Hong Kong start-up Geb Impact looks to scale up microalgae cultivation as a sustainable source of protein

Geb Impact is conducting pilot production of microalgae with its proprietary technology, with plans to ramp up output to one metric tonne per month

The Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Fund has funded half of the start-up’s HK$2 million (US$257,000) project to scale up microalgae cultivation

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James Chang, founder and chief executive of Geb Impact Technology, displays food products made with ingredients from microalgae protein produced by the Hong Kong biotech start-up. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 4:00pm, 3 Oct 2021Updated: 9:08pm, 3 Oct 2021

Hong Kong biotech start-up Geb Impact Technology is eyeing the rapidly growing plant-based food market as a sustainable supplier of microalgae-based protein to food manufacturers.

As leading plant-based food producers, such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, continue to benefit from increasing consumer demand, Geb Impact sees an opportunity to supply the sustainable ingredient made from microalgae.

“We are able to produce that protein sustainably, so if we become the supplier [for food manufacturers] in terms of that protein, there is no limit to how much they can produce,” said James Chang, founder and chief executive of Geb Impact.

Microalgae are single-cell microorganisms found in fresh and salt water that grow through photosynthesis, consuming carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. As microalgae do not compete for natural resources or farmland, they are considered one of the most promising sustainable sources of food ingredients.

Protein powder made from microalgae is poured into a dish at a research laboratory in Singapore. Microalgae are considered one of the most promising sustainable sources of food ingredients. Photo: AFP

Chang said microalgae can yield the equivalent of 30 to 50 metric tonnes per hectare, about 15 times more than soybeans, noting that this can go some way in alleviating the hunger crisis currently gripping the world. A United Nations report in July showed that there was a dramatic worsening in world hunger in 2020 caused by the pandemic, with nearly one in three people without access to adequate food.

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