Sustainable Omega 3 fats production method proposed
17 Jun 2016 by Evoluted New Media
Scientists at Nottingham University are trying to find a way to create Omega 3 fatty acids without having to rely on dwindling natural fish resources.
Scientists at Nottingham University are trying to find a way to create Omega 3 fatty acids without having to rely on dwindling natural fish resources.
Microbial technology is being worked on in association with CHAIN Biotech and Calysta, Inc. to use microorganisms that can ferment methane gas into nutritional supplements. Called polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) the trial will run for a year with funding from InnovateUK and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Professor Nigel Minton, who is leading the research at Nottingham’s Synthetic Biology Research Centre, said: “We will be engineering the Methanococcus microbe to produce polyunsaturated fatty acids from a cheap and replenishable feedstock – methane gas. There are huge potential benefits in terms of reducing dependency on fishing and also creating a new use for a plentiful gas that has a harmful effect on the environment if unharnessed. Methane is a low cost and sustainable feedstock that can be produced from a variety of renewable sources, including anaerobic digestion which is now prevalent in the UK and EU.”
Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for the growth, development and maintenance of the brain. They are often included in different foodstuffs as well as animal feed. It is currently sourced from fish oils, but with increased awareness on the sustainability of wild fish numbers, economical alternatives are being investigated.
Dr Basil Omar, CHAIN Biotech Chief Commerical Officer, said: “This is a great example of how publicly funded early stage research is being leveraged and commercially exploited with an industry partner to scale up successful discoveries made in the lab. We hope it will offer a cheaper route to a high demand product with positive environmental and social knock on effects.”
There is potential investment for scaling up from Calysta, a sustainable California-based nutrition company. The company will open a market introduction facility for FeedKind – a sustainable fish food ingredient – in Teeside before the end of 2016.
