Marine biotechnology

01Overview and value chain

Markers: [EC: EU Novel Food Regulation + China marine-bioindustry development plan | OECD: Bio-based materials, Agricultural biotechnology | Regulator: FDA (USA), EFSA (EU), NMPA (China)]

Marine biotechnology cultivates marine micro- and macroalgae to produce high-value ingredients — DHA/EPA omega-3 oils, microalgae protein, seaweed biostimulants and bioplastics — replacing the wild-caught fish-oil and petrochemical supply chains behind infant formula, dietary supplements, animal feed and functional materials. Roughly 85% of the global population is deficient in omega-3 DHA, and traditional fish-oil supply meets only a fraction of demand; algal DHA at ≥40% purity, fermented from Schizochytrium, is the scalable fish-free answer. The field spans heterotrophic fermentation (sugar-fed microalgae), photoautotrophic cultivation (light-driven) and mechanised ocean farming of tropical seaweed.

The key directions of marine biotechnology are:

1. Microalgal omega-3 (DHA / EPA): Schizochytrium, Crypthecodinium and Nannochloropsis fermented or photosynthesised into fish-free DHA/EPA oils at ≥40% purity — Mara offset an estimated 6.7 billion anchovies in 2024.
2. Microalgal protein & biomass (Microalgal Protein): Chlorella and other microalgae grown as neutral-tasting, non-allergenic alternative protein (up to 87% concentration) competing with soy and pea.
3. Macroalgae (seaweed) biorefinery (Seaweed Biorefinery): tropical red seaweed mechanised-farmed for biostimulants, bioplastics, food ingredients and biofuel — Sea6’s SeaCombine harvests and replants in deep ocean.
4. Marine ingredients & biomaterials (Marine Ingredients): algal carotenoids, polysaccharides (carrageenan) and marine peptides for nutrition, cosmetics and biomaterials.

Sectoral value chain

[marine strain banking] ──> [cultivation] ──> [harvest & disruption] ──> [extraction]
                                   │
                      (fermenter / photobioreactor / ocean farm)
                                   │
                                   ▼
[consumer application] <─── [formulation + certification] <─────┘

Value chain levels

Cross-cutting technologies of the sector:

• Heterotrophic fermentation (Heterotrophic Fermentation): sugar-fed fermenters grow Schizochytrium to high DHA density independent of light and season.
• Illuminated fermentation hybrid (Illuminated Fermentation): Brevel unites light and sugar fermentation in one closed sterile system, claiming up to 100× light-only biomass.
• Mechanised ocean seaweed farming (Mechanised Ocean Farming): Sea6’s SeaCombine simultaneously harvests and replants seaweed in deep water for cost-competitive scale.

02US

The US leads fish-free omega-3 commercialisation, with algal-DHA scale-up backed by clinical validation and major brand offtake.

fish-free omega-3 scale-up, EPA-only Nannochloropsis IP, infant-formula offtake

• Mara Renewables (Canada): founded 2012 in Halifax/Dartmouth Nova Scotia (by Clearwater Seafoods co-founder John Risley); raised $9.1M USD ($12.5M CAD) from S2G Investments in July 2025 as an extension of its 2022 $39.5M CAD round; precision-fermented algal DHA via subsidiaries Algarithm and Humanativ — in 2024 it offset an estimated 6.7 billion anchovies and supplies Nestlé, M&S and Ritual.
• Qualitas Health (iwi life): Houston-based; AlmegaPL® — a triple-patented, EPA-only omega-3 from photoautotrophic Nannochloropsis — clinically shown to cut triglycerides 14% and remnant cholesterol up to 25%; FDA-listed as an NDI and TGA-listed in Australia, distributed globally via the SourceOne partnership (2024).
• Market pull: with ~85% of the global population omega-3-deficient and fish-oil supply capped, algal DHA at ≥40% purity is scaling into infant formula, supplements, functional foods and aqua/poultry feed.

03CN

China dominates the supply side of algal DHA, with two listed-grade producers holding global top-3 share and export-grade certification.

algal DHA market leadership, patented Schizochytrium strains, GRAS + EU Novel Food export

• Runke Biological (广东润科): founded May 2000 in Shantou, Guangdong; China’s #1 (40.73% domestic share) and global #2 microalgae DHA producer (global top-3); Fujian Zhao’an base (320 mu, since 2008) is its largest DHA plant; its central lab earned CNAS national accreditation in January 2026, with FDA GRAS, EU Novel Food, ISO/HACCP/FSSC22000 certification and co-authorship of national DHA/ARA standards — twice a Forbes China Potential 100 company.
• Huisheng Bio (厦门汇盛): founded 2001 in Xiamen, Fujian; its patented Schizochytrium HS01 strain is protected across China, the US, Japan and the EU (EP3628679); produces organic DHA oil (35/40/50%) and microalgae DHA powder (7/10%) with CN+US organic, EU Novel Food, FDA GRAS, Kosher and Halal status, and a national health-food batch (G20160519).
• Export posture: both ship algal DHA into global infant-formula and nutrition markets, leveraging Schizochytrium DHA’s ≥40% purity and ESG edge over fish oil.

04EU

Europe anchors the alternative-protein frontier with illuminated-fermentation microalgae platforms and clean-label chlorella.

illuminated fermentation protein, chlorella standardisation, alt-dairy offtake

• Brevel (Israel): founded 2016 in Kiryat Gat by the Golan brothers; its “illuminated fermentation” platform unites light and sugar fermentation in one closed sterile system; $18.5M seed (CBC Group) financed a 27,000 sq ft plant scaling from 5,000 L to 30,000 L bioreactors; Purallis™ clean-label Chlorella launched for nutraceuticals in March 2026, with a 10-year offtake to Israel’s largest beverage company CBC Group and a 900,000 L JV planned.
• Protein economics: Brevel targets a 60–70% (up to 87%) neutral, non-allergenic protein concentrate priced at $15–20/kg initially, falling below $10/kg mid-term — competing with pea and soy for alt-dairy applications.

05Leading companies and research institutes

India supplies the macroalgae angle through Sea6 Energy (Bangalore, founded 2010), which has built the SeaCombine mechanised ocean-farming system for tropical red seaweed and a processing platform spanning biostimulants, bioplastics, food ingredients and biofuel; it has raised $36.4M total (including $9M from Aqua-Spark in 2021 and BASF Venture Capital’s 2022 investment), employs ~130 staff across 11 countries, and in December 2024 signed a strategic seaweed-biofuel partnership with Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) under India’s National Biofuel Policy.

06Tech stack and innovations

The stack rests on three cultivation platforms: heterotrophic fermentation, photoautotrophic/illuminated cultivation, and mechanised ocean seaweed farming.

1. Heterotrophic microalgae fermentation (Heterotrophic Fermentation):
   • sugar-fed fermenters grow Schizochytrium or Crypthecodinium to high DHA density independent of light and season, producing ≥40%-purity algal DHA oil.
   • case: Mara offset an estimated 6.7 billion anchovies in 2024; Runke holds 40.73% of China’s algal-DHA market from its 320-mu Fujian base.
2. Photoautotrophic & illuminated microalgae (Photoautotrophic & Illuminated):
   • Nannochloropsis and Chlorella are grown with light (photoautotrophic) or a light+sugar hybrid (illuminated fermentation) to yield EPA-only omega-3 or neutral-tasting protein.
   • case: Qualitas’s AlmegaPL® delivers EPA-only Nannochloropsis oil; Brevel’s illuminated fermentation claims up to 100× the biomass of light-only methods at up to 87% protein.
3. Tropical macroalgae biorefinery (Macroalgae Biorefinery):
   • red seaweed is mechanised-farmed offshore and refined into biostimulants, bioplastics, food ingredients and biofuel, with a 60-day freshness process that extends the 1–2 day shelf life of raw macroalgae.
   • case: Sea6’s SeaCombine + HPCL partnership target seaweed-to-biocrude via hydrothermal liquefaction under India’s National Biofuel Policy.

07Value chains and production pipelines

Industrial pipeline of a marine-biotech plant (FDA GRAS / EU Novel Food)

┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 1. Strain isolation       │ ───> │ 2. Cultivation            │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘
                                                  │
                                                  ▼
┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 4. Extraction             │ <─── │ 3. Harvest & disruption   │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘
              │
              ▼
┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 5. Formulation + certs    │ ───> │ 6. Application            │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘

Stage 1: Strain isolation & banking

Marine microalgae (Schizochytrium, Crypthecodinium, Nannochloropsis, Chlorella) and tropical macroalgae are screened and banked as proprietary strains — Huisheng’s HS01 is patented across China, the US, Japan and the EU.

Stage 2: Cultivation

Strains are grown in heterotrophic fermenters (sugar-fed), photoautotrophic photobioreactors/ponds (light-fed), or illuminated-fermentation hybrids; Brevel runs 5,000 L bioreactors scalable to 30,000 L, while Sea6 farms red seaweed offshore with the SeaCombine.

Stage 3: Harvesting & cell disruption

Biomass is dewatered and cells are physically broken (Huisheng’s non-solvent cell-wall rupture avoids chemical residues); for seaweed, Sea6’s 60-day freshness process stabilises raw biomass that otherwise spoils in 1–2 days.

Stage 4: Extraction & refinement

Solvent-free and supercritical-CO₂ routes recover DHA oil (Runke/Huisheng/Mara at 35–50%+ DHA), protein concentrate (Brevel up to 87%), and polysaccharides/biopolymers — yielding ESG-favourable, fish-free ingredients.

Stage 5: Formulation & certification

Ingredients are certified FDA GRAS / NDI, EU Novel Food, NMPA, Kosher and Halal (Runke and Huisheng hold the full export-grade bundle); clinical trials validate health claims (Qualitas’s -14% triglyceride result).

Stage 6: Application

Certified ingredients flow into infant formula (Mara → Nestlé), supplements (iwi life), aqua/poultry feed (Humanativ), alt-dairy protein (Brevel → CBC Group), biostimulant-coated fertilizer (Sea6) and bioplastics — closing marine biomass into consumer and industrial products.