Microalgae isn’t new to the food scene by any means.
“Back in the 1980s, a NASA project to test the use of certain strains of microalgae as a food supply on long-duration space missions ended up discovering that the properties of microalgae were valuable to people not only in space but to life on Earth,” said George Josef, global head of marketing and nutritional lipids for nutrition, health and beauty solutions provider dsm-firmenich. “Ultimately, what started as a NASA project ended up as a relevant nutritional business for the human and animal industries, globally.”
One of the resulting products, the DHA-rich microalgae biomass DHAgold, was launched in the 1990s by then-Martek Biosciences Corp. (prior to its being purchased by Royal DSM in 2011 and renamed the DSM Nutritional Products Division).
“DHAgold has been globally embraced for multi-species animal nutrition applications to provide a reliable amount of DHA, resulting in millions of pounds sold,” said Josef. “dsm-firmenich, being a company focused on nutrition, knew we could take our expertise in omega-3 biotechnology and make it better. Millions of dollars invested in research and development led to a new generation of omega-3 EPA and DHA, and in 2018, Veramaris Pets EPA + DHA algal oil was launched.”
When did microalgae become part of the pet food conversation?
According to those in the business, microalgae has been getting its legs as a plant-based and more sustainable alternative to fish oil as a source of omega-3s.
“We saw the first requests coming from European pet food producers wanting to develop a plant-based dog food in need of a (non-fish) source of long chain omega-3s,” said Geert van der Velden, innovation manager for premium ingredients supplier iQi Trusted Petfood Ingredients. “This was back in 2020. Around that time some customers also declared that they wanted to be less dependent on omega-3 (EPA and DHA) coming from fish oil. In recent years with poor availability of fish oil and, as a result, record-high prices, the demand for sustainable alternatives only increased. Not only because the algae omega-3 sources became more affordable, also because the sales of functional pet food and treats increased (joint care, skin care, anti-inflammation, brain development, heart health, etc. all requiring elevated omega-3 levels in the diet).”
There are an increasing number of solutions out there to help grow the options for formulators.
“As long-chain omega-3 fatty acids have been proven to provide several health benefits in pet nutrition, there is an increased need in the industry to provide alternative sources of omega-3 ingredients,” said Christine Wu, technical sales manager of algae ingredients at food and biochemicals company Corbion. “Studies have demonstrated that supplementing long-chain omega-3 sourced from microalgae (Schizochytrium sp) provides health benefits in pets while helping to reduce pressure on fish oil sources as a sustainable pet food ingredient. Obtaining highly homogeneous mixtures and improving the pet food manufacturing process is an urgent task in many steps related to pet food production. Therefore, manufacturers must have solid evidence of the quality of their ingredients based on an accurate dosing, uniform mixing and thermostability of ingredients added before heat treatment.”
The need for alternatives to fish oil
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) report, “The state of world fisheries and aquaculture 2024,” world fisheries and aquaculture production hit a new high in 2022, reaching 223.2 million metric tons (185.4 million metric tons of aquatic animal and 37.8 million metric tons of algae). Of the aquatic animal production, 89% was used for human consumption, while the rest was used for non-food products, mostly fishmeal and fish oil. As those numbers continue to increase, the sustainability of the market remains a pain point — especially since aquaculture as a whole remains dominated by a small number of countries, with many low-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean not exploiting their full potential, according to the report.
“There is simply not enough fish in the sea to meet the demand for fish oil,” said Josef. “The use of marine microalgae provides a viable solution to the problem of overfishing. It is incredible to think that using 1 metric ton of the Veramaris algal oil, for example, saves up to 66 metric tons of wild-caught fish. That means 1.2 million fish are preserved for every ton of algal oil used. A bag of pet food with microalgae oil in its formula can preserve hundreds of fish from being taken out of the oceans.”
FIGURE 1: New sources of omega-3 are needed to responsibly grow pet nutrition.
Source: iQi Trusted Petfood Ingredients
Could cats and dogs simply do without the ingredient entirely?
“Dogs and cats cannot efficiently convert ALA to EPA and DHA, so including long-chain omega-3 DHA in their diet is critical,” said Wu. “It is an essential nutrient for both growth and reproduction life stages for dogs and cats. From puppies and kittens to healthy adults and seniors, omega-3 can support pets’ overall health, improving cognition, immunity and cardiovascular health as well as joint, skin and coat health.”
The future of microalgae as a pet food ingredient
When it comes to sourcing omega-3s, the pet food industry faces competition from the aquaculture and nutraceutical industries, which also rely on fish oil to source long-chain omega-3. Basically, the industry needs more options.
“We have reached the limits of what our oceans can provide in terms of long-chain omega-3s,” said Wu. “As the demand for long-chain omega-3s continues to increase, our estimates forecast a need for between 20,000 to 40,000 metric tons of additional long-chain omega-3 every year, and for that, new sources are needed to de-bottleneck the ingredient and promote sustainable growth.”
Fortunately, those sources are out there.
“We see a bright future for microalgae as a pet food ingredient,” said Josef. “We have seen how DHA, and now DHA + EPA, has enriched the lives of both humans and pets. Today’s consumer demands high-quality, nutritious, sustainably produced ingredients, which microalgae provides.”