Grass protein tested for use in fish feed
Danish aquafeed producer Aller Aqua is to test green protein from BioRefine. The material is an organic protein concentrate made of grass harvested from 3,000 hectares land in Denmark, from which BioRefine produces 7,000 tonnes of green protein concentrate applicable for animal nutrition per year.
Aller Aqua said the green and organic protein concentrate has a similar nutrient profile to soybean meal and could therefore be a great replacement in its fish feed. Denmark imports around 50,000 tonnes of organic soy annually.
BioRefine, based in Janderup, Denmark, has been launched by agricultural companies DLG, Danish Agro and DLF with a strong intention to create a climate- and environment-efficient alternative protein source for animal feed.
More biorefineries
“BioRefine has the ambition to continuously establish more biorefineries, and thereby increase the proportion of feed protein ingredients produced in Denmark. We are very happy about the cooperation with Aller Aqua and will closely follow the results conducted by Aller Aqua Research,” said BioRefine chief executive Vagn Hundebøll in a press release.
The functionality of BioRefine’s green protein in fish feed will be evaluated in feeding trials conducted at Aller Aqua Research, Aller Aqua’s trial station located in Büsum, Germany. In nutrient digestibility and growth trials the green protein will be tested in feed for rainbow trout, the main fish species in Danish aquaculture. Due to its regionality, grass protein could be a valuable raw material for reducing the carbon-footprint of fish feed.
A perfect match
“New raw materials are seldom. And here we have an entirely new and locally produced raw material. It is a perfect match for us because this is the kind of raw material we are searching for,” said Dr Hanno Slawski, Aller Aqua’s group research and development director.
“We are very much looking forward to be the first company testing and possibly later on including this raw material in our feed.”
Recently, Aller Aqua became the first fish feed company to label their feeds with their respective CO₂ equivalent. Aller Aqua said the move had been greatly appreciated by the market and client feedback had shown that knowledge about the carbon footprint of fish feeds is of great interest for all stakeholders along the value chain.
