TerraVia and Bunge introduced AlgaPrime DHA earlier this year as the first major new product under their expanded joint venture.
According to the companies, AlgaPrime DHA provides a “sustainable, scalable and economically viable source” of omega-3 fatty acids with virtually no environmental contaminants or heavy metals. The companies said AlgaPrime serves as an alternative to ingredients such as fish oil and oils present in fish meal produced from forage fish. It also may ease the industry’s reliance on wild fish capture and help preserve the ocean environment by reducing depletion of small marine fish, the companies noted.
“The European pet food industry uses more than 50,000 tonnes of high quality fish oil each year,” said David Sussmann, president of Seafoodexport. “As demand increases for wild marine fish stocks, Seafoodexport sees AlgaPrime DHA as a critical ingredient in feed formulations that will allow continued sustainable growth in the industry.”
Graham Ellis, senior vice-president of TerraVia, added, “Global demand for omega-3s is growing in aquaculture, human and in animal nutrition markets. On a DHA basis, one tonne of AlgaPrime DHA is the equivalent of saving up to 40 tonnes of wild caught fish from our oceans. Providing this new, cost effective and sustainable source of omega-3s helps address this broad and growing demand.”
AlgaPrime DHA is being made at scale in TerraVia and Bunge’s SB Renewable Oils joint venture facility in Brazil. Based on sugarcane feedstock, AlgaPrime DHA has a lower environmental impact and higher yield per hectare than DHA produced from other microalgae sources or high-DHA oilseed crops, according to the companies.
