In an exciting move to add value to waste products, nutrients recovered from the MillerCoors Trenton Brewery in Ohio are being transformed into a protein for animal feed.
In May, Nutrinsic Corp in Glendale, Coloradao, USA opened a protein production facility co-located with the brewery’s water reclamation facility. Through a patented process, the facility creates an ecosystem where bacteria can thrive and convert nutrients into the protein ingredient ProFloc™.
“This ingredient can replace fishmeal and has been successfully tested with a variety of aquatic and terrestrial animals,” said Meagan Wairama, marketing manager for Nutrinsic.
Nutrinsic approached MillerCoors to build the facility, which is capable of producing 5,000 metric tons of ProFloc™. By recovering and reusing nutrients, the process helps MillerCoors return clean water to the environment and eliminate the need to dispose of waste.
“MillerCoors cares deeply about sustainability in all aspects of the brewing process and believes that waste is a resource out of place,” said Denise Quinn, MillerCoors Trenton Brewery vice president. “We’re proud to partner with Nutrinsic to turn what was previously a waste stream into something of value.”
Before installation, the factory’s water treatment process had to be modified to allow biological conversion of leftover nutrients and carbohydrates into protein. “This is accomplished by providing the existing naturally occurring bacteria with additional nitrogen and micronutrients to supplement the underutilized nutrients in the process water, catalysing the production of large amounts of protein efficiently,” Wairama said.
The nutrient supplementation step, which is not typical in traditional aerobic water treatment, makes the technology unique. Nutrinsic packages and sells ProFloc to companies looking to replace fishmeal in animal feed products and with its high digestibility rating, it has been successfully used for several aquatic species.
ProFloc goes through a rigorous process to ensure the feed is safe for animals, and every batch is tested at the company’s on-site laboratory before it is shipped. Selling the product has helped offset the cost of the project to build and run the facility, and it has already begun to turn a profit,
