Microalgae to preserve the planet’s limited resources
CASE STUDY
Submission from Corbion
The innovation.
AlgaPrime™ DHA is a high-quality, vegetarian source of Omega-3 Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), which is a key building block for animal feed. These long-chain polyunsaturated Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients. They are synthesized by humans and most animal species at low levels and play a crucial role in human health, helping to maintain heart, brain, and eye health. The importance of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and their benefits are worldwide proven and recognized as a health-promoting nutritional component in human and animal diets. The demand has been outpacing the supply of quality Omega-3s for years.
In response to this increasingly critical issue, Corbion developed an innovative solution - growing marine microalgae via fermentation - and introduced AlgaPrime™ DHA, an efficient, clean, and sustainable source of long-chain omega-3s. Their microalgae are grown via fermentation in closed tanks using cane sugar as a feedstock, and its by-product (called bagasse) is used as a renewable source of energy that fully powers the sugar mill and algae facility.
The benefits.
The utilization of microalgae to produce Omega-3 DHA decreases the pressure on marine fisheries by decoupling the commercial availability of Omega-3 DHA from fish oil, traditionally obtained from pelagic fish. AlgaPrime™ and AlgaVia™ are the Corbion algae-based Omega-3 product range for animal and human nutrition, respectively. The manufacturing process of their products is fully integrated, relying on locally grown and sustainably sourced sugarcane to meet the needs in terms of feedstock and energy. This circular set-up enables a very efficient use of sugarcane, with valorisation of by-products and minimizing the generation of residues. As a result, Corbion Omega-3 DHA products have 30-40% lower impact on climate change than omega-3 DHA sourced from fish oil. A full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the AlgaPrime™ DHA portfolio demonstrates that Omega-3s from AlgaPrime™ DHA have lower carbon footprint compared to traditional Omega-3s sources of fish oil.
Additional materials (linked in text):
Life cycle assessment of heterotrophic algae omega-3 - ScienceDirect
