The facility, which has been developed through a partnership of Hong Kong-based iCell Sustainable Nutrition Co and Shandong Zhonggu Starch Sugar Co of China (SZSS) will convert nutrients previously lost in processing water into a single-cell protein (SCP) for use in animal feeds. Both companies expect commercial shipments of the SCP to begin in August 2019.

The facility in Shandong is the second full-scale single-cell protein production facility established by iCell in China, which now increases their production capacity to several thousand tonnes per year. The company currently holds more than 50 patents throughout the world for the production and use of SCPs in animal and plant nutrition.

“The SCP from iCell contains high levels of protein with excellent amino acid profiles and nucleotide content, making it a more cost-effective supplement for animal feed than fish meal. We’ve also found that the SCP from iCell improves an animal’s ability to absorb the proteins and improves feed conversion ratios (FCR) because iCell’s SCP does not contain antigens typically found in plant proteins like soybean meal, making it excellent for animal feed applications,” said Dr Lijuan Wang, a senior nutritionist with iCell.

As a large-scale processor of corn starch in China, SZSS produces three million tonnes of products annually. Every day, the production facility generates more than 10,000 tonnes of nutrient-laden water that requires treatment and disposal, with costs exceeding $300,000 annually.

By converting the previously discarded nutrients found in the effluent water into single-cell proteins for use with animal feed, iCell is helping create sustainable environmental and economic benefits for SZSS.

“iCell is also helping SZSS meet stringent environmental water discharge requirements for liquid waste streams that include nitrogen and phosphorous,” said Jianhua Song.

Producers of animal feedstock are becoming more interested in single-cell protein and beneficial bacteria because it possesses a low raw-material cost, yet has a high nutritional value, making it an ideal product to compensate for a shortage of high-quality protein in feedstock.

To generate single-cell protein products, the nutrient-rich water is run through advanced and patented iCell technologies, such as rapid control fermentation, cell-wall breaking enzymolysis, instantaneous air drying and sterilisation.

iCell has been commercially producing SCP’s for several years and anticipates significant growth in the next three to five years with additional projects already in various stages of implementation in multiple countries around the world.