Challenge

There are many phytoplankton species maintained at the Culture Collection of Algae & Protozoa (CCAP), Oban, that have been previously shown to have nutritional attributes that could be of considerable interest as an alternative feed and protein source for humans, monogastrics, and aquafeed. 

Although many may be relatively high in protein or are fast growing, many of these species are understudied, particularly in relation to their digestibility, or the effect of harvest time and growth media on their nutritional profile and digestible biomass yield.

The aim of this project is to assess the effect of growth media formulation and time of harvest on the growth rate, biochemical composition, and digestibility of a selection of phytoplankton maintained at CCAP. The shortlist of phytoplankton species to be investigated within this project have previously been shown to exhibit high growth rates and/or protein yield.

By identifying which combination of phytoplankton species and growth media could produce the highest digestible protein yield there is a commercial opportunity for Biosimetrics to culture and manufacture phytoplankton strains and growth media, which will be marketed and distributed by Abrimar. This can be to the benefit of algal cultivation facilities around the world who are looking to supply highly digestible phytoplankton protein into the lucrative, growing global aquaculture feed or human food market.

Solution

With Feasibility Funding of just under £20k from IBioIC, the industry partners were able to work with Michael Ross and Michele Stanley at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) to test a shortlist of species from CCAP for growth in different types of media, resultant biomass yield and yield of digestible protein.

 SAMS developed the growth media, recorded growth and harvested strains, and provided biomass to Abrimar and Biosimetrics, in addition to performing some compositional analysis. Meanwhile, the industry partners provided digestibility testing and benchmarking against other standard protein sources.

Outcome

This project has identified two strains of commercial interest, and one which exhibited both exceptional biomass growth rate, protein content and digestibility and merits further investigation.

The project enabled a strong collaboration that will continue beyond this project.