Deep Branch has secured further investment for its new type of single-cell protein called Proton, made by microbes that converts CO 2 from industrial emissions.
In a press release, UK biotech company Deep Branch writes that with the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator funding of EUR 2.5 million the company will be able to scale up the production process.
The REACT-FIRST project is the UK’s first-ever scalable route to the sustainable generation of protein capturing the carbon dioxide from bio-energy generation. Deep Branch was one of only two UK companies to be shortlisted for the EIC programme.
The funding will go towards building a new facility at the Netherlands-based Brightlands Chemelot Campus, a hub for circular chemistry and chemical processes, which Deep Branch expects to be operational by Q2 2021.
“Using microbes to convert CO 2 from industrial emissions, into a new type of single-cell protein, called Proton, Deep Branch has developed a low carbon animal feed with a nutritional profile that is comparable with fishmeal, the gold-standard protein source in aquafeed. However, unlike fishmeal, Proton can be produced year-round, reducing the impact of any seasonal fluctuations in price or yield,” wrote Deep Branch.
Deep Branch is looking to aquaculture as a testbed for sustainable protein production whilst also encouraging CO2 capture.
“The REACT-FIRST project supported by grant funding from Innovate UK, the UK’s Innovation Agency. It brings together 10 consortium partners from industry and academia that share a commitment to tackling the global climate crisis and achieving net zero carbon emissions in the food production industry. Extensive research and testing will help the partners to gather valuable data about the cost, digestibility, nutritional quality and carbon footprint of Proton,” wrote the start up.
Salmon feed giant BioMar and the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) are involved in the project.
“Working with renewable power company, Drax, as well as a consortium of industry-leading partners, the technology has already been proven on a smaller scale,” added Deep Branch .
