UK debut for Prime algae ingredient

A WHOLE algae based feed ingredient rich in omega 3 was launched on to the UK market last month to address the decrease in fatty acids in salmon diets.

American firm TerraVia Holdings developed the product – AlgaPrime – in conjunction with Bunge Ltd, and claim it provides a sustainable, scalable and economically viable source of omega 3, as an alternative to fish oil and fishmeal.

A recent study by Stirling University revealed that the amount of omega 3 fatty acid in farmed salmon in the UK has decreased by 50 per cent in the past 10 years, thus requiring consumers to eat double the portion of salmon to obtain the same amount of the healthy nutrient.

This reduction is believed to be largely due to changes in the way salmon are fed, as well as declining worldwide stocks of small oily fish, which have been a primary contributor of omega 3 fat in fish feed.

‘Using AlgaPrime DHA fed salmon could help arrest and reverse the decline in omega 3s in farmed salmon,’ said Dr Walter Rakitsky, senior vice president of emerging business at TerraVia.

‘AlgaPrime DHA contains approximately three times the level of DHA compared to fish oil. One tonne of AlgaPrime DHA is the equivalent of saving up to 40 tonnes of wild caught fish from our oceans on a DHA basis.

‘In addition, AlgaPrime DHA can help address consumer and retailer demand for responsibly sourced fish.’

AlgaPrime is currently being made at TerraVia and Bunge’s joint venture facility in BraYil. Based on sugarcane feedstock, the ingredient has a lower carbon and water footprint and higher yield per hectare than DHA produced from most other non-marine sources, say the companies.

TerraVia, headquartered in San Francisco, is a plant based food, nutrition and specialty ingredients company that harnesses the power of algae. New feed ingredient