Biotech MiAlgae launches omega-3 product, NaturAlgae
In April, Biotech company MiAlgae officially launched its omega-3 product NaturAlgae to market thanks to recent expansion of its commercial production site in Scotland. Following the installation of eight new bioreactors north of Glasgow, MiAlgae will soon be producing 100s of tonnes of nutrient-rich omega-3 powder per year.
Established in 2016 and headquartered in Edinburgh, MiAlgae’s mission is to make better food in a smarter, more sustainable way. Using a novel biotechnology platform, MiAlgae recycles the co-products from the Scotch Whisky industry, like pot ale, as a feedstock to grow omega-3 rich microalgae which can then be used as a nutritious feed ingredient.
NaturAlgae is a dry powder with a high concentration of DHA and other oils which can be easily added to recipes for pet food and aquafeeds, providing the well-known health benefits that omega-3 provides. MiAlgae hopes their product will help to reduce global reliance on billions of wild-caught fish, the traditional source of omega-3.
Using the outputs from a single distillery, MiAlgae’s technology has the potential to save 80,000 tonnes of CO2, recycle 14.4m litres of water and protect tens of thousands of tonnes of fish annually.
Douglas Martin, MD and Founder at MiAlgae, said: “This expansion of our commercial production site marks a huge milestone on our journey to champion the circular economy. With the addition of our new equipment, we are now able to take our product to market at a meaningful scale with significant headroom to grow.”
With final commissioning underway, the bioreactors will enable MiAlgae to boost production capacity almost immediately, supplying a growing waiting list of customers. To support the launch, MiAlgae also appointed Polly Douglas as Business Development Manager.
Discussing her new role, Polly said: “My role will be to identify strategic partners and future development opportunities, as well as develop an understanding of additional products in as yet unidentified markets.”
Earlier this year, MiAlgae announced a partnership with Falkirk Distillery to drive forward a greener and more efficient whisky industry. Falkirk’s whisky co-products are now transported to MiAlgae’s site to be used in MiAlgae’s processes.
Douglas Martin continues: “We’re committed to scaling quickly and have plans to work closely with a number of distilleries across Scotland where we can co-locate MiAlgae’s technology with the distilleries, creating an on-site water recycling solution for the distillery, and a greater production capacity for MiAlgae. This will allow us to expand rapidly and make a very real stride towards the sector’s environmental goals.”
Learn more about MiAlgae and NaturAlgae: https://www.mialgae.com/