StringBio has created a sustainable protein feed ingredient from captured methane © Forbes India
Skretting Australia, part of Nutreco's aquaculture division, will validate the new novel ingredient in aquaculture systems through feeding trials held in R&D facilities located across Australia and New Zealand. Since 2020 String Bio has been working closely with Skretting’s global team to speed up the process of developing a commercially accessible novel ingredient. Skretting has recognised String Bio’s Pro-DG as an exciting novel raw material which aligns with their own sustainability target of including 5 to 10 percent novel ingredients in feed formulations according to its Sustainability Roadmap 2025.
Skretting is exploring inclusions of ingredients which do not compete with human consumption or that can reduce our carbon footprint – String Bio’s Pro-DG is a perfect fit for Skretting on both accounts. String Bio’s fermentation process allows for the conversion of methane, a harmful greenhouse gas, into protein-based solutions. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s AR6 report, methane traps around 27 times the amount of heat in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and is responsible for a third of the global warming. Reducing methane emissions is one of the fastest opportunities we have to slow the rate of global warming.
Skretting Australia’s marketing manager, Rhys Hauler comments, “we are excited to see the results as novel ingredients are a high priority at Nutreco and very much aligned with our sustainability ambitions laid out in our sustainability strategy, RoadMap 2025.”
This partnership is an example of the biotechnology and aquaculture industries working together towards a more sustainable future and advancing a technology that could contribute to a circular carbon economy. Skretting is one of the early adopters of this technology and is breaking headway in commercialisation of novel ingredients which contribute to the sustainability of the aquaculture industry.
In July 2022, String Bio announced a strategic development agreement with an Australian energy provider. String had previously set up its first multi-purpose gas fermentation facility in Bangalore that can run on methane from both natural gas and biogas. The current investment and collaboration will enable String to further drive the market growth of its products and strengthen its decarbonisation impact.
