Expansion of microalgae production to improve Singapore's food security

Singapore

LOCAL agritech startup Life3 Biotech and Temasek Polytechnic have joined forces in an effort to improve Singapore's food and nutrition security.

Life3 Biotech revealed that its continued partnership with Temasek Polytechnic aims to develop a special cultivation medium that uses food by-products to enhance the growth as well as nutritional profile of its microalgae variety as food ingredients.

In doing so, they hope to expand the production scale of plant-based seafood alternatives and help address concerns about Singapore's food security.

This follows an initial collaboration between the startup and the polytechnic in a scale-up production of microalgae both in indoors and an outdoor bioreactor in its initial research collaboration with Temasek Polytechnic at its Project Cube/Roots' agritech facility.

Project Cube/Roots is a local tripartite partnership between National Junior College, Life3 Biotech and the Singapore Food Agency. It produces research and developmental work on innovative, sustainable agri-tech solutions for the production of healthy food products.

Life3 Biotech's founder Ricky Lin said: "Given the land constraints in Singapore, it is very challenging to grow protein crops extensively as compared to other countries. However, this can be made possible with Singapore's first large-scale vertical bioreactor tanks."

The first phase of the bioreactor tanks have already been built, with the second phase now under way. The second phase includes a bigger bioreactor that enlarges the production scale of the product.

Target completion is set to be in December this year.

"Life3 is cultivating its own food-grade microalgae to harvest its high protein content as well as functional compounds such as Omega 3 Fatty Acids that are instrumental to human health," he added. Mr Lin also mentioned that the partnership with Temasek Polytechnic will enhance the production of a high-growth microalgae variety in a shorter harvesting time frame.

"This will certainly contribute towards achieving the national goal of producing 30 per cent of Singapore's nutritional needs locally by 2030 - we are excited to spearhead this alternative plant-based protein sources in addition to our portfolio of innovations for the human diet," he added.

Life3 Biotech has also produced Veego, a plant-based product that aims to to meet rising demand for sustainable and healthy alternatives to meat.