SBIR Phase I: The Advancement of a Novel High Efficiency Single Cell Protein for Aquafeeds

这一小型企业创新研究(SBIR)项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是为快速增长的水产养殖业开发鱼粉的替代品。鱼粉是水产饲料的主要成分，迫切需要寻找替代品。水产养殖是增长最快的动物蛋白部门，到2030年将翻一番，是养活世界不断增长的人口的最有效方式之一。每消费三条鱼，就有两条将在养殖场饲养。2011年，捕捞渔业和水产养殖提供了约1.54亿吨鱼，总价值为2170亿美元。2013年，养殖场养殖的鱼类产量有史以来首次超过了牛肉产量。对我们75%的自然渔业的过度开发造成了关键饲料成分--鱼粉的供应萎缩。该行业的持续增长与开发创新的蛋白质替代品息息相关。此外，类胡萝卜素，如虾青素、番茄红素和β-胡萝卜素，为重要的农场饲养物种提供色素，但也作为一种强大的抗氧化剂对免疫具有重要的营养作用。虽然饲料是农民最大的经营成本，但类胡萝卜素可能是水产食品中最昂贵的成分。这个SBIR第一阶段项目建议开发利用甲醇的工程化细菌，将天然气转化为一种新型的富含类胡萝卜素的单细胞蛋白，能够显著降低胡萝卜素的成本，并作为鱼粉的合适替代品。其目标是将一种经济上可行的类胡萝卜素、氨基酸和替代蛋白质来源商业化。该项目使用先进的基因工具，使菌株开发能够快速迭代，以实现将效率提高50%的目标。蛋白质和类胡萝卜素的经济联合生产带来了更健康、更有利的饲料，同时结合了高价值的功能成分和高效的生物转化。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) project is to develop an alternative to fishmeal for the fast growing aquaculture industry. Fishmeal is the main component of aquafeed, and there is an urgent need to find alternatives. Aquaculture, the fastest growing animal protein sector, is poised to double by 2030, and represents one of the most effective ways to feed the world's growing population. Two out of every three fish consumed will be raised on a farm. Captured fisheries and aquaculture supplied approximately 154 M tons of fish in 2011 with a total value of $217B. Farm raised fish outpaced beef production in 2013 for the first time ever. The overexploitation of 75% of our natural fisheries has created shrinking supplies of the critical feed ingredient, fishmeal. The continued growth of the industry is vitally tied to generating innovative protein alternatives. In addition, carotenoids like astaxanthin, lycopene, and beta-carotene, provide pigment to color important farm-raised species, but also have an essential nutritional role for immunity as a powerful anti-oxidant. While feed represents the single largest operating cost to the farmer, carotenoids can be the most expensive ingredient within aquafeeds.This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop engineered, methanol-utilizing bacteria that convert natural gas into a novel carotenoid-laden single cell protein capable of dramatically lowering the cost of carotinoids, and serving as a suitable replacement for fishmeal. The goal is to commercialize an economically viable source of carotenoids, amino acids, and alternative protein. The project uses advanced genetic tools that enable rapid iteration for strain development to meet the goals of increasing efficiency by 50%. The economical co-production of protein and carotenoids leads to a healthier, advantaged feed, while combining high-value functional ingredients with high-efficiency bioconversion.