Safe and sustainable protein sources from the forest industry - The case of fish feed

Abstract Background Aquaculture represents a solution to the future world demand for healthy protein while challenges that require urgent solutions are emerging in feed production, such as the rising costs of feed protein and massive imports. From a European perspective, a large proportion of the protein demand is met with imported protein. This article will focus on the development of protein-rich microorganisms (i.e. Single cell protein) as a novel raw material in fish feed which can be produced as an important co-product in wood-based biorefineries, increasing sustainability and the utilization of organic waste material. Scope and Approach Developing a safe and sustainable protein resource from local organic waste-material represents an opportunity for Europe to decrease its reliance on nutritional imports, and address mounting food sector sustainability concerns and a growing protein deficit. At the same time, the nutrient recycling industry represents a growing industry, addressing waste valorization and protein feed production concerns at once. Key Findings and Conclusion An industry and research collaboration has focused on selecting which microorganisms and residual streams from a wood-biorefinery site that would be best suited for production of SCP. The study showed that 38–68% of the fishmeal in a Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) feed could be replaced with SCP while maintaining a similar or slightly improved fish growth. As reported by FAO, aquaculture production of Nile tilapia in 2014 was 3.7 million tonnes, making it one of the most produced fish species in the world.