How many gallons of lipids, like omega 3 and PUFA are being produced in the US from algae and genetically modified soybeans and canola?
**US production of specialized lipids rich in omega-3s (EPA/DHA) and other PUFAs from algae and genetically modified (or gene-edited) soybeans/canola remains relatively modest compared with conventional vegetable oils or fish oil, and exact public gallon figures for the specialized fractions are limited.**
### Algae-Derived Omega-3 Oils (EPA/DHA)
– Global production of algal EPA/DHA-rich oils was estimated at around 20,000 metric tons in 2025. (LINK)
– The US is a major production hub, with facilities using heterotrophic fermentation (e.g., *Schizochytrium*). Key producers include Veramaris (DSM-Evonik joint venture in Blair, Nebraska), DSM, Corbion, and Qualitas Health (iwi), among others.
– Veramaris’s commercial-scale plant (opened 2019, ~$200 million investment) reached full operational capacity in 2024 after ramping up significantly (e.g., +61% volume growth reported in one recent year). Its capacity is described as equivalent to the EPA+DHA content from about 1.2 million metric tons of wild-caught fish, or roughly 15% of global salmon aquaculture demand for those fatty acids. The oil is highly concentrated (~65% EPA+DHA). (LINK)
– US domestic algal oil production currently supplies an estimated 30–40% of US demand for these ingredients (with the rest imported). Absolute US volumes of finished algal omega-3 oil are in the low-to-mid thousands of metric tons range annually (precise company figures are not fully public).
– Conversion: 1 metric ton of oil ≈ 290–310 US gallons (depending on density, typically ~0.92 g/mL). This implies US algal omega-3 oil output is likely on the order of **hundreds of thousands to low millions of gallons** per year, concentrated in high-value nutritional, infant formula, pet, and aquaculture applications rather than bulk commodity oils.
Algae production focused on high-value omega-3 extracts (not bulk biofuel lipids) operates at far smaller scale than theoretical national biomass potential studies (which project hundreds of millions of tons of algae biomass under future scenarios).
### Genetically Modified / Gene-Edited Soybeans
– Conventional US soybean oil production is large: ~29.5 billion pounds of crude oil in 2025 (from ~75 million tons of soybeans crushed). At roughly 7.7 lb per gallon, this is on the order of **~3.8 billion gallons** of total soybean oil. Commodity soybean oil is naturally high in PUFAs (primarily linoleic acid, an omega-6, ~50%+), with smaller amounts of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, omega-3). (LINK)
– Specialized high-oleic soybeans (GM or gene-edited varieties such as Plenish, Vistive Gold, or SOYLEIC) lower PUFAs in favor of monounsaturated oleic acid for stability. Planted area reached roughly 1–1.4 million acres in 2025 (out of ~80+ million total soybean acres), with projections for further growth (potentially several million acres by 2030). These produce oil that is *lower* in PUFAs, not higher in long-chain omega-3s. (LINK)
– True long-chain omega-3 (EPA/DHA) soybeans remain largely developmental/R&D and are not yet producing commercially significant volumes in the US.
### Genetically Modified Canola (Omega-3 / DHA Canola)
– Conventional US canola oil production is smaller: ~1.77 billion pounds of crude oil in 2025 (from ~2.2 million tons of seed crushed), or roughly **~230 million gallons**. (LINK)
– Nuseed’s GM omega-3 canola (engineered to produce DHA and related long-chain omega-3s in the seed oil) is commercially approved and grown under contract/stewardship programs, primarily in northern states such as Montana and North Dakota. It yields oil with meaningful DHA levels (and some EPA/DPA/ALA). One to two acres can produce DHA equivalent to thousands of pounds of fish.
– Acreage and oil volumes remain limited (contracted and identity-preserved rather than commodity-scale). Exact annual US production figures for the specialized omega-3 fraction are not widely published and are still emerging/small relative to total canola oil. It is directed toward aquafeed (Aquaterra) and human nutrition (Nutriterra) markets.