PRESS RELEASE: New cooperation on sustainable protein for feed
At NutriFair, a Danish trade fair for livestock producers, Danish Agro and alternative feed protein producer Unibio are pleased to announce a new cooperation on a sustainable protein product. The cooperation is based on a joint research project aimed at clarifying to what extent the protein product Uniprotein® may constitute an alternative to existing protein sources in Danish feed production.
Uniprotein®, a bacterial protein product developed by Unibio, is a protein-rich biomass produced by a microbial culture which is found naturally in the water environment. In a closed patented fermentation process with methane as the sole carbon source the microbial culture is propagated quickly, and the above-mentioned bacterial protein product Uniprotein® can be harvested. By using methane from biogas for the production of Uniprotein® the only “waste products” are water and CO2, and the environmental footprint is thus smaller than in the case of comparable conventional protein products.
The research project has been granted DKK 9.5m by the Green Development and Demonstration Programme (GUDP) under the Danish Ministry of Environment and Food and involves, in addition to Danish Agro and Unibio, also the participation of Aarhus University/AU Foulum, DTU Aqua and BioMar.
Arne Ringsing, Product Manager at Danish Agro, sees a great potential in the cooperation with Unibio.
– I see a great potential in Uniprotein® as an efficient, sustainable protein source with a very promising nutrition profile. I look forward to thoroughly testing the product in the trials we have planned. We have already begun the first palatability trials involving piglets of different ages, and that part looks promising. Uniprotein® will quite likely become a strong protein alternative in terms of feed solutions for Danish farmers, Arne Ringsing states.
Ina Karlshøj Julegaard, Commercial Animal Nutritionist at Unibio, also looks forward to the cooperation.
– I am quite convinced that our trials will show that Danish farmers will see a great potential in Uniprotein®. Both in terms of ensuring the right feed solution and offering a more sustainable protein product securing stable supplies, Ina Karlshøj Julegaard says.
The research project began in July 2019 and will continue for three years. The dissemination of the research results will take place on an ongoing basis.
Arne Ringsing and Ina Karlshøj Julegaard will speak about Uniprotein® and the research project at NutriFair on 16 January at 1:00-1:30 p.m. For attendees who wish to learn more about the product, please visit Danish Agro’s booth (booth A-1268) at NutriFair.
For more information, please contact:
Arne Ringsing
Product Manager, Danish Agro
Phone: +45 88 87 39 23
E-mail: arr@danishagro.dk
www.danishagro.com
Ina Karlshøj Julegaard
Commercial Animal Nutritionist, Unibio
Phone: +45 53 26 60 54
E-mail: ikj@unibiogroup.com
www.unibiogroup.com
About Danish Agro
Danish Agro group consists of a number of agro-industrial companies in Denmark and abroad. They all have a common objective: to contribute to value-adding solutions within their individual areas – in close collaboration with their customers. The group mainly operates within the sale of feedstuff mixes, ingredients and vitamin mixes, fertilizer, crop protection, seed, and energy as well as within the purchase of crops from farmers. The group is also the distributor of a number of strong farm machinery brands and runs an extensive chain of hobby and leisure retail outlets. Danish Agro group has around 5,000 employees, and turnover in 2019 will amount to around DKK 34bn.
About Unibio
Unibio is a world-leading alternative protein company with core competences in microbial fermentation technologies. In collaboration with the Technical University of Denmark and others, Unibio has developed a range of innovative technologies under the U-Loop® brand. These technologies allow the cost-effective, large-scale conversion of methane (natural gas or biogas) into high-quality protein using methanotrophic (“methane-eating”) microbes. Unibio’s technologies allow the full decoupling of protein production from farming and fishing via a process that uses little water and no agricultural land. Uniprotein® thus helps address one of the key challenges of today’s world – how to provide a growing population with high-quality food, without further exploiting depleted fish stocks or converting ever more land to intensive agriculture. Uniprotein® is an organic, safe and extensively tested microbial protein that has been approved by the EU for all animal and fish species.
