Skretting Australia has initiated validation trials of String Bio’s Pro-DG, a protein additive ingredient produced from methane.
Bengaluru, India-based String Bio has developed a proprietary fermentation process that converts methane, a harmful greenhouse gas, into a protein-based novel ingredient. The company has been working since 2020 with the Stavanger, Norway-based aquaculture feed firm Skretting to accelerate developing the ingredient into an aquafeed additive, and the Skretting Australia trial will be the first time Pro-DG will be formally tested for use in aquaculture feed.
“The aim of these two companies is to deliver sustainable protein to the Australian and New Zealand aquaculture markets,” String Bio said in a press release. “Skretting has recognized the String Bio product as an exciting novel raw material which aligns with their own sustainability target of including 5 to 10 percent novel ingredients in feed formulations.”
For its aquafeed, Skretting is moving toward the use of ingredients that are not used for direct human consumption and that can reduce the company’s carbon footprint, it said.
“String Bio’s Pro-DG is a perfect fit for Skretting on both accounts,” the company said. “Reducing methane emissions is one of the fastest opportunities we have to slow the rate of global warming.”
String Bio operates a multi-purpose gas fermentation facility in Bangalore, India, that can run on methane from both natural gas and biogas. In July 2022, it signed a strategic development agreement with an Australian energy provide to “further drive the market growth of its products and strengthen its decarbonization impact,” it said.
String Bio is hoping to break into the aquafeed sector once the Skretting trial is complete.
“This partnership is an example of the biotechnology and aquaculture industries working together towards a more sustainable future and advancing a technology that could contribute to a circular carbon economy. Skretting is one of the early adopters of this technology and is breaking headway in commercialization of novel ingredients which contribute to the sustainability of the aquaculture industry,” it said.
Skretting Australia Marketing Manager Rhys Hauler said Skretting and its parent company, Nutreco, are hoping the trial shows positive results.
“We are excited to see the results, as novel ingredients are a high priority at Nutreco and very much aligned with our sustainability ambitions laid out in our sustainability strategy, RoadMap 2025,” Hauler said.
Photo courtesy of String Bio
