Marine bio-resources: PhosphoTech gives fish waste a second life

Published on 28/09/2022
Health / Biotech, Marine bioresources

Founded over 20 years ago, the Nantes-based company PhosphoTech is growing at a rate of 15% per year and now has 15 employees. The company will be present at the trade fair NutrEvent in Nantes in early October.

Gwenaël Baudimant decided to create PhosphoTech in the early 2000s based on research in marine lipids.

Contributing to the circular economy

PhosphoTech has steadily broadened its field of activity to utilize bycatch like fish skin, bones and liver, crustacean shells, and seaweed. “Seafood byproducts cannot be sold and would be thrown away. By utilizing them, our objective is to contribute to a circular economy. Most of the raw materials come from local fisheries in the Loire-Atlantique and Brittany region,” explains Laurie Le Drévo, sales director.

Seaweed in high demand among vegan consumers

Seafood byproducts have nutritional properties with health benefits. “Depending on their biological activity, these products can improve bone density, skin health, eyesight, immunity and cognitive function. For example, fish oils (from sardines, mackerel, anchovies and cod) contain omega-3 and vitamin D, which contribute to brain function and immune health,” explains Marion Levillain, scientific marketing manager. Another example is stingray cartilage, which can be used in supplements for joint health. Fish skin is very rich in marine collagen, a popular product in Asia. Then there is seaweed, which is increasingly in demand among vegan consumers.

A vast partner network in Nantes

In Nantes, PhosphoTech has found a vast partner network in health. “Being located in the dynamic city of Nantes has proved to be very rewarding. In addition to making travelling around Europe easier, it has given us access to a vast network of partners for packaging, labelling, etc. We can also take advantage of the marine bio-resources network that includes Pôle Mer Atlantique Bretagne and the incubator Atlanpole, which we recently joined. Nantes also has a large number of engineering schools, which allows us to work with students on research topics.”

A building upgrade in 2023

PhosphoTech operates in B2B, working exclusively with other companies. It provides them with expertise in combining ingredients that can then be sold under other brands. “Some clients will be satisfied with a single product, but others need our expertise to develop innovative formulations with specific nutritional properties.” Phosphotech’s teams offer marine ingredients in different forms — oils, powders, oil powders and softgels — to meet client needs.
“When you walk into a pharmacy, chances are that PhosphoTech’s products can be found in supplements under other brand names.” PhosphoTech has clients both in France and worldwide. “Unlike other sectors, Covid hasn’t slowed down our business, as people are more mindful of nutrition.” And PhosphoTech does not plan on stopping there. In order to develop new technology, PhosphoTech has plans to expand and build a new facility in 2023. To be continued !