Danes launch new fishmeal alternative

A BIOTECH company in Denmark opened its first production facility in November, with the aim of producing a protein to rival fishmeal in feed.

Unibio has developed advanced technology for converting natural gas into a highly concentrated protein for sustainable food production, targeting the animal compound feed markets.

Called UniProtein, it benefits from superior nutritional content and product characteristics, says the company.

The protein-rich biomass (72.9 per cent protein) can be used as a direct supplement, and has been approved by the EU as an ingredient in animal feed.

It has been tested as a feed for salmon, as well as for poultry, pigs and calves, with positive results in terms of acceptance and growth rates.

The factory, based in Kalundborg, was officially opened on November 21 by HRH Prince Joachim of Denmark.

Henrik Busch-Larsen, CEO of Unibio, said: ‘The crucial advantage of UniProtein is that the technology is scalable and environmentally friendly compared with fishmeal and soy protein.

‘We can produce natural protein in a plant using methane gas, and therefore the production of UniProtein is not limited by fishing quotas or the use of pesticides, and it is weather independent.

‘Unibio’s technol- ogy thus provides animal feed producers access to a sustainable protein source of very high quality.

‘We now own the most up-to-date technology in the field of bacterial fermentation, the most novel technology used to convert methane into protein, and we have a strong cooperation with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).’