The Norwegian Aquafeed Technology Centre (ATC) was officially opened on August 11, 2021 by the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Seafood, Odd-Emil Ingebrigtsen. The center aims to work towards a more environmentally friendly fish feed.
More than 70% of the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the salmon industry come from fish feed. Every year, the Norwegian salmon industry utilizes 1.6 million tons of feed and 90% of the raw materials are imported. The industry is calling for more environmentally friendly feed, and this will be one of the main tasks for the research center in Bergen, Norway. “Today, researchers and the industry have received the instruments they need to develop the feed of the future,” said Ingebrigtsen.
Open international research
The minister said that the work conducted at the center will be based on open research, meaning that all industry actors will have access to the results and, therefore, the pace of innovation can be increased.
“This world-class center is the result of targeted investment over many years. The center will be made accessible to researchers from all countries. Open research forms its foundation. Access to this type of state-of-the-art research infrastructure also makes Norwegian research communities attractive partners for leading international research communities,” Ingebrigtsen said.
The aquafeed industry is looking for more sustainable raw materials. Research director, Mari Moren, at Nofima said that “it is not as simple as just removing soy and then adding new raw material. Firstly, research must be conducted on the suitability of raw materials in the feed pellet, because feed production is rather complex. We have to start in the right place. Sustainable raw materials must first be processed in the correct manner before they can be used in salmon feed. Once this is in place, suppliers can start large-scale production.”
The facilities
ATC is a state-of-the-art center located at Nofima’s facilities in Bergen. The infrastructure and expertise ATC offers are within bioprocessing, process technology, extrusion and feed technology, and analytical platforms. The Aquafeed Technology Centre’s new equipment allows studying the impact the processing of new raw materials has on the ingredients and the final product.
“This center provides us with a complete infrastructure that benefits both research and trade and industry,” said Øyvind Fylling-Jensen, CEO of Nofima.
Click here for one of the previous studies performed at the Aquafeed Technology Center.
