7.2 NuFrontiers - Proteon Pharmaceuticals and Enough Foods

Nutreco’s strategic innovation and investment team, NuFrontiers, invests in and partners with companies developing technology for the future of protein production. In 2021, it added multiple new companies to its portfolio, including Proteon Pharmaceuticals and Enough Foods.

Proteon Pharmaceuticals

Poland-based bacteriophage technology company Proteon aims to tackle health challenges in the aquaculture and livestock industry.

Bacteriophage – or phage – is the natural enemy of bacteria. Phages are also the most abundant and oldest organisms on the planet and are selected based on their ability to target specific bacteria. Proteon has mastered the process of selecting and multiplyingspecific phages against pathogenic bacteria. Applying those phages to animals, can control and prevent the growth of pathogens in the animal body.

 

With bacterial challenges being some of the most prevalent in aquaculture, Skretting has joined forces with Proteon to co-develop bacteriophage-based products and will provide the expertise needed to develop phage ingredients for farmed fish and shrimp. The collaboration is aimed at providing functional solutions to reduce the reliance on antibiotics within aquaculture farming. Skretting’s capabilities will also be key in developing phage ingredients into suitable animal feed solutions and in supporting farmers in using these novel solutions as part of a holistic health strategy.

A collaboration to reduce the reliance on antibiotics within aquaculture farming.

ENOUGH Foods

In 2021, NuFrontiers co-led an investment round into alternative food protein producer ENOUGH Foods. Enough has sought to address the challenge of producing sustainable, healthy protein by fermenting ABUNDA mycoprotein (an ingredient already recognised in the market) more sustainably and at a lower cost than other protein options.

ENOUGH is currently building its first industrial-scale plant and targets growing over one million tonnes by 2032 – the equivalent of replacing five million cows or over one billion chickens or reducing more than six million tonnes of CO2 emissions – the equivalent of planting >30 million trees.

ABUNDA is sustainable because of its advantaged feed conversion, low carbon footprint and water usage. The feed conversion for Enough’s zero-waste protein is between three and 15 times more efficient than any competing plant-and animal-derived protein source, while carbon emissions are 15% to 80% lower.

Nutreco’s partnership with ENOUGH is focused on supporting Enough’s fermentation process by supplying inputs from our large-scale feed ingredient supply chain.

Before ENOUGH, we had previously explored the food protein value chain with earlier investments in Mosa Meat and BlueNalu.

Chapters:

7.1 Watson swine production simulation tool
7.2 NuFrontiers
7.3 Skretting Italy’s CarbonBalance®