Methylotrophs have been under investigation as potential food sources since the 1970's. The very high doubling time rates, biomass density and low cost of input nutrients allow methylotrophs to compete with plant sources in terms of cost per kilo of protein, and outperform traditional sources in terms of space and resources required. We have independently developed industrial production strains that offer consistency for continuous flow reactor applications, while maintaining a favourable nutritional profile.
Microalgae have become a subject of increasing interest for researchers in the past 20 years. Unicellular protists initally appeared as great potential sources of otherwise hard to obtain long chain fatty acids, particularly ω-3, and since their discovery, countless studies have been undertaken attempting to determine optimal species, strains and modes of production. However, for most applications, fatty acids from photosynthetic protists have proven an unattractive investment, due to numerous factors ranging from low biomass densities to high demand for energy consuming artificial light. We have taken a different approach and developed numerous commercial production strains of unicellular marine heterotrophs that achieve not only viable biomass densities and ω-3 fractions, but require no artificial light sources thus reducing energy demands to that of common fermentation processes. This has been done without the aid of genetic engineering tools, allowing potential products to conform to current European regulations, and achieve potential process-to-market times similar to other non-GMO biological products.
The class of microorganisms previously classified as "probiotics" is composed of numerous strains and species, with uses in both animal and human health. Discovery of new species, strains and their uses, is a field of active academic and commercial research. We have developed a process for targeted development of bacterial strains to be used in both animal and human nutrition applications. This approach includes species already accepted as safe by the European Union, as well as completely novel experimental organisms with a wide range of potential uses.
Insects have become a popular source of alternative protein for animals and humans worldwide. The two main species currently grown commercially are the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) and the mealworm (Tenebrio molitor). Over the past 7 years we have had significant experience designing and constructing commercial insect production lines, as well as smaller farm-level applications. We have also developed new high yielding insect lines of black soldier fly larvae, with reduced growth times, high protein yields and increased cost-effectiveness.