ALGAE might not be the most interesting of topics in agriculture, but they have the potential to revolutionise not only the farming industry but also the health sector in humans.

Able to provide a sustainable source of the fat Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) – an omega 3 fatty acid naturally found in some species of algae and in fatty fish used for fish oil – algae nutritional products are helping to produce healthier animals producing higher yields of milk and meat. In turn, this provides consumers with increased levels of nutrition in terms of much needed fatty acids.

Algae particularly the seaweeds, are also used as fertilisers, resulting in less nitrogen and phosphorous runoff than results from the use of livestock manure.

But it's not just about increased levels of nutrition, Alltech, a global biotechnology company focusing on agriculture, has found that algae not only produces increased litter size and vigour in piglets, but also lower rates of mortality and improved feed conversion efficiency.

Increased bone strength which is important in broilers, has also been discovered along with improved taste and appearance in DHA-fortified eggs from layers fed with Alltech's algae product.

And, household pets fed an Alltech feed have also been shown to have better appetites and more lustrous coats.

Speaking at the Alltech ONE conference in Kentucky, Sasha Tozzi told the 3000+ delegates attending from more than 70 countries, that algae is gaining momentum throughout the world as it is able to provide a highly sustainable source of DHA compared to global fisheries which are already struggling.

"Our algae are rich in total fat content and in DHA, an essential omega-3 fatty acid, and therefore represent a sustainable alternative to fish oil produced from fisheries around the world which are already at capacity," said Sasha pointing out their is increasing global demand for DHA omega 3.

Aquaculture’s current model requires approximately the oil from one fish in the feed to grow a new fish and provide sufficient fat and DHA. However, the Alltech algae product is suitable and beneficial to all animal feeds in addition to aqua feed, according to Mr Tozzi who highlighted the algae produced in the in the company's Winchester site opened Kentucky, in 2011.

"The algae is simply dried and, by skipping the extraction step, the fat is kept and DHA protected within the whole algal cell to produce a 2-4% moisture content finished product."

By incorporated this type of product into the feeds of beef and dairy cattle, studies by Alltech have shown that algae also has a positive metabolic effect with improved digestion, while also increasing milk yields, and reducing somatic cell counts in dairy cattle.

According to Mr Tozzi, there are roughly 800,000 species of algae, which vary greatly in form, function and chemical composition. As one of the world's largest commercial production sites, Alltech is exploring which species of microalgae and bioproduct of their cultivation have an immediate commercial application in crop sciences and nutritio.n

In the Winchester facility, the company grows a strain of microalgae that is isolated from nature (never manipulated molecularly, ie Non GM). This strain is grown through a completely sterile process that guarantees the purity and quality of our product.

In comparison to the quality of fish oil, which can carry over bioaccumulated heavy metals, PCBs and other contaminants, the algae powder produced here is completely traceable and consistent.

This strain is grown heterotrophically (without light) with a fermentation type process, which compares to algae grown autotrophically (with light) which require much larger land extensions and thereby an increased carbon footprint, and a higher volume of water to make comparable amounts of biomass.

Biomass growth is rapidly limited by light (lack of). Autotrophic growth at commercial scale is always outdoor and therefore subject to weather conditions for all boundary conditions, such as light/sun, temperature, water salinity, that control the crop growth.

Instead, Alltech start from a small frozen seed and obtain tens of tons of finish dried algae product from that seed in a few weeks. Stages of production are proprietary.

Necessary carbon comes from a variety sources to include glucose from corn which is the most readily available and cost effective at present, but are sources are continually evaluated depending on future needs.

There are also huge benefits for consumers too, according to Nikki Putnam, registered dietician nutritionist at Alltech.

“Consumers are becoming increasingly nutrition-focused, seeking out foods that provide specific health benefits when shopping at the supermarket. They’re demanding more nutrition out of each bite while asking farmers and the food industry to keep their food fresh and flavorful.

"Alltech’s ForPlus and All-G Rich dried micro-algae fermentation products give producers the opportunity to increase the nutrient content of pork, milk and eggs without changing the flavour and quality consumers expect,” she concluded.