Agribusiness giant Cargill is expanding its offerings of sustainable alternatives to fishmeal in aqua feed thanks to a new agreement with White Dog Labs. White Dog is based in New Castle.
The deal secures access to ProTyton, White Dog Labs’ single-cell protein produced by fermentation with corn feedstock — a sustainable alternative to harvesting fishmeal—which, like fishmeal, is high in protein and amino acids. ProTyton will be ready to ship from White Dog Labs’ demo facility in Sutherland, NE in 2020.
“This agreement underlines our commitment to sustainable aquaculture and discovering new and strategic ingredients that will help feed the world in a safe and responsible way,” said Adriano Marcon, president of Cargill’s aqua nutrition business. “ProTyton offers a good source of protein for fish and shrimp, an affordable feed ingredient for farmers and a sustainable option for the planet that lessens our reliance on fishmeal — which we know to be a finite resource.”
Cargill plans to begin offering ProTyton in salmon feed, with the possibility of expanding to shrimp and other species as White Dog Labs’ production volume increases. In trials, salmon fed a diet containing ProTyton achieved a growth performance comparable to salmon on a conventional diet.
“We’re honored to partner with Cargill to lead the industry in the application of highly scalable, alternative proteins for aquaculture,” said Bryan Tracy, chief executive officer, White Dog Labs.
Made up of 80 percent protein, ProTyton offers higher protein content than typical fishmeal. And like fishmeal, ProTyton offers an attractive amino acid profile with 40 percent essential amino acids — those the animal cannot produce that must be supplied by the diet. Plus, ProTyton is economical because it has a valuable co-product, MiruTyton, which shares its production costs.
White Dog Labs’ MiruTyton is a liquid feed additive that is rich in butyrate, which promotes healthy digestion and boosts energy. Trials have indicated that MiruTyton in livestock diets supports higher growth rates and a better feed conversion ratio than when fed a normal diet. Production of MiruTyton and ProTyton is easily scalable, as it is a simple, ethanol-like fermentation process.
Cargill’s announced partnership with White Dog Labs follows its June 24 announcement of a strategic partnership with InnovaFeed to scale up and jointly market fish feed made with insect protein. It marks another step in the company’s efforts to find new ways to feed the planet.
Founded in 2012, White Dog has scaled several animal nutrition products to multi-ton per month production scale, and is completing engineering on its first production facility in Nebraska. White Dog is also discovering emerging opportunities, with an eye for human applications, at its Israeli subsidiary in Rehovot.
