Yield10 Bioscience Inc., an agricultural bioscience company, has signed a non-binding letter of intent with BioMar Group, a global aquafeed producer, to form a partnership to commercialize camelina engineered to produce omega-3 oil for use as a high-quality supplement to the scarce supply of marine long-chain fatty acids used in aquafeed. Producing omega-3 oil in Camelina represents a land-based way to make this key aquafeed ingredient.
These new omega-3 camelina products contain EPA and DHA at levels comparable to many of the marine oil sources utilized today. It is ideally designed for the needs of the aquaculture industry and is a complementary fit into the BioMar Omega Technology concept together with other sources of essential omega-3s. BioMar has been actively involved with the Rothamsted Omega-3 camelina development effort since its inception in 2013 and has conducted many of the salmon trials published by the Rothamsted research team.
BioMar is focused on developing innovative and sustainable nutritional solutions that positively impact the needs of seafood producers.
“We believe that the Yield10 omega-3 camelina technology represents a potentially excellent solution for producing crop omega-3 oils at commercial scale. Reliable and scalable sources of EPA and DHA are critical for aquafeeds to ensure the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry. We look forward to working together with the Yield10 team to make this product a commercial success,” said Carlos Diaz, CEO BioMar Group.
“A partnership with BioMar has the potential to combine the strengths of both companies for the accelerated development of camelina-produced omega-3 oils. We look forward to working closely with BioMar to develop a collaborative program to bring this new source of high-quality EPA and EPA+DHA omega-3 oils to the market to strive to meet the aquaculture industry’s growth demand and sustainability goals,” said Oliver Peoples, Ph.D., president and CEO, Yield10 Bioscience.
Over the next year, Yield10 expects to scale up planted acres of Camelina to supply BioMar with oil for formulation and testing while also working toward securing regulatory approval for commercial production of omega-3 camelina oil and meal in the targeted production geographies. Yield10 and BioMar believe that the omega-3 camelina technology will play an important role in the future omega-3 market, enabling access to key nutrients from sustainable sources and paving the way for future growth within the aquaculture industry.
