Life Cycle Analysis of Corbion's AlgaPrime™ DHA Validates Lower Carbon Footprint Compared to Traditional Sources of Fish Oil
Inclusion of AlgaPrime DHA in feed supports farmers, feed and pet food producers' efforts to meet key UN Sustainable Development Goals
AMSTERDAM, March 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Corbion, the global market leader in algae-based feed ingredients, announced the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) results for AlgaPrime DHA. The assessment, concluded in 2020 and ISO 14040/44 reviewed, analysed the environmental impact of AlgaPrime DHA's sustainable production. Further analysis with publicly available data affirmed that the omega-3 feed ingredient has a lower carbon footprint compared to traditional sources of fish oil.
To make AlgaPrime DHA, microalgae are grown in closed fermentation tanks where they transform renewable, sustainable, non-GM plant sugars into algae containing omega-3-rich oil in a matter of days. AlgaPrime DHA's low carbon footprint is due to three primary elements of its production system:
- Powered by renewable energy
The AlgaPrime facility sits among sugar cane fields and is located next door to a sugar cane mill. The sugar cane waste is used as a renewable source of energy to fully power the sugar mill and the algae facility.
- High yield feedstock
Sugar cane used to grow AlgaPrime DHA via fermentation is one of the world's most productive sugar sources, compared to other sugar feedstock sources, like corn and wheat. This means that the more sugar produced per hectare of land, the more omega-3s can be produced per hectare.
- Efficient use of land
A hectare of land produces both the fuel and feedstock to grow AlgaPrime DHA, with zero deforestation impact confirmed by historical satellite data.
"Many leading farmers are adopting sustainably produced algae omega-3 ingredients and helping to protect marine biodiversity by reducing the dependence on fish oil as the only source of long-chain omega-3s," said Dr. Piers Hart, Aquaculture Specialist at WWF-UK. "It is promising to see these positive results of the LCA for algae omega-3s produced using renewable energy and sustainable sugar as the feedstock. Through the efforts of innovators, farmers and feed producers, inclusion of algae omega-3s in feed is one of many important innovations advancing our collective efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of food production while improving nutrition for all people."
"At Corbion, we are committed to utilizing our unique expertise in large-scale fermentation to deliver sustainable and reliable solutions, like AlgaPrime DHA, for the preservation of the planet," said Ruud Peerbooms, President of Corbion Algae Ingredients. "The results of this Life Cycle Analysis show the important role that AlgaPrime DHA can have for farmers, feed and pet food producers who are working to meet key UN Sustainable Development Goals."
Scientific publication of the AlgaPrime DHA LCA study is under peer review.
About Corbion
Corbion is the global market leader in lactic acid and its derivatives, and a leading supplier of emulsifiers, functional enzyme blends, minerals, vitamins, and algae ingredients. We use our unique expertise in fermentation and other processes to deliver sustainable solutions for the preservation of food and food production, health, and our planet. For over 100 years, we have been uncompromising in our commitment to safety, quality, innovation and performance. Drawing on our deep application and product knowledge, we work side-by-side with customers to make our cutting-edge technologies work for them. Our solutions help differentiate products in markets such as food, home & personal care, animal nutrition, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and bioplastics. In 2020, Corbion generated annual sales of € 986.5 million and had a workforce of 2,267 FTE. Corbion is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. For more information: www.corbion.com
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