“Aquaculture is one of the best hopes to meet the swelling protein demands for people”, said Larry Feinberg, CEO of KnipBio to Aquaculture Magazine. “It is currently a $110 billion market, and it is expected to double by 2030. The number of farm-raised fish for every wild-caught fish will double to 2:1 in the same time, meaning the world will need 25 million new tons of fish.”Single cell proteins, mainly yeast, algae, and bacteria, show much promise for aquaculture, offering a means to ensure future protein needs can be met without direct competition with food for people.KnipBio, a Massachusetts-based biotechnology company, is engineering microbes that convert low-cost feedstocks into nutritious, single-cell proteins that produce healthier, more vibrant fish.We interviewed Catherine Pujol-Baxley, Vice President of Research & Development at KnipBio, who will be speaking at SynBioBeta San Francisco next month, to find out more.

Why is the development of fish feed alternatives such an exciting field to be part of at the moment?

As the population and the wealth of developing nations grow, the need for protein is expected to increase dramatically. Aquaculture represents one of the most realistic opportunities to meet this anticipated demand and therefore significant growth in the industry is expected in the coming years. Today, the reliance on marine-based proteins represents one of the biggest bottlenecks to limiting the potential for growth which is driving the need for alternative proteins, with an advantage to those that don’t compete with conventional sources destined for human consumption. By creating sustainable and environmentally conscious alternatives to our current protein sources, we are tapping into an industry that is going to play a vital role in feeding the world within the coming decades.

Can you tell us about your projects at KnipBio for the development of new aquafeeds?

KnipBio is developing a range of tailored feed solutions aimed at different aquatic species and markets. To achieve this, we have evaluated many different microorganisms in our search to maximize nutritional value to the animal and create value for the producer. ​We are currently working on three categories of nutrition including: protein content and amino acid ratios comparable to conventional fishmeal and soybean meal, probiotics and gut health to improve overall animal health, and a source of vital micro-nutrients like important carotenoids useful to a number of high-value fish species.

What challenges persist in developing nutritional solutions for animal feeds, and what progress has your team – or other peers – made in overcoming them?

Creating feed that produces healthy fish while at the same time providing the quality products that consumers are expecting is one of the challenges we face. We have done a number of studies alongside many highly regarded research facilities to ensure our feed is palatable, nutritionally advantageous, and that the aquatic species is healthy. Also, the customer adoption cycle can be slower since the evidence required for adopting a novel product includes fairly lengthy animal trials to demonstrate efficacy.

How is the aquaculture market developing?

In recent years the aquaculture industry has seen a move towards becoming more environmentally conscious. The aquaculture market is pushing for products that ensure the health and safety of the fish while at the same time minimizing its impact on the environment surrounding the farms. Aquaculture is going to be a major player in feeding the world population and it is important that it can be done in a way that doesn’t negatively impact our environment. It is important to remind ourselves that while agriculture has had 12,000 years to develop to its current state, aquaculture is only ~50 years old! With the rapid rise in population growth and wealth, we don’t have the same luxury in time but fortunately with the tools of biotechnology, we expect to be able to rise to the challenge.

What are the upcoming milestones and long-term priorities for your company?

The company will continue to conduct R&D for the foreseeable future but we are preparing to enter into a commercialization phase to meet the demand for our product. There will be new learnings to be gained as we develop our supply chain, logistics infrastructure and other challenges as we enter this new developmental stage. We have recently announced the completion of a scale-up project we worked on alongside the National Research Council of Canada to optimize our process for further scale-up. Our long-term priority, as we move toward commercial scale production, is to further refine our microorganisms and diversify the range of products we can offer our customers.

What are you most looking forward to at SynBioBeta SF 2017?

SynBioBeta is the place to meet the leaders in Synthetic Biology. We are looking forward to contributing, as well as gaining from the community at large during this meeting. Learning about the progress in Synthetic Biology and how to apply this progress as well as emerging biotechnologies to industrial process will help speed the development of new products for the Aquaculture industry.Don’t miss the Innovations for Ocean Sustainability session at SynBioBeta SF 2017 on October 4th.