Benson Hill to enhance aquaculture supply chains using its soy ingredients

Benson Hill, a food technology company, has announced a collaboration with Riverence Holdings, LLC, the largest land-based producer of steelhead and rainbow trout in the Americas. The agreement will enhance the sustainability of aquaculture supply chains using Benson Hill’s soy ingredients, say Benson Hill officials.

“Benson Hill has developed soy ingredients that are uniquely suited for aquaculture and check all the boxes from a nutrition, sustainability, and cost perspective,” said Jesse Trushenski, Riverence chief science officer, in a news release. “It’s exciting to have a product designed for our market that supports improved performance of our fish, is traceable, and has a very clean carbon and water profile. We decided to incorporate Benson Hill’s ingredients again this year and believe it’s the beginning of a long and valuable partnership.”

Benson Hill uses its proprietary CropOS  technology platform and advanced breeding techniques to leverage the natural genetic diversity within plants and develop improved ingredients beginning with a better seed, say Benson Hill officials. Its proprietary soybean varieties expressing Ultra-High Protein (UHP) and low anti-nutrient levels reduce the need for processing steps to concentrate protein levels. The result is a minimally processed ingredient designed as an alternative to commodity soy protein concentrate (SPC) that requires up to:  

• 70% less water
• Up to 50% less carbon dioxide to produce than U.S.-sourced SPC 
• Up to 83% less water
• Up to 89% less carbon dioxide when compared with Brazilian-sourced SPC, accounting for the impacts of deforestation

The ingredients derived from UHP varieties demonstrate equivalent performance to an SPC-based diet in salmon and trout, as measured by feed conversion ratio. Benson Hill works with farmers to grow its UHP soybean varieties with an emphasis on using regenerative agriculture practices under a policy that prohibits deforestation. Through this collaboration, the companies are working to develop a supply of traceable and deforestation-free certified Benson Hill ingredients to serve the Riverence supply chain.

“Sustainable aquaculture systems will be an increasingly critical source of animal protein as the pressures of climate change intensify,” said Matt Crisp, Benson Hill CEO. “Riverence is a true sustainability leader for the industry with a keen focus on resource conservation that consumers value. Ingredient innovation provides a meaningful impact on feed quality, sustainability, and traceability. We’re thrilled to work with the Riverence team to advance aquaculture together.”

Benson Hill’s proprietary ingredients will be incorporated into the aquaculture diets manufactured by Riverence’s preferred supplier Rangen, a brand of Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition.