Grant: Engage Grants Program

Cana-add Inc., an innovative company specializing in the manufacture and distribution of animal nutrition products, sees the potential in the nutrient-rich seafood waste from processing plants in PEI. They want to develop methods to extract the high value omega lipids and the lipid-soluble bioactive carotenoids from this waste. At present, omega-rich fish oils are obtained solely from wild fisheries which are not sustainable, and the cost of this oil for inclusion in aquaculture and animal diets has risen markedly (US$ 2500/T). Although carotenoids are essential nutrients in animal diets for their antioxidant and pigmentation properties, inclusion has been limited because of cost, availability and the lack of a natural source. Carotenoids are added to animal feeds as potent antioxidants and pigments, primarily in poultry and aquaculture diets. At present, the production of carotenoids is expensive and chemically synthetic which may cause health issues in those animals. The global market for carotenoids was $766 million in 2007. This is expected to increase to $950 million by 2016. Cana-add Inc. needs technical and methodological development from the researcher to extract omega lipids and carotenoids from shellfish wastes present on PEI. Dr. McNiven's laboratory at UPEI has had 25 years of experience with lipid and omega fatty acid methodologies and will collaborate to develop novel methods to extract omega lipid and carotenoids from seafood waste. This will provide an economical and natural source of carotenoids to take part in the world market growth of carotenoids, achieve profitability for the company, and contribute significantly to the PEI's natural products revenue.