DSM and Evonik to invest USD 200 million on a plant producing omega-3 acid from algae. (Image: DSM)

Marine algae omega 3 acid could become breakthrough in salmon farming

Royal DSM and Evonik intend to set a joint venture for omega-3 fatty acid products from natural marine algae for animal nutrition, which will avoid using fish oil from wild caught fish.

The set-up of the joint venture, to be named Veramaris and headquartered in The Netherlands, will be finalized subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Both companies plan to invest around USD 200 million in the facility, whose initial annual production capacity will meet roughly 15 per cent of the total current annual demand for EPA and DHA by the salmon aquaculture industry.

Since 2015 both firms have jointly worked on the development of products and the manufacturing process and explored opportunities for commercialization, extensively working with the entire value chain, including fish feed producers, fish farmers and retailers.

The algal oil from DSM and Evonik means that the vision of salmon farming without using fish-based resources is – for the first time – becoming realistic. By replacing fish oil in salmon feed with this EPA and DHA rich alternative, the fish-in-fish-out ratio could be reduced significantly, enabling the aquaculture industry to continue to grow sustainably.

Worldwide fish oil production is approximately one million metric tons per year. Most of the fish oil is used in aquaculture, mainly for fat-rich fish species, such as salmon.

The limited wild fish stocks restrict the amount of fish oil available and thus the growth of the aquaculture industry. Currently, the industry uses about 75 per cent of the annual production of fish oil.

Just like humans, animals also need their daily intake of essential, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in their diet to ensure healthy growth. Until now, these fatty acids have been added to aquaculture feed and pet food almost exclusively from marine sources such as fish oil and fishmeal. As the new algal oil can be applied in feed production in the same way as fish oil, it can easily be introduced by feed and pet food producers.

DSM and Evonik are also pursuing applications of their algal oil for other aquatic and terrestrial animal species.
 

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