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Fermentalg and the CEA optimize the production of microalgae in a mixotrophic environment


​Libourne - 3 March 2014 – Fermentalg, an industrial biotechnology company that specializes in the production of molecules of interest derived from microalgae, and the CEA/CNRS/Université Grenoble Alpes team from the Life Sciences Division of France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, the CEA, have announced the filing of a new patent thanks to the major technological progress made by its joint metabolic engineering programme for the industrial exploitation of microalgae.

Published on 3 March 2014
Two fold in crease in the lipid content of microalgae
The research teams at Fermentalg and the CEA have succeeded in modifying the metabolism of marine microalgae in order to increase intracellular lipid accumulation. The altered microalgae are able to produce significantly higher amounts of oil than the original strain, which raises the prospect of its potential use in bioenergies.

The financial consequences of the exploitation of these results by Fermentalg have already been established. The breakthrough will increase the economic competitiveness of the technology used to produce microalgae developed by Fermentalg and, in doing so, accelerate the company’s industrial and commercial development.

Joint filing of a new patent
The collaborative research carried out by the teams from Fermentalg (headed up by Pierre Calleja and Marina Leterrier) and CEA Grenoble (supervised by Eric Maréchal) has resulted in the joint filing for a new patent.

The patent will further strengthen Fermentalg's intellectual property in the field and cement the company's position as a European leader 1 in the production of microalgaeina mixotrophic environment, i.e. where an organism is able to feed itself in the same way as plants (by autotrophy or the absorption of light) and animals (by heterotrophy or the absorption of organic matter). Fermentalg currently has a portfolio of 20 families of patents.

About Fermentalg:
Founded in 2009 by Pierre Calleja, Fermentalg is an industrial biotechnology company that specializes in the production of chemical compounds from microalgae found in everyday products. Its patented technology allows it to target a range of global markets, from food and animal feed to specialty chemicals, cosmetics and biofuels. Fermentalg has already signed its 1st industrial and commercial joint-venture for the production of Omega-3 oils rich in EPA and DHA. Its goal is to duplicate this model with other industrial groups, some of which have already signed up to the collaborative programmes overseen by Fermentalg.
For more information, visit the Fermentalg web site.

About the CEA:
A renowned leader in research, development and innovation, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission is active in 4 key areas: low-carbon energies, information and health technologies, very large research infrastructures (TGIR) and defense and security. A center of excellence for fundamental research in each of these 4 domains, the CEA places its cutting edge expertise at the service of today’s industry.
For more information, visit the CEA web site.

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