparable from one batch to the next, and "the recipe" gets blamed for variance that's actually climate noise.
Full Round 1 results in the coming weeks.
Public project. Real container. Real waste.
Keep exploring
Related topics and pages
- Articles library — the written notes this public project update joins
- BSF production course — the production stages behind the KALARVO recipe tests
- KALARVO Recipe-Testing Field Post — the earlier field note from the same KALARVO work
Read next
- KALARVO Recipe Test Round 1 Teaser — the earlier round 1 teaser from the same KALARVO recipe tests
- KALARVO Recipe-Testing Field Post — the field note that set up the recipe testing behind this update
- How a BSF case actually pays for itself: 4 levers, the stack, and why one alone never closes — why a recipe has to stack its economics before a case closes
- BSF Metrics #4 — Temperature: Substrate Is the Target, Air Is the Medium — the temperature target and climate-control floor behind comparable batches
Next step
Follow the KALARVO results
Manna can help turn a fish side-stream or other substrate question into a defined trial with comparable recipes and controlled conditions.