According to Bloomberg News, a Finnish company is trying to prevent fish from depending on the feed that is made from soybeans as deforestation can be fallout for the same. The average person consumes twice as much seafood as compared to what it was half a century back. It is more likely that the fish we eat now comes from a farm. The carbon footprints associated with the fish industry are very small but to feed its stocks, it depends on soybeans. And this crop is the second-biggest crop that is driving deforestation in the tropical areas, which also applies to the Amazon rainforests in Brazil.
Bloomberg News says and this is where EniferBio Oy plays a significant role. Five biologists during the lockdown spent their days in the lab trying to resurrect Pekilo, which is a lost fungus. For decades poultry and pigs in Finland ate the protein. It was made during the manufacturing of paper from byproducts but was lost in 1991 when forestry residues were lost.
Facing scrutiny due to climate impact, the agriculture industry is trying to shift to sustainable alternatives as far as traditional feed is concerned. The bigger stalwarts like Archer-Daniels-Midlands Co and Cargill Inc are looking towards insects and Total SE, the French oil major is trying to change captured CO2 into feed for the pigs, fish, and chickens. The fish feeding market is slated to hit $72 billion from $51 billion by 2025 as per the research firm Markets and Markets.
The lab-grown fungus of EniferBio is not available in the market as yet. However, a result that was obtained following the first-stage trial on November 18 found that the most traded fish in the world, the salmon can digest Pekilo as easily as a meal prepared from offal and powdered bones. Skretting, which is an aquaculture center conducted the trial and revealed that the outcome was encouraging and an indication that a “new protein raw material coming our way”.
Bloomberg News reports that The European Union has joined the board as well. EniferBio received funds from the Bloc’s maritime and fisheries worth $1.4 million in October topping up on cash that it already received from Nordic FoodTech VC.
Soy constitutes up to one-fifth of the ingredients in the aquafeed, which implies that demand for the crop is most likely to be increasing in the future and exert pressure on the natural resources.
2017 PwC study warned that unless there are alternatives since there is a close association between deforestation and greenhouse gases, there will be a hindrance in the growth of the agriculture industry.
Bloomberg News states that Fungi is an excellent SCP or single-cell protein (Pekilo, being an example and collectively known as SCP) is rich in proteins is sourced locally and the cost of processing is low. Millions of fishmeal and soy are imported annually as such, more and more will be required and even startups like EniferBio to make the trend sustainable.
