Second, larger feeding trial of Cellana’s algae biomass by Thai Union builds on successful first trial

18 SEPTEMBER 2018, Bangkok, Thailand and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – Thai Union Feedmill Co., Ltd. and Cellana LLC announced today that the Thai company will conduct a large-scale shrimp feeding trial using feed formulated with high-protein algae meal derived from Cellana’s EPA Omega-3-enriched algae biomass.

Algal Solutions LLC will assist Thai Union Feedmill and Cellana in the analysis of the algae meal characteristics and the techno-economics of multi-product, commercial-scale algae biomass facilities in Thailand.

“Thai Union Feedmill is always in search for advanced technologies that can help improve the sustainability of marine ecosystems,” said Rittirong Boonmechote, President of Thai Union Feedmill, a leading producer and domestic and international distributor of aquatic animal feeds. “We would like to be the leader of change by developing new algae biomass that could potentially be a fishmeal replacement as well as an agent to enhance our aquatic feed products.”

Cellana, a leading developer of algae-based products for sustainable nutrition, ink and energy applications, has supplied Thai Union Feedmill with industrial-scale quantities of its ReNew™ Feed algae meal from its Kona Demonstration Facility. Thai Union Feedmill will formulate the algae meal along with other conventional shrimp feed ingredients for a large- scale shrimp feeding trial. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“We look forward to the results from this second shrimp feeding trial with Thai Union Feedmill, which builds on the success of an earlier trial with Cellana’s algae meal,” said Martin Sabarsky, Chief Executive Officer of Cellana.

In a paper submitted to the online open-access Nature journal, Scientific Reports, entitled “Marine microalgae improves sustainability of global fisheries and aquaculture,” collaborators from Thai Union Feedmill and Algal Solutions describe a method for saving up to 30 percent of the world’s fish catch by producing fishmeal and fish oil replacements from microalgae, a natural source of proteins and oils in the marine food web. This revolutionary technology is commercially viable. In Thailand alone, which makes 10 percent of the world’s unsustainable supply of fishmeal and fish oil, growing marine microalgae on just 1.5 percent of the land now used to grow oil palms could yield USD 650 million in annual net income on sales of USD 1 billion. Applied globally, the effect of sustainable microalgae production could alleviate up to 30 percent of fishing pressure – which would contribute enormously to restoring marine ecosystems.

As the global shrimp aquaculture industry continues to grow annually at a rate of over 4 percent, the demand for sustainable feed ingredients from microalgae is expected to rise in the future.

Cellana’s ReNew™ Feed algae meal is a sustainable, plant-based protein source that has been successfully demonstrated in numerous large-scale feeding trials for both aquatic feeds and livestock feeds. Based on Cellana’s patented ALDUO™ process involving proprietary saltwater strains of non-GMO algae, production on non-arable land, and demonstrated ability to use CO2 captured from waste emissions, Cellana’s ReNew™ Feed algae meal has one of the lowest combined carbon, fresh water, and arable land footprints of any protein source in the world.

“With a successful result of the first trial with Cellana’s algae meal, we are excited to move forward into the second trial to evaluate the viability of commercial-scale production,” said Rittirong.

Sabarsky said that “the current trial involves even larger amounts of Cellana’s algae meal as well as a commercial-scale feed formulation process, and the results will inform our ongoing evaluation of the opportunities for commercial-scale deployment of multi-product algae biomass facilities in Thailand in cooperation with Thai Union Feedmill.”

About Thai Union Feedmill Co., Ltd.

Thai Union Feedmill Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Thai Union Group PCL, is the second largest aquatic feed producer and distributor in Thailand. Established since 2000, Thai Union Feedmill’s main products are 1) pelleted shrimp feed (White Shrimp, Tiger Prawn, freshwater prawn), 2) extruded fish feed for both freshwater fish species (Tilapia, Cat fish, Redtail catfish, Snakehead, frog feed, etc.), and 3) marine finfish species (Sea bass, Grouper, Cobia, milkfish, etc.). The company also exports its products to overseas markets, such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, etc. With its advanced production technology and high- quality products, the company also provides its brand and technical support to Avanti Feeds Ltd., which is the largest shrimp feed producer in India. Further information is available at: www.thaiunionfeedmill.com.

About Thai Union Group

Thai Union Group PCL is the world’s seafood leader bringing high quality, healthy, tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for more than 40 years. Today, Thai Union is regarded as the world’s largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 135 billion (USD 4.03 billion) and a global workforce of over 49,000 people who are dedicated to  pioneering  sustainable,  innovative  seafood  products. The company’s global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King

Oscar, and Rügen Fisch and Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, Bellotta and Marvo. Further information is available at: www.thaiunion.com.

About Cellana

Cellana, a leading developer of algae-based bioproducts, uses the most productive plants on earth — marine microalgae — to photosynthetically produce its ReNew™ line of EPA Omega-3 oils, algae-based ink feedstock, and animal feed/food and biofuel feedstocks. Cellana’s patented ALDUO™ system enables economic, sustainable and consistent production of photosynthetic, non-GMO algae at industrial scale. Cellana intends to construct and operate commercial facilities to produce these products for its customers and partners, including POS Bio-Sciences, Living Ink Technologies, and Neste, among others. Further information is available at: www.cellana.com.

About Algal Solutions, LLC

Algal Solutions is a research, development, design, and consulting team whose principals have over a decade of experience in advancing marine microalgae technology for bioenergy, nutrition, and climate change mitigation applications. Using comparative techno-economic analyses (TEA), life-cycle assessments (LCA), and integrated assessment modeling (IAM), the team is an international leader in evaluating the commercialization potential and environmental consequences of large-scale marine microalgae production. The principals of Algal Solutions have designed, built, and operated algae production facilities in Hawaii, North Carolina, and the Middle East.

Contacts:

 Martin Sabarsky, Cellana CEO
+1 858-774-7915
martin.sabarsky@cellana.com

Piia Aarma Pineapple Tweed PR
+1 808-221-2102
piia@pineappletweed.com