Galway based company Ocean Harvest Technology have won the Agri-food sector award at this year’s Irish Times InterTradeIreland Innovation Awards held in Belfast City Hall on Friday night. The award marked the recognition that Ocean Harvest Technology is bringing the sea and science together to create a more sustainable farming culture.
Based in Milltown, the company was founded in 2005 by Dr Stefan Kraan and Patrick Martin and now Ocean Harvest Technology (OHT ) has grown from a single headquarters in Galway, to having a strong presence in North America, Asia, Europe and Australia.
Ocean Harvest has created a range of patented seaweed-based formulas centred on the bioactive ingredients present in different seaweeds. These ingredients allow its feeds to replace many of the synthetic components currently found in many agricultural and aquacultural feed ingredients with significant benefits for the fish and consumers.
Oceanfeed Salmon is a patented feed additive formulated from seaweed which improves the health of farmed salmon, can help repel sea lice and improves taste and texture profile of the fish but more importantly can raise Omega 3 fatty acid levels by up to 30 per cent in the fish.
This not only improves the health of the fish but ultimately produces a superior end product with health benefits for the consumer.
“We discovered last year that a novel proprietary blend of macro algae could help speed up the process in the fish’s liver which is involved in the production of Omega 3,” says Ocean Harvest founder Dr Stefan Kraan.
“This is a win win for everyone involved. The consumer benefits through the health giving properties of the fish and the processors and farmers benefit as they can get a better price for the fish.”
For more information log onto www.oceanfeed.ie
