Biomega Invests in New Raw Material Facility to Expand Biorefining Capacity & Improve Quality
Internationally recognised for its excellent biorefinery capabilities, Biomega Group (‘Biomega’) has announced an expansion for its manufacturing plant in Skaganeset, near Bergen in Norway.
The expansion, which was completed earlier this year, is part of a large investment from the company and will help to boost manufacturing capacity and quality for its customers by processing raw materials, including its high-value, food-grade fresh Norwegian salmon ingredients.
The upgraded raw materials facility receives and handles refrigerated salmon offcuts. After quality control and brief cold storage, the materials are drained, weighed and ground before entering Biomega’s patented and continuous enzymatic hydrolysis process. In addition, cleaning, handling and return of the raw material containers is also an important function of the facility.
Andrew Dustan, CTO at Biomega, who managed the expansion project for the company, said: “Investment in the raw materials facility is key to our growth strategy at Biomega. While the project has not been without challenges, due to the pandemic, an unusually cold winter and the need to continue production throughout the project, we are pleased to see the completed facility now in operation.
“From initial planning to its construction and installation, the raw materials plant has been a considerable team effort, and I’d like to thank everyone who has been involved in this project. Building contactors Svalinn AS deserve special mention. Rune Søreide was instrumental in developing the project from the start, then we were very fortunate to have Even Ommedal as the building project manager for the execution phase. From start to finish there was excellent co-operation between Svalinn and the Biomega Technical and Production teams.”
Dustan continues: “Thanks to combined expertise and flexibility, we were able to execute a complex expansion project and maintain our high hygiene and quality standards, all with minimal disturbance to our ongoing, continuous production.”
Situated next to the Skaganeset coastline, the 4500m2 facility houses the company’s unique and sustainable proprietary biorefining technology. Operating 24/7, this patented continuous enzymatic hydrolysis process gently separates fresh raw materials into premium food and feed ingredients, preserving their nutritional properties. This process enables Biomega to upcycle and fully utilise food grade rest streams with zero waste.
“It is with great pleasure that we can now unveil our latest expansion at our flagship manufacturing site in Skaganeset,” added Stig Victor Petersen, CEO at Biomega. “This investment, combined with plans for a new biorefinery located in Denmark, will further strengthen the company’s excellent capabilities in supplying sustainably sourced, high-quality food-grade salmon oils, meal and peptides to our customers. Thank you to all those who worked on the project during these challenging times – the commitment has been commendable.”
For more information on Biomega and its activities, please visit https://biomegagroup.com/.