Espoo, Finland-based biotech start-up eniferBio has developed a new single-cell protein derived from fungi for fish feed, the latest in a slew of alternative ingredient options sweeping aquafeed production.
The mycoprotein, called Pekilo, is developed “from biorefineries’ underutilized and renewable organic raw material streams,” eniferBio, which was established by European research institution VTT, said in a press release. The ingredient can replace soy, which poses ecological challenges in the form of deforestation, the company said. It hopes to start pilot production of the ingredient beginning in 2021, to be trialed by fish feed producers thereafter.
Originally developed in Finland by the forest industry in the 1970s, the Pekilo single-cell protein production method has been modernized by eniferBio as with new biotechnology, expanding its applicability to cover fish feed, the firm said. The technologies employed in this process have been test and refined through VTT's business incubator, VTT LaunchPad.
“We have demonstrated that the single cell protein manufacturing process works with a variety of industrial byproducts which are available globally in huge quantities. There is scope to replace all the soy protein concentrate used in fish feeds today, a market currently of USD 2 billion [EUR 1.6 billion] and growing fast. In addition, we have reformed the process so that the produced protein meets the high-quality requirements for fish feed. The production method is sustainable and enables protein self-sufficiency. The results show that, with this method, we can build a profitable business,” eniferBio Founder Simo Ellilä said.
EniferBio has received funding for its single-cell protein solution from Nordic FoodTech VC, which invests in food technology, and Voima Ventures, which in vest in science-based deep tech startups. Its work with VTT LaunchPad has allowed eniferBio to such build networks with the relevant industry partners and fish feed producers, according to Ellilä.
“We negotiate with side stream producers and optimize our process for the selected side stream. The number of biorefineries is growing globally and they want to utilize the by-products of their production. It is a new source of income for biorefineries. We have already successfully tested side stream samples from all across the world – India, Thailand, Brazil, and Canada. Our objective is to start pilot production of single-cell protein in the beginning of 2021 and to produce enough protein on a fast schedule, which can be tested by the fish feed producers. From there, the next step is to build a first industrial-scale plant in Europe, before starting to export the concept further afield,” Ellilä said.
Nordic FoodTech VC Mika Kukkurainen said the solution from eniferBio keeps pace with a changing world.
“Nordic cutting-edge research provides significant solutions to global food challenges. The continuous change the world is facing is reflected in eniferBio’s solution. In the 1990s, global resources were considered abundant and there was no need for the production of Pekilo protein with its production run down in the early 1990s. Now, however, this historical Finnish invention in its developed form is more relevant than ever. Nordic FoodTech VC's investment strategy is well-suited to investing in technology that produces protein from unused byproducts into a growing area of food production,” Kukkurainen said.
Voima Ventures Partner Pontus Stråhlman said the company possess the characteristics the fund looks for when investing.
"EniferBio combines the elements of a good start-up very nicely. Finnish sustainable development innovation has been scientifically further refined and is now being commercialised by an entrepreneurial research team,” Stråhlman said.
