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In the search for new aquafeed ingredients, Aller Aqua will test green protein from BioRefine (Janderup, Denmark). The material is a protein concentrate made of grass harvested from 3.000 ha of land in Denmark. Out of this, BioRefine produces 7.000 tones of green protein concentrate applicable for animal nutrition per year.
The green protein concentrate has a similar nutrient profile to soybean meal and could therefore be a great replacement in Aller Aqua aquafeed. For comparison, Denmark imports around 50.000 tonnes of organic soy annually.
The company BioRefine has been launched by three agricultural companies DLG, Danish Agro, and DLF with a strong intention to create a climate- and environment-efficient alternative protein source for animal feed.
“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”, says Vagn Hundebøll, CEO at BioRefine.
Nutrient digestibility and growth trials
The functionality of BioRefine’s green protein in the 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 aquafeed.“
“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. We are looking very much forward to being the first company testing and possibly, later on, including this raw material in our feed”, says Hanno Slawski, Group Research & Development Director for Aller Aqua.
The first fish feed company to label feeds with their CO2 equivalent
Recently, Aller Aqua became the first fish feed company to label their feeds with their respective CO2 equivalent. This was greatly appreciated by the market and client feedback has shown that knowledge about fish feeds carbon footprint is of great interest for all stakeholders along the value chain.
“At Aller Aqua we are proud to be the first aquafeed company worldwide to be verified to label our products with a CO2 equivalent. Our labelling is based on the PEFCR guidelines created by the European Commission (EU)”, they explain. The PEFCR guidelines are a ruleset describing how to calculate the environmental footprint of a specific product group. “In our instance, we have used: PEFCR FEED FOR FOOD-PRODUCING ANIMALS”.
“Displaying our CO2 equivalent is a way for us to be transparent, whilst the verification validates our methods and results. Consumers increasingly request transparency about the food they buy. In the aquaculture value chain, we should be ready to meet these requests”, they added.
“This will enable the customers to calculate and display the carbon footprint also of their products. Additionally, the CO2 equivalent on the label can help spark a much-needed debate about sustainability and the complexity of the subject matter, they told.“
“The CO2 equivalent can be found on our data sheets and product labels, and on request, we are also able to deliver a CO2 report to our customers including a calculation of the transportation emission”, they finished.
Aller Aqua produce fish feed for freshwater and saltwater aquaculture. This family owned company have produced fish feed for more than 50 years, and this makes them one of the Worlds most experienced fish feed producers, delivering some of the best products on the market, to the customers.
