GEA to build world's first pilot plant for the production of krill protein

On behalf of Aker BioMarine, GEA is to design and deliver the world’s first pilot plant for hydrolyzing krill protein. This represents an important step for GEA in the strategic growth area of New Food. The partners signed the engineering, procurement and construction contract valued in the double-digit million euro range in July 2021.

The client is a biotechnology company based in Norway that fishes for Antarctic krill – tiny shrimp-like crustaceans – and uses them to develop ingredients for functional foods, aquaculture and animal feed. Slated to come online in late 2022, the new pilot plant will produce a highly concentrated protein isolate destined for food and beverages. The pilot plant now ordered is the next step in commercializing krill human protein powder. It will expand the current small-scale process to a scalable, industrial production level with a capacity of 120 tons per year. 

"Thanks to innovative companies such as Aker BioMarine, the topic of New Food is currently developing into an increasingly important future market, which is also of strategic importance for GEA. This is unlocking entirely new sources of human nutrition and health. We are pleased to join Aker BioMarine on their journey into researching and commercializing krill protein - and to do so in a way that is absolutely climate and environmentally friendly," says Ilija Aprcovic, CEO of the Liquid & Powder Technologies Division of GEA Group AG. 

As a pioneer in sustainable marine ingredients, Aker BioMarine believes it has a responsibility to improve human health through product innovation and sustainable harvesting technology without compromising the health of our planet and its marine ecosystems. To this end, the company intends to decarbonize both its krill fisheries and production. Aker BioMarine’s decision to cooperate with GEA was motivated in part by the systems supplier’s consistent pursuit of sustainability together with the reduced carbon footprint its process technology offers. GEA will engineer the pilot plant for krill protein with a view to sustainability.