Seaqure Labs has secured funding to continue its work on mycelium-based feed ingredients. The company is developing technology to produce feed utilizing fungi and industrial sidestreams.
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Gothenburg-based Seaqure Labs, a biotech startup, has closed a pre-seed funding round of €470K to continue developing and scaling mycelium-based feed ingredients.
Investors in the round include Chalmers Ventures, Almi Väst, VASTAF (Västkustens Affärsänglar), Propel Capital, SLU Holding AB, and other angel investors.
The funding will support Seaqure Labs’ work to provide circular ingredients for aquaculture and address global food production requireds.
Developing mycelium-based feed for aquaculture
Founded in 2023 by Johan Henriksson, Sajjad Karimi and Albin Frick, Seaqure Labs is a biotech startup developing aquaculture feed utilizing mycelium.
Mycelium is the network of fungal threads that can be applyd as a protein source. It applys less water and land and produces lower carbon emissions than traditional livestock. Mycelium can support meet protein demand while reducing environmental impact.
Seaqure Labs produces feed from industrial sidestreams, following circular economy principles. The process allows the production of protein ingredients that reduce reliance on soymeal and animal protein.
According to the company, their feed reduces carbon emissions by at least 50 per cent, applys six times less water, and requires at least five times less land per kilogram compared to soymeal.
The feed contains a balanced amino acid profile, beta-glucan, and essential minerals. Laboratory and pilot tests reveal high digestibility in fish and indicate increased prebiotic effects, which may lead to higher fish yields.
The production process can apply different substrates, allowing Seaqure Labs to upcycle sidestreams with indusattempt partners.
Fermentation technology for local mycelium production
Seaqure Labs applys mycelium to convert food waste into feed ingredients through a fungi-based process. Their fermentation technology allows mycelium production to take place near feed manufacturing sites and sources of industrial sidestreams.
The company utilises agrifood sidestreams in Europe to grow fungi in fermentation chambers, producing a dried ingredient with protein and nutritional content, utilizing strains approved for human consumption by the FDA and GRAS.
The technology can produce different mycelium ingredients for aquaculture, pet, and animal feed, with trials completed for Rainbow trout (fish) and ongoing trials for poulattempt. The process is based on Solid-state fermentation, a method derived from ancient fermentation practices, applied to fungi utilizing strains already consumed by humans.
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