Shanmugam Alagappan

Shan’s  PhD project is titled ‘Optimising and industrialising black soldier fly (BSF) production – redirecting food waste to livestock feed production using insects’. The initial phase of the project involves rearing of BSF larvae on different types of food waste and evaluating the various safety issues associated with them. BSF larvae will then be subjected to different processing methods and, a suitable method along with the definition of processing requirements for BSF larvae to meet standards for feed safety will be established. The results from this project will guide the regulators in the drafting and approval of regulations for the use of BSF as feed ingredient. Regulatory approvals will increase the commercialisation potential of BSFL as waste up-cyclers thereby increasing the volume and number of waste streams processed with a subsequent decrease in landfill.

Shan has previous experience as a research assistant in an Environmental Biotechnology laboratory during his undergraduate degree in Biotechnology at India and worked as a summer research scholar in QAAFI, UQ during his Masters in Food Science and Technology, receiving the ‘Deans Commendation for Academic Excellence’ during his study.

Shan was drawn to edible insects after attending conference themed ‘Future Foods’ and was intrigued about the idea of valorising organic wastes with insects and the usage of such insects as food and feed source after attending one of the presentations. The summer research project at QAAFI helped identify a passion for sustainable food alternatives and drove Shan to choose a PhD project in the same discipline.

Outside of work and research, Shan loves listening to music and podcasts about sustainability in food systems, travelling and meet people from different cultural backgrounds, and is always keen for social sport.