BYEAST aims to develop better yeast for production of single cell protein from sustainable sources. Improved yeast strains will be used to develop consolidated processes for production of protein for aquaculture feed. The improved strains will be developed by applying the industrial biotechnology paradigm of using random mutagenesis with high throughput selection (HTS) and screening for improvements in targeted yeast characteristics.
SINTEF’s department for Biotechnology and Nanomedicine has over 30 years of experience in optimizing microbial cell factories. This experience combined with SINTEF’s state of the art facilities will enable us to bring the promises of SCP closer to industrial application. Main strain improvements targeted by the project are the adaptation to fast growth and efficient consumption of sustainable feedstocks: brewer’s spent grain, poultry processing sidestreams and acetic acid produced by CO2 fermentation.
Mutagenesis and HTS process will yield yeast strains with improved growth capacity on medium formulated from these feedstocks, improved cell wall characteristics, digestibility and processability. Based on process analytics and technoeconomic analysis we will develop a consolidated process for processing the feedstocks into nutritious aquaculture feed ingredients. The process will be scaled up to pilot scale (500L) and the products tested in a feeding trial on Atlantic salmon. In developing better yeasts, BYEAST will establish a strain optimization methodology that will be readily applicable to other yeast and microbe types producing feed ingredients such as lipids or micronutrients.
Innovation developed in BYEAST will facilitate valorisation of Norwegian sidestreams and biomass sources to high quality SCP in the future and directly contribute to the goals of the social mission for sustainable feed as well as overall national food and feed supply independence from imports, important in the politically volatile times.