Special Edition: Alternative Feed Proteins
Blue protein
Organic pig and poultry producers in Europe face a lack of organic protein sources. Mussels and starfish may fit well as future feedstuffs for that segment but there are challenges around processing such raw materials into meal.
Jan Værum Nørgaard, associate professor in the Department of Animal Science at Denmark’s Aarhus University, is involved in various research projects on alternative proteins at the university.
The researchers there are evaluating the nutritional benefits and the technical aspects linked to the production of protein meal of mealworms as well as their direct consumption, along with exploration of the potential of green proteins such as extract from clover grass, and blue proteins including mussel and starfish meal and seaweed. They are also weighing up the pros and cons of microbial biomass.
