Is Algae the DHA Omega-3 Holy Grail?
Why do people consume fish? Now, more than ever, people are motivated by health benefits like DHA omega-3 when they choose salmon over chicken. Yet, the nutrients that make oily fish so healthy are steadily harder to come by, necessitating an alternative approach. Becky Timmons, technical director of Alltech Algae and global director of applications research and quality assurance at Alltech, will address the dilemma head on at the Alltech REBELation, in her talk “The ‘Holy Grail’ of the Industry: A replacement for fish oil.” In an interview about the upcoming session on the limitations of fish oil and the potential of algae, Timmons discussed the resource crisis.
According to Timmons, the standards in place to protect marine life and prevent overfishing limit the amount of fish oil harvested to about 1 million tons per year. Farmed salmon yielded 2.4 million tons of meat in 2013 while requiring 3.4 million tons of feed. In order to incorporate 10% fish oil into the diet of the fish, the salmon industry alone would demand 340,000 tons of fish oil. That’s one-third of the world’s fish oil supply for only 4% of aquaculture production, leaving the remaining two-thirds to be divided amongst the rest of aquaculture production and the human capsule market. Thus, a production area that should be continually expanding to feed the world cannot. Additionally, salmon raised on 10% fish oil are not as nutritious as wild caught salmon. So all arrows are pointing away from fish oil and, Timmons believes, in the direction of algae.
The exciting news, is that heterotrophically produced algae offer far greater production potential than fish oil/meal. Algae can be grown under controlled conditions to provide a consistent, pure source of DHA. Not only does this solution offer necessary resources to expand current aquaculture production, but also to introduce DHA into the diets of fish, like tilapia, that don’t require it. This opens a door to value-added products that would increase profit margins and offer legitimate niche-marketing opportunities.
Algae isn’t just an idea; it’s a solution ready to be employed. Producers are making it work, and successfully marketing their product. TwoXSea is an operation utilizing the first 100% vegetarian fish feed with Alltech’s algae in place of fish oil or fish meal. Could this solution be applied across the entire industry? How can the pursuit of true sustainability benefit everyone: the producer, the retailer, the chef, and the consumer? These are questions to be answered during the Alltech REBELation, so don’t miss Timmons and her talk on the industry’s new ‘Holy Grail.’
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