The Swedish startup Seaqure Labs AB is receiving 50,000 euros from Ålandbanken to develop fungal protein as a substitute for fishmeal. Fishmeal is produced from fish caught in the Baltic Sea and is used in animal feed. The project reduces fishing pressure and helps restore balance to the marine ecosystem.
“By converting the feed industry’s by-products into high-quality protein using fungal mycelium, we are creating a sustainable alternative to fishmeal,” says Albin Frick, COO of Seaqure Labs.
Seaqure Labs is a biotechnology company that utilizes fungal mycelium as a solution to the unsustainability of current animal feed production methods. The carbon footprint of its products is significantly smaller than that of soy meal and animal protein. Water consumption is also one-sixth and land use is a fraction of what it is for soybean meal.
The products have a balanced amino acid composition and contain beta-glucan as well as other essential minerals needed in animal feed. The protein is highly digestible for fish.
Since mushrooms can grow on various substrates, the company can produce mycoprotein by utilizing by-products.