BioFeyn partners with Nord University on nanoencapsulation-enabled aquafeed development

Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based BioFeyn, a biotechnology company with a focus on nutrient optimization in aquafeed, has signed a partnership with Nord University to “develop a game-changing product line for animal health.”

Founded in 2019 by Timothy Bouley and Marie-Christine Imbert, and funded via a USD 5 million (EUR 4.7 million) capital investment from industry players including Katapult Ocean, SOSV, Agfunder, and the Kuok family, BioFeyn is developing a targeted, modular, delivery mechanism for aquafeed that allows for more efficient delivery of nutrients to salmon raised via aquaculture. The system coats vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in a shell of naturally derived compounds via nanoencapsulation, “ensuring better digestion, absorption, and bioavailability,” according to the company.

“These nutrients are then delivered to the tissues where they’re needed most, helping animals to grow, while improving their health,” it said. “BioFeyn can reduce the amount of high-value ingredients that are needed, in some instances up to ten-fold. This both minimizes environmental pressures associated with acquiring these important nutrients, like omega-3s, and reduces the pollution associated with unused nutrients that are released back into the environment.”

Nord University is located in Bodø, Nordland, Norway, and its aquaculture program is closely integrated with Norway’s salmon aquaculture industry.

“With hundreds of staff and faculty dedicated to aquaculture, we know we're in the right place,” BiyFeyn said in a press release.

Partnerships with universities are a cornerstone of BioFeyn’s product development approach, it said.

 “Over the past three years, BioFeyn has grown our university collaborations, working with global leaders in nanotechnology and delivery science at Harvard Innovation Labs, University of Oxford, Tufts University, and Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia,” it said. “This lab work is then ‘leveled up’ to partners and facilities specialized in animal health to ensure our core biomedical innovations are optimized for other species, just as they have been for humans."

BioFeyn was the winner of the 2022 Norwegian Seafood Innovation Award, which came with a NOK 100,000 (USD 9,000, EUR 8,500) award.

Photo courtesy of BioFeyn