Joint Venture To Develop And Commercialize Microalgae-Derived Food Ingredients

U.S. algal biotechnology company Solazyme, Inc. and French starch producer Roquette Frères have created a joint venture company to produce and commercialize microalgae-derived food ingredients. The companies pan to use the venture to launch natural, healthy and functional ingredients based on microalgae that provide “superior nutritional properties” along with good taste and texture. Products to be developed by Solazyme-Roquette Nutritionals include oil, protein and fiber based ingredients that would deliver “improved performance with a vastly superior health profile” compared to currently available ingredients, the companies said. Roquette will build a joint venture-owned, commercial-scale manufacturing plant in France with capacity in the tens of thousands of tons of annual production.