Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based animal feeds firm KnipBio announced that it has developed a new, high-grade, animal-free aquafeed that contains as much protein as similar fishmeal products.
Called “KBM324,” the new single cell protein (SCP) is derived from a strain of the bacteria “Methylobacterium extorguens.” The product contains fishmeal-equivalent levels of essential amino acids, according to KnipBio.
“KBM324 is an important milestone in the development of our SCP lineage and is a direct response to market needs,” KnipBio CEO Larry Feinberg said “The aquaculture industry is looking for sustainable fishmeal replacements because it recognizes future growth will require new premium proteins that do not compromise nutritional performance.”
Nutritional performance has been a key difference between traditional protein sources like fishmeal and animal-free products, and overcoming those differences is key to KnipBio's goals with animal-free products.
“Importantly, KBM324 is an excellent source of essential amino acids such as lysine and methionine as well as other immune-enhancing molecules,” Feinberg said. “Preliminary feed trials suggest KBM324 can complement or substitute fishmeal and soybean meal in many aquaculture feed formulas.”
The new protein has successfully passed through the pre-commercialization stage, where KnipBio determines whether or not the new product can be produced at scale successfully. The next stage, the company said, is to move production to “commercial-demonstration size fermentation vessels.” That stage is planned for the second half of this year.
In addition to increased production, feed trials with finfish and crustacean species are also in the works to “demonstrate safety, efficacy, and performance.”
“KBM324 demonstrates how our PROTEINplus biotechnology platform continues to evolve,” Feinberg said. “To date we have created and characterized nearly 1,000 different microbial strains with the goal of providing the aquaculture industry a pipeline of feed ingredients targeted at different species and growth stages, including an SCP that contains even higher amounts of protein than fishmeal.”
