Startup aims to come to aquafeed sector's rescue with natural coloring

June 9, 2021

A startup pitching at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum's "seafood innovation day" is aiming to come to the rescue of an aquafeed industry that relies on coloring to give seafood its "right" hue.

Hawaii's Kuehnle AgroSystems (KAS) has developed a "dark fermentation" process for the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis, a trusted source of natural astaxanthin. It debuted the product in February this year.

KAS' production system can make the coloring at costs up to 10-times less than current methods, growing it and developing its red color faster. It is low cost, high value, and "massively scalable", said Kuehnle.

The firm grows its algae in steel tanks and in complete darkness, using standard fermentation equipment. "It is a patented platform technology with enormous market pull for multiple products," said Kuehnle.

https://www.undercurrentnews.com/2021/06/09/startup-aims-to-come-to-aquafeed-sectors-rescue-with-natural-coloring/