Calysseo – a joint venture between animal nutrition company Adisseo and protein innovator Calysta – is unveiling the “world’s first” industrial-scale facility for FeedKind, a protein ingredient that does not require animal or plant matter. 

The Calysseo facility in Chongqing, China, will initially manufacture 20,000 tons of protein annually. According to Calysta, the fermenter will become the world’s largest single protein manufacturing facility once startup operations are finished.

“We will provide Chinese customers with a reliable, domestically available supply of protein that meets their specific needs – produced in China for China,” says Jean-Marc Dublanc, CEO at Adisseo. 

“Food security has increasingly come under the spotlight recently, but we are now entering a new era of [environmentally] sustainable food production.”

Calysseo brings to the market a new way of making quality protein, using a naturally-occurring microbe that causes the resulting non-GMO protein – something that is increasingly demanded throughout the supply chain, he explains.

“Cellular agriculture – wher protein is grown in a controlled environment – is key to helping the world meet its future food needs and we are glad to be taking the first steps on our journey to hyper-scaling this technology with Adisseo,” adds Alan Shaw, co-founder, CEO and president of Calysta.

Preserving biodiversity and meeting protein demand
FeedKind protein is nutrient-dense and non-GMO, allowing aquaculture companies to preserve biodiversity.

The microbial protein is created via a natural fermentation process inside an advanced, high-capacity u-loop reactor patented by Calysta. It fulfills a rising demand for a sustainable source of protein to suit the needs of an expanding population and rising concerns over biodiversity preservation.

The FeedKind protein may be manufactured without harming wild areas because it requires little water and no plant or animal debris.

The Chongqing facility will produce FeedKind Aqua for use in fish farming, enabling farmers to substitute fishmeal and soy with the product. The initial market for production will be China.

Calysta’s protein platform is also approved in livestock feeds and pet food.

Good for aquaculture?
Adisseo and Calysta’s strategic partnership may address one of aquaculture’s most significant opportunities: to produce quality seafood without putting further strain on the environment.

According to the companies, FeedKind will aid in reducing the demand on wild fisheries. The partners state that 100,000 tons of FeedKind may save between 420,000 and 450,000 tons of wild-caught fish if utilized in place of conventional protein sources.

The same amount of FeedKind, used in place of vegetable proteins, could release up to 535 square km of land and conserve 9 billion liters of water.

The companies note that following rigorous experiments on several well-known aquaculture species, including seabass, bream and salmon, FeedKind Aqua has been effective over the years. 

The Kasetsart University in Thailand recently discovered specific advantages for shrimp, claiming that FeedKind encourages strong, healthy growth while also assisting in the activation of shrimp’s immune response to vibrio, the cause of early mortality syndrome.

Since it was discovered in 2009, early mortality syndrome has reportedly wreaked havoc on the Asian aquaculture market, causing billions of dollars in losses.