The companies will produce omega-3 fatty acids from algal oil for animal nutrition.
DSM and Evonik have formed a joint venture – Veramaris V.O.F. – to produce omega-3 fatty acids from algal oil using a novel process. The fatty acids - eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) - will be sold into the animal nutrition market.
Veramaris will be the first company to produce EPA and DHA from a raw material other than fish oil harvested from wild-caught fish. The 50/50 joint venture, which was initially announced in March 2017 and is headquartered within the DSM Biotech Campus in Delft, Netherlands, has received all necessary regulatory approvals. The company is already supplying small quantities for market development activities
The partners are constructing a $200 million production facility at Evonik’s site in Blair, Nebraska for the large-scale fermentation of natural marine microalgae. They plan to have commercial quantities of EPA and DHA available in 2019. The annual capacity will meet approximately 15% of the current demand for EPA and DHA derived from fish oils provided by the salmon aquaculture industry. At present, EPA and DHA added to animal feed come from fish oil and fish-meal produced from approximately 16 million metric tons of wild fish.
“Our algal oil, rich in both EPA and DHA, is our response to the industry’s call for a sustainable and traceable source of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA,” said Veramaris CEO Karim Kurmaly. By using natural marine algae, Veramaris contributes to closing the EPA and DHA supply/demand gap while helping conserve marine life and biodiversity in the oceans, DSM and Evonik said in a press release.