Biofuel Development Shifting From Soil To Sea, Specifically To Marine Algae

Today, the most fervent attention in biofuel development has shifted from soil to the sea, and specifically to marine algae. Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, along with researchers at UCSD’s Division of Biological Sciences, are part of an emerging algal biofuel consortium that includes academic collaborators, CleanTECH San Diego, regional industry representatives, and public and private partners.

Scripps scientists see algae as a “green bullet,” science and society’s best hope for a clean bioenergy source that will help loosen broad dependence on fossil fuel, counteract climate warming, and power the vehicles of the future.

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Herring milt to fight Malnutrition

Food products containing herring milt may in the future contribute to fighting malnutrition.

Up until the 1960s, English coalminers consumed products based on herring milt to stay healthy. Such products were also sold in Norway. However, this raw material from herring is not exploited today. Scientists and industry want to attempt to change this.

A new project, which is being funded by the Norwegian Fishermen’s Sales Organization for Pelagic Fish, is working to develop a powder product based on white corn and herring milt.

“Many people object to eating products based on milt, which is fish sperm, but think it’s fine to eat roe, which is fish eggs,” says Jan Pettersen, Senior Scientist at Nofima Ingredients.

“But the milt is extremely nutritious and can contribute to fighting malnutrition in areas where this is common.”

Herring milt has the ideal composition as an additive to food in developing countries, as it contains high levels of many of the nutrients missing in the food.

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Seaweed fabric releases marine amino acids, minerals and vitamins into the skin upon contact with moisture

Lululemon Athletica has been a standout performer on Wall Street since it went public in July, thanks to the popularity of its costly yoga and other workout clothes, which are made with unusual materials, including bamboo, silver, charcoal, coconut and soybeans.

The label on a shirt at Lululemon says it contains seaweed.

One of its lines is called VitaSea, and the company says it is made with seaweed. The fabric, according to product tags, “releases marine amino acids, minerals and vitamins into the skin upon contact with moisture.” Lululemon, which has received positive media coverage for its fabrics, also says the VitaSea clothing, made from seaweed fiber supplied by a company called SeaCell, reduces stress and provides anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, hydrating and detoxifying benefits.

There is one problem with its VitaSea claims, however. Some of them may not be true.

The New York Times commissioned a laboratory test of a Lululemon shirt made of VitaSea, and reviewed a similar test performed at another lab, and both came to the same conclusion: there was no significant difference in mineral levels between the VitaSea fabric and cotton T-shirts.

In other words, the labs found no evidence of seaweed in the Lululemon clothing.

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Bioprospecting for Improved Methods of Biofuel Production

UMBI has received a $575,000, three-year subcontract awardbfrom the University of California at Berkeley to develop more efficient ways to convert lignocellulose to biofuels such as ethanol and butanol. The subcontract is part of a multifaceted, collaborative research and development effort designed to improve the efficiency of biofuel production. These efforts are led by three Principal Investigators, including Dr. Frank T. Robb of UMBI’s Center of Marine Biotechnology, Dr. Douglas S. Clark and Dr. Harvey W. Blanch of the Chemical Engineering Department at Berkeley.

Lignocellulose contains cellulose and lignin, the two most abundant biopolymers on earth. They are found in municipal paper waste, wood residues from sawmills and paper mills, dedicated energy crops such as woody grasses, and agricultural wastes such as corn stover. Conversion of lignocellulose to environmentally friendly fuels such as ethanol represents a major component of efforts to prevent climate changes such as global warming.

Dr. Robb will lead an innovative research program designed to improve the efficiency of conversion of the cellulosic biomass to biofuels. Making use of microorganisms that thrive at very high temperatures in natural hot springs, the research team will be “bioprospecting” for new enzymes that will allow the conversion to take place at high temperatures.

The research conducted at UMBI is one component of a broader effort taking place at the Energy Biosciences Institute, a partnership between BP, the University of California, Berkeley; the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and the University of Illinois.

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Aquapharm and Dr. Reddy’s Sign Commercial License Agreements

Scottish marine biotechnology company Aquapharm Biodiscovery Limited signed a new commercial license agreement and an extended an existing research and development license agreement with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited. The commercial license covers selected strains from the Aquapharm library of novel marine microorganisms. These strains will be used to generate commercial biocatalysts for specific applications in the manufacture of pharmaceutical intermediates at the Dr. Reddy’s R&D site at Cambridge, UK. Under these agreements, Aquapharm will receive milestone payments as well as royalties on commercialization of the product by Dr. Reddy’s.

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Key Discovery Based Company, Bioprospecting NB Inc. Opens New Lab in Sackville, NB

BioProspecting NB Inc. is a drug discovery company that focuses on novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer and chronic pain. The drug candidates are derived from soricidin, a compound isolated from the venom of the shrew, a small mammal native to Eastern Canada. Stewart initially studied shrew venom’s paralyzing effects because other mammals’ paralyzing venom has led to the development of pain-killing drugs. However, further research demonstrated an ability to activate programmed cell death in certain types of cells, an important discovery since tests on human cancer cells show it hits the cells selectively, without attacking healthy cells or causing side effects. To assist the company’s research, the Canadian Government has invested $422,000 through ACOA’s Business Development Program and $135,000 through the National Research Council Canada Industrial Assistance Program.

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Marine Biotech Revenues Projected to Reach $3.78 Billion by 2012, According to New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc

A growing interest from the medical, pharmaceutical, aquaculture, and industrial sectors, the global market for marine biotechnology drive this projected rise in revenue. The advent of advanced scientific disciplines such as molecular biology, genomics, bioinformatics and the application of information technology to biotechnology has tremendously enhanced human understanding of marine life. Widening applications in several end-use areas including marine transportation, environmental remediation, cosmetics, research, and food sectors also contributed to market growth. However, the industry is still in a nascent stage and accounts for a tiny percentage of the overall biotech market. Given the vast untapped potential, the marine biotech sector holds promising growth prospects for the future. The United States is the single largest market for marine biotechnology worldwide. The market is forecasted to be over US$1 billion in 2008 as stated by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Non-US markets are projected to record faster growth with a compounded annual rate exceeding 5% through 2012. Thickeners including agar, alginates, carrageen, and flocculants account for a majority of the marine biomaterials market. The marine biotech sector is characterized by the presence of numerous players ranging from pharmaceutical companies to research-oriented niche companies.

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When it Comes to Going Green, These N.C. Scientists are Singing the Blues

This year scientists in North Carolina have made a resolution to embrace a new earth-friendly trend — going Blue. This new charge is coming out of MARBIONC (Marine Biotechnology in North Carolina), one of the country’s newest business incubators that discovers, develops and markets new products and technologies derived from the sea. “The ocean holds the key to renewable energy, environmentally friendly cosmetics, renewable seafood sources, and even new treatments for diseases,” adds Jeffrey Wright, Ph.D., Principal and Director of Research of MARBIONC. According to the World Wildlife Fund, over 60 percent of the world’s marine life is over-fished. The scientists at MARBIONC are cultivating black sea bass and southern flounder in on-shore tanks, creating a renewable food source that eliminates the destructive in-ocean farming practices that put harmful waste back into the environment. MARBIONC has the nation’s largest collection of marine microorganisms whose land-based cousins account for 70 percent of all antibiotics in existence. Most recently, they patented a treatment for cystic fibrosis with a molecule derived from Florida Red Tide.

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Another Tasty Way for Kids to Increase Their Omega-3 Intake

Ocean Nutrition Canada Limited (ONC), supplier of MEG-3® brand Omega-3 EPA/DHA food and dietary supplement ingredients, is pleased to announce that Bernard Matthews Ltd. has included the MEG-3® healthy food ingredient in their children’s range of Packed Munch Sliced Deli Meats. Designed to offer parents a nutritious and versatile sandwich component for lunch boxes, the Packed Munch range of Sliced Deli Meats includes Turkey Ham Slices and Turkey Breast Slices that contain 190-200 mg of MEG-3® brand Omega-3 EPA/DHA, from fish oil per 100 gram serving. EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA (Docosahexaneonic Acid) are the essential fatty acids important for good health, normal growth and development of the brain, eyes, and nerves. Ian Lucas, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, at Ocean Nutrition Canada said, “Now, with Packed Munch Sliced Deli Meats, children can get the goodness of fish, without the taste of fish, in this convenient great tasting deli meat from Bernard Matthews. It’s a great way to sneak a little Omega-3 into children’s diets!”

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Microbes May Scrub Way to Profits

Michael Dennis was the president and CEO of Genome Atlantic when he became interested in using microbes to clean up the environment. Microbes are natural cleaning agents because they decompose and digest waste. “I realized the market opportunities in the growing green economy were huge,” he said. Thus, he left his position with Genome Atlantic and founded Blue Bio. “There is an enormous shift in the business world toward revamping processes and materials to prevent pollution. As companies determine how to adopt green business practices, service providers who can get ahead of the wave of that shift will find a ready market. That’s where we plan to play.” Blue Bio looked for systems that already incorporated biotechnology. Late last year he acquired local rights for a system that targets machinery. “All machines need to be degreased and right now the standard is to use chemical solvents, which not only emit greenhouse gasses and other pollutants, but create waste that is considered extremely toxic,” he says. “We have a system that uses water-based cleaners to degrease and then microbes to digest the waste; thus, no emissions, no hazardous waste to dispose.” He and his partner see the market opportunities in the tougher environmental standards that companies will have to meet in the not-too-distant future. The long-term vision is in the area of converting waste to bio-energy.

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