ALTERNATIVE INGREDIENTS
Waste-to-protein for greener future Xiaoyan Huang, Jianhua Song, iCell Sustainable Nutrition Co. Ltd.
With the development of the feed industry and the continuous increase in feed production, there is a rising gap between the supply and demand of feed proteins. In 2018, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that the aquaculture output will reach 201 million tons by 2030 and the protein required for fish farming will increase by 10% annually, while the production of fishmeal, the most important protein ingredient, will remain at 5 million tons per year (International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Association).
Microbial protein Microbial protein is becoming a more and more popular option for its application in aquaculture and agricultural production as a potential sustainable feed ingredient used in aquaculture, livestock and poultry farming. The main sources of microbial protein are bacteria, yeast and fungi, as well as microalgae. Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) studied microbial protein production with Methylotrophs, Methylococcus and a small number of Allobacteria utilizing natural gas as energy and carbon source for the fermentation.
The Feed Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences recently announced a major breakthrough in the field of one-carbon biosynthesis. It becomes the world's first to achieve synthesis from carbon monoxide to protein and has developed a 10,000-ton industrial capacity where the industrial exhaust gas, mainly comprising of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, and the ammonia water can be used as raw materials to produce ethanol Clostridium protein. Another new technology solution is via the utilization of carbon and nitrogen-rich process water from food manufacturers. Through a fermentation technology, microbial strains produce high value-added functional feed protein ingredients and through technological processes such as autolysis, hydrolysis, microwave, among others, they can increase nutritious value and be used as a feed ingredient for aquaculture, livestock and poultry. This new technology utilizes the low valueadded organic process water generated by food manufacturers, such as breweries, beverage plants, sugar plants, LB-RAS systems, etc. (Fig. 1, 2) to produce
Figure 1. Food plant process flow chart.
Aquafeed: Advances in Processing & Formulation Vol 14 Issue 1 2022
