The most effective identified mycoprotein might be Quorn, a meat substitute that’s quick approaching its fortieth birthday. However Finnish biotech startup Enifer is cooking up one thing even older: Its proprietary single-cell fungus-based protein, branded Pekilo, was initially developed within the Nineteen Sixties and ’70s — by, of all issues, the native paper business.
The main target again then wasn’t on producing another protein for human consumption, because the startup intends — though the unique Pekilo product was bought for animal feed. As an alternative, per Enifer CEO and co-founder Simo Ellilä, the paper business’s engineers had been making an attempt to give you an answer to air pollution brought on by mills dumping manufacturing waste (“sidestreams”) into native waterways.
“It mainly began from the truth that folks within the lab realized that in case you left these things over the weekend on the lab bench it could begin to develop fungus — and in order that was just like the ‘ah-ha’ second,” he defined.
After discovery on a lab bench, manufacturing of the mycoprotein was developed over some 15 years — with paper business engineers making use of a strategy of biorefining and utilizing fermentation to develop and harvest the fungus at business scale. However the principle purpose was nonetheless waste water therapy. Which is why Pekilo fell out of use within the early Nineteen Nineties when the paper business switched to incinerating its waste.
The engineering firm that developed it additionally went bankrupt and information of Pekilo was misplaced, as Ellilä tells it — “very actively forgotten” — including a Tolkien-esque ring to this alt protein’s lengthy historical past. “Our founder crew had been biotech scientists, educated, educated in Finland, and we’d by no means heard of this factor,” he informed TechCrunch. “So, rather well forgotten.”
Somebody remembered, although. And that was how Enifer’s biotech founders stumbled throughout Pekilo — sparking their choice, in 2020, to spin out an organization from the VTT Technical Analysis Centre of Finland. The concept: revive this misplaced proprietary mycoprotein and prolong manufacturing to yield food-grade (not simply feed-grade) protein.
“It was really due to a really senior R&D director, who’s already retired — who’d labored at Valio, the native dairy firm — who sort of remembered this course of and was pondering, ‘Oh, may we make the most of this?’” recounted Ellilä. “Myself and one in every of my co-founders got here throughout this public R&D challenge the place this gentleman was concerned. And we thought it was fascinating — severely, paper engineers had been making different proteins within the ’70s?!”
“We thought it was fascinating — severely, paper engineers had been making different proteins within the ’70s?!”
Lots of old-fashioned detective work adopted to recuperate as a lot manufacturing info as attainable. “We began digging up all the pieces we may discover. There was nonetheless a whole lot of paper sources in case you knew the place to look,” he mentioned. “We’ve finished a whole lot of unimaginable detective work — like we’ve actually gone to previous cellphone books discovering a few of these folks.”
The motivation driving the founders is obvious: Various proteins are a way more substantial business finish, in and of themselves, nowadays — on rising demand for sustainable options to meat. Enifer is bullish there’s a long-term alternative to revive Pekilo. In essence: The mycoprotein’s greatest days might but lie forward.
First manufacturing unit absolutely funded
The startup has simply closed out a Sequence B funding spherical to finish and operationalize its first manufacturing unit — at a complete price of €33 million — situated in Kirkkonummi, Finland, near the ocean (which offers a supply of cooling water to maintain fermenter tanks on the proper temperature).
“The fungal metabolism is de facto energetic,” Ellilä famous. “It’s just like the fungus is on a treadmill in there. So it’s actually producing warmth and it’s good to take away that warmth.”
Enifer says the manufacturing unit would be the world’s first business plant to provide a mycoprotein ingredient from meals business sidestream uncooked supplies — or, put one other means, this biorefining enterprise is about turning waste into top quality protein. (Whereas the fungus that produces Quorn is often fed with glucose.)
The Sequence B consists of €15M in fairness funding led by the Finnish personal fairness fund Taaleri Bioindustry Fund I, with follow-on investments from current shareholders Nordic Foodtech VC, Voima Ventures, and Valio (the aforementioned dairy large).
The Finnish Local weather Fund has additionally prolonged a €7M junior mortgage to assist the challenge. Plus Enifer secured a €2M Local weather and Environmental Mortgage from Finnvera. It additionally beforehand reported a €12M recycling/reuse funding grant from Enterprise Finland, making its first manufacturing unit absolutely funded.
As soon as as much as full scale the fermenting and processing plant will produce 500kg of the alt protein per hour. It says it expects to have the ability to begin ramping up operations in 2026 however Ellilä confirmed it is going to take about three years to get to full manufacturing capability. If all goes effectively, extra factories may observe.
One of many key variations with Pekilo for food-grade consumption is the sidestreams used. Wooden pulp was high-quality for animal feed however new sidestreams are required to increase the product’s utility. Dairy business waste — akin to lactose — is one Enifer says works effectively as a feedstock for the fungus, so you may see why Valio is investing.
Whereas the alt protein house can appear fairly crowded nowadays, with many types of plant-based and mycoprotein already obtainable, one other factor that’s comparatively novel about Pekilo is it’s processed right into a dry powder (steam is used to dry the fungus after it’s harvested).
Ellilä says that makes it notably attention-grabbing to the meals business — as a long-shelf life ingredient that may simply be dropped into current recipes and processing strategies.
The food-grade model of Pekilo additionally has a gentle and impartial taste — making it appropriate for a variety of makes use of, from savory meals to candy. “The feed-grade product does have a really attribute taste however we have to do some further processing to make it food-grade and there the flavour is totally misplaced,” he famous.
One pattern product he mentions they provide to guests is a chocolate cake with flour swapped out for Pekilo. Different potential makes use of embrace patties, chilly cuts and even yogurts and cheeses. Enifer intends to stay a B2B participant, although — its culinary experiments are purely to showcase the mycoprotein’s potential to clients within the meals business.
On pricing, Ellilä says they need the product to be cheaper than pea protein — suggesting, if profitable, Pekilo may nibble away at another alt protein’s marketshare (though he additionally notes there are dietary variations that may imply utilizing a mix of alt proteins is greatest).
“How I like to consider it’s what we wish to obtain is making an attempt to contribute each to bringing down the price of these merchandise and enhancing the standard of the subsequent era of plant based mostly,” he added.
Making use of for novel meals clearance
Earlier than Enifer’s mycoprotein might be folded into meals for human consumption, the startup might want to achieve regulatory clearance for Pekilo as a novel meals. So there’s an extended software course of forward of it.
Ellilä says they’re making ready an software to file with regulators within the European Union, and can doubtless goal Singapore subsequent, adopted by the US.
He sounds assured they’ll — “finally” — get the inexperienced gentle to promote Pekilo as a novel human meals. “I do really feel that we’ve an exceptionally robust case… as a result of a mycoprotein is just not solely new,” he argued.
“It’s one other species of fungus. However, nonetheless, it’s not, you already know, one thing outrageous. It’s really not that distantly associated — as an organism — to Fusarium, which Quorn makes use of. After which there’s mounds of proof of its security in pigs and hen and all types of organisms.”
“We’ve got so many a lot scientific materials from again within the day. Which isn’t the case for a lot of different candidates,” he additionally urged, including: “I’m certain we’ll get it will definitely.”
Enifer can be growing Pekilo to be used in pet meals which provides it a market it may well entry in the mean time. Plus it’s nonetheless contemplating animal feed use-cases, too — paying homage to Pekilo’s origins — however the economics are tougher to stack up so companions could be wanted.
Ellilä says they’re speaking with corporations with massive volumes of sidestreams they’d wish to upcycle over potential partnerships. “We positively haven’t given up on animal vitamin,” he mentioned, including: “We’re in talks with a whole lot of corporations to say let’s construct a three way partnership… after which we wouldn’t need to chip in all of the capital.”
