# Marine biotechnology Marine-derived ingredients and biomaterials — microalgal DHA/EPA omega-3, microalgae protein, seaweed biostimulants and bioplastics — cultivated from marine micro- and macroalgae to replace fish-oil and petrochemical supply chains serving infant formula, nutrition, feed and materials. Source: https://en.bioecon.ru/technology/marine-biotechnology/ Updated: 2026-08-18 ## Overview 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 | Level | Description | Key inputs/outputs | |:---|:---|:---| | **Strain Isolation & Banking** | screening marine micro/macroalgae | **In:** marine samples. **Out:** pure strain cultures. | | **Cultivation** | fermenter, photobioreactor or ocean farm | **In:** strains, sugar/CO₂, light. **Out:** algal biomass. | | **Harvesting & Cell Disruption** | dewatering, physical/chemical breakage | **In:** biomass. **Out:** broken-cell paste. | | **Extraction & Refinement** | solvent-free oil, protein, polysaccharide recovery | **In:** paste. **Out:** DHA oil, protein, biopolymers. | | **Formulation & Certification** | FDA GRAS / EU Novel Food / NMPA dossiers | **In:** ingredients. **Out:** certified ingredients. | | **Application** | infant formula, supplements, feed, bioplastics | **In:** ingredients. **Out:** consumer & industrial products. | 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. --- ## US 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. --- ## CN 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. --- ## EU 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. --- ## Leading 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. | Company / Institute | Country | Key products / platforms | Tech features | Status 2026 | |:---|:---|:---|:---|:---| | **Mara Renewables** | 🇨🇦 Canada | *algal DHA omega-3 (Algarithm, Humanativ)* | precision fermentation, $9.1M S2G | Commercial | | **Qualitas Health** | 🇺🇸 USA | *AlmegaPL® EPA-only omega-3 (iwi life)* | Nannochloropsis, FDA NDI/TGA | Commercial | | **Sea6 Energy** | 🇮🇳 India | *red-seaweed biostimulant/bioplastic/biofuel* | SeaCombine mechanised ocean farm | Commercial | | **Runke Biological** | 🇨🇳 China | *DHA/ARA microalgae oil & powder* | CN #1 (40.7% share), CNAS lab | Commercial | | **Brevel** | 🇮🇱 Israel | *microalgae protein, Purallis™ chlorella* | illuminated fermentation, $18.5M seed | Commercial | | **Huisheng Bio** | 🇨🇳 China | *organic DHA oil (HS01 strain)* | 4-country strain patent, EU Novel Food | Commercial | --- ## Tech 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. --- ## Value 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.