Oberland Agriscience Inc.

Purpose

Melanin is a pigment polymer found in the skin, hair, and eyes, essential for coloration and protecting tissues from UV damage. Naturally synthesized in the human body and by many other organisms across several varieties of species (e.g. bacteria, fungi, mammals, etc); it can also be chemically synthesized or produced via microbial fermentation. Chemically synthesized melanin is considered an environmentally taxing and financially expensive process. The Black Soldier Fly (BSF) and its pupae is one such organism from which the naturally occurring melanin can be extracted. Oberland, in collaboration with a third-party contractor, seeks to optimize the melanin extraction and purifications processes, first at laboratory scale and then reaching pilot scale.