Bryan Tracy, CEO of Delaware-based biotech company White Dog Labs, said it took about nine months of ProTyton development before even connecting with Cargill’s aqua nutrition business.

"We did an extensive amount of trialing with a CRO (contract research organization), an entity called Center for Aquaculture Technologies Canada," Tracy told IntraFish.

Center for Aquaculture Technologies Canada, which was recently purchased by Walton Family-backed investment fund Cuna Del Mar, had connections to and expertise on Cargill.

"We developed and studied applications of our product from myriad different perspectives with the wherewithal of how Cargill would use such an ingredient."