"Protein and lipid rich microalgae ingredients produced by heterotrophic fermentation of plant derived inputs for use in aquaculture feeds"  

Microalgae, the earth's first triglyceride oil producers, have evolved over hundreds of millions of years to very efficiently convert light and/or simple sugars into biomass and oils; often in very inhospitable parts of our planet. Microalgae are extremophiles and can be found thriving in environments such as polar and high alpine regions, thermal vents and hot springs, soda lakes as well as natural salt lakes. Provided adequate energy and nitrogen sources are available microalgae direct their efforts to reproduce; thereby, driving biomass production. In the presence of an energy source but the absence of nitrogen, microalgae respond by producing triglyceride oils that are stored inside the cells for future use. Carbohydrates, vitamins and pigments which can be very useful in aquaculture feeds are also routinely produced by microalgae.

Heterotrophic fermentation of select microalgae strains has been utilized successfully at commercial scale to produce long chain omega 3 triglycerides for many years; in particular DHA rich oils have become a mainstay of many infant formula products around the world. The fatty acid compositions of the triglycerides produced by microalgae generally fall into two relatively narrow ranges depending on where they grow best, salt or fresh water.

In this presentation, we will explore how Solazyme has harnessed the robustness, efficiency and productivity of heterotrophic microalgae to develop a technology platform that vastly expands the diversity of microalgae ingredients available for use in aquaculture feeds. In collaborations with our joint venture partner Bunge, we have built a state of the art large scale manufacturing facility in Brazil to convert fermentable sugars derived from sugar cane into microalgae based ingredients at a scale previously unimagined. In particular, we will discuss utilizing microalgae to produce protein rich and lipid rich whole microalgae ingredients and triglyceride oils their composition, properties and usefulness in aquaculture feeds.