“World’s first” krill protein plant: Aker BioMarine facility to develop functional marine ingredients

29 Jul 2021 --- Aker BioMarine has enlisted GEA to design and deliver the “world’s first” pilot plant for hydrolyzing krill protein, scheduled to launch in 2022.

The facility will produce a highly concentrated protein isolate, suitable for food and beverages.

The move will expand production from the current lab-based operation into a scalable, industrial process with a capacity of 120 tons per year. The company will then develop and sell commercial products, while working with partners to create new market opportunities.

“The functional food – or New Food – market is currently evolving very dynamically. Companies such as Aker BioMarine are not only unlocking entirely new sources of human nutrition and health but also doing so without compromising the climate and environment,” says Heinz-Jürgen Kroner, senior vice president of Liquid Technologies at GEA.

Krill protein benefits
“With GEA’s expertise in engineering plants for food ingredients, we look forward to starting operations in a highly innovative facility that will also house our research and innovation center,” says Kees van de Watering, vice president of process engineering at Aker BioMarine.

The move will expand production from the current lab-based operation into a scalable, industrial process with a capacity of 120 tons per year. The partners signed the engineering, procurement and construction contract, valued in the double-digit million euro range, in July 2021.

Powered by marine biotechnology
Aker BioMarine is a biotechnology company based in Norway that fishes for Antarctic krill – tiny shrimp-like crustaceans – and uses them to develop ingredients for functional foods, aquaculture and animal feed.

Through its activities at the new site in Ski Næringspark near Oslo, the company aims to help evolve Norway’s marine biotechnology competence cluster.

“As a manufacturer of seafood ingredients, Aker BioMarine believes it has a responsibility to improve human health through product innovation and sustainable harvesting technology,” the company says.

Aker Biomarine intends to decarbonize both its krill fisheries and production. Its decision to cooperate with GEA was motivated in part by the reduced carbon footprint that its process technology offers.

While the energy consumption and longevity of each of the plant’s components are checked, major efficiency gains are secured thanks to streamlined process planning and automation.

Creativity in functional foods
GEA has been tasked with designing all technical processes in the krill protein hydrolysis pilot plant as well as supplying and integrating the machinery and components.

The facility will produce a highly concentrated protein isolate, suitable for food and beverages.The plant will utilize the GEA CODEX based automation system. Due to a highly flexible design, the facility lends itself to further product development and innovation.

Commenting on this growth market that also holds strategic importance for GEA, Kroner says “assisting in developing new food sources provides us with an exciting opportunity to showcase our own creativity in process technology.”

Fit for human consumption
Having recently been generally recognized as safe (GRAS), Aker BioMarine’s sustainably sourced krill protein hydrolysate is now ready to be marketed in the US.

Krill protein has a complete, well-balanced amino acid profile and protein content of over 90 percent.

Hydrolysates are known to be well absorbed by the human body as a result of the hydrolysis that takes place in the process and is consequently well suited to use in functional foods.

Following extensive research into protein powder, Aker BioMarine developed a production process that converts protein flour into high-quality protein hydrolysate powder for human consumption.

Previously, Aker BioMarine spotlighted krill oil as a dietary supplement that meets a surge in consumer demand for products that support overall health and well-being.

By Kristiana Lalou

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