BioMar’s facility in Brande, Denmark significantly increased the inclusion of microalgae into their raw material portfolio. AlgaPrime™ DHA, supplied by Corbion, is to be included in the formulation of BioMar’s high-performing flagship diets and will aid in furthering the sustainability profile of product series such as Blue IMPACT, EFICO Enviro and ORBIT. The use of microalgae in the flagship product line produced in Brande enables BioMar to ramp up the sustainability criteria as this ingredient contributes to a reduced dependency on wild fish stocks.
Experience with algae-based raw materials
The expansion of an extensive raw material portfolio composes one of the most important cornerstones for pioneering innovation at BioMar as the search for novel ingredients to advance innovation and sustainability is ongoing. The research and development on algae-based ingredients in BioMar date back to 2013 with extensive internal and external research projects. A recent example was Alga4Fuel&Aqua project, a collaboration between BioMar Hellenic, the University of Thessaly and other key stakeholders.
The first commercial feeds containing microalgae hit the market in 2016 and by 2021, BioMar had reached one million tonnes of salmon feeds containing microalgae. Now with the upscaling of microalgae in the raw material portfolio at the Brande facility in BioMar, it is now no longer considered a niche ingredient.
Anders Brandt-Clausen, managing director, BioMar Baltics, explained that “microalgae has been a game-changing strategic ingredient for us for years, and still is. We are now delighted to increase the volumes we use significantly and raise the sustainability bar for our flagship products. Microalgae is no longer a novel idea, it has become a commercial reality.”
An important element in reaching high ambitions
BioMar has a philosophy to source raw materials and ingredients that don’t compete with the human supply chain. That is why concrete actions were taken with a set of ambitions, that included a target of BioMar feeds being 50% circular and restorative by 2030. Circular raw materials are those originating from byproducts and waste streams and restorative ingredients are raw materials that significantly shift the balance between ecosystem impacts and human production systems towards net-positive environmental outcomes.
“We see this as the birth stage for the next generation feeds with a highly sustainable profile from Brande. Adding microalgae paves the way for the upcoming developments on our sustainable feeds that our farmers will directly benefit with a reduction in their own on-farm footprint,” Brandt-Clausen concluded.
