Corbion concluded the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) for AlgaPrime DHA. The assessment, concluded in 2020 and ISO 14040/44 reviewed, analyzed the environmental impact of AlgaPrime DHA's sustainable production. Further analysis with publicly available data confirmed that the omega-3 feed ingredient has a lower carbon footprint compared to traditional sources of fish oil.
To make AlgaPrime DHA, microalgae are grown in closed fermentation tanks where they transform renewable, sustainable, non-GM plant sugars into algae containing omega-3-rich oil in a matter of days. AlgaPrime DHA's low carbon footprint is due to three primary elements of its production system:
- Powered by renewable energy. The AlgaPrime facility sits among sugar cane fields and is located next door to a sugar cane mill. The sugar cane waste is used as a renewable source of energy to fully power the sugar mill and the algae facility.
- High yield feedstock. Sugar cane used to grow AlgaPrime DHA via fermentation is one of the world's most productive sugar sources, compared to other sugar feedstock sources, like corn and wheat. This means that the more sugar produced per hectare of land, the more omega-3s can be produced per hectare.
- Efficient use of land. A hectare of land produces both the fuel and feedstock to grow AlgaPrime DHA, with zero-deforestation impact confirmed by historical satellite data.
“Many leading farmers are adopting sustainably produced algae omega-3 ingredients and helping to protect marine biodiversity by reducing the dependence on fish oil as the only source of long-chain omega-3s,” said Piers Hart, Aquaculture specialist at WWF-UK. “It is promising to see these positive results of the LCA for algae omega-3s produced using renewable energy and sustainable sugar as the feedstock. Through the efforts of innovators, farmers and feed producers, the inclusion of algae omega-3s in feed is one of many important innovations advancing our collective efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of food production while improving nutrition for all people.”
“At Corbion, we are committed to utilizing our unique expertise in large-scale fermentation to deliver sustainable and reliable solutions, like AlgaPrime DHA, for the preservation of the planet,” said Ruud Peerbooms, president of Corbion Algae Ingredients. “The results of this Life Cycle Analysis show the important role that AlgaPrime DHA can have for farmers, feed and pet food producers who are working to meet key UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
The scientific publication of the AlgaPrime DHA LCA study is under peer review.
