Feed producer Corbion, said Thailand-based seafood producer and processor Thai Union has successfully trialed its AlgaPrime DHA algae-based shrimp feed.

Since 2016, Corbion has been producing AlgaPrime DHA on an industrial scale.

Produced through fermentation using non-GM cane sugar as a feedstock, Corbion says the algae ingredient contains around three times the level of DHA of fish oil.

Shrimp farming currently consumes around 100,000 metric tons of fish oil annually, mainly because fish oil contains DHA, a key ingredient in shrimp growth and development.

Global demand for omega-3s, such as DHA, is growing rapidly, but the availability of omega-3s from their current source – wild caught fish – is limited, Corbion said.

Earlier this month, French supermarket chain Supermarché Match launched a new line of fresh salmon supplied by Lingalaks and fed with marine algae oil from Veramaris.

In January German retail chain Kaufland, part of the German Schwarz Group, became the first retailer to feature the product, according to Lingalaks.

Aside from these developments, Calysta recently showed off Thai Union commercially produced shrimp fed on natural gas protein at the recent Seafood Expo trade fair in Brussels.