Krill protein
On behalf of Aker BioMarine (Oslo, Norway; www.akerbiomarine.com), GEA AG (Düsseldorf, Germany; www.gea.com) will design and deliver the world’s first pilot plant for hydrolyzing krill protein. Aker BioMarine fishes for Antarctic krill — tiny shrimp-like crustaceans — and uses them to develop ingredients for functional foods, aquaculture and animal feed. Slated to come online in late 2022, the new pilot plant will produce a highly concentrated protein isolate destined for food and beverages. The partners signed the engineering, procurement and construction contract valued in the double-digit million euro range in July.
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.
Aker BioMarine has developed a production process that converts protein flour into high-quality protein hydrolysate powder for human consumption. In commissioning the pilot plant, which will expand production from the current laboratory-based operation into a scalable, industrial process with a capacity of 120 ton/yr. Aker BioMarine will develop and sell commercial products and create new market opportunities.