Brazilian joint venture for Finnish alternative protein business
A company that has developed an alternative protein for aquafeed and pet food has teamed up with a leading Brazilian ethanol business to produce its mycoprotein using corn ethanol side streams.
Finnish biotech company Enifer has announced that its proprietary PEKILO® fermentation technology will be deployed for the first time in Latin America in collaboration with FS, one of Brazil’s leading producers of ethanol.
The collaboration marks the first deployment of Enifer’s proprietary fermentation technology in South America and the first use of corn ethanol side streams, to produce a combined 500 tonnes annually of PEKILO®Pet and PEKILO®Aqua mycoproteins for pet food and feed.
FS is now working to construct an industrial process at a pilot scale for the Brazilian market after trials showed its thin stillage – from the ethanol production process - works as a feedstock for mycoprotein.
PEKILO®Pet and PEKILO®Aqua mycoproteins are nutrient-rich ingredients produced through a biomass fermentation process that uses a unique fungal strain, akin to the techniques employed in brewing or producing soy sauce. This process, Enifer says, yields ingredients that are rich in protein (60%) and beta-glucan fiber, low in fat and carbohydrates, and highly palatable and digestible sources of complete protein.
Simo Ellilä, CEO and co-founder of Enifer, said: “Transferring this process across the Atlantic to a new continent and using a new agricultural side stream is a significant validation of the flexibility and robustness of the PEKILO® fermentation technology.
“It shows that PEKILO® can deliver consistent performance from a wide variety of raw materials and in very different industrial settings.”
FS’s pilot project aims to produce approximately a combined 500 tonnes of PEKILO®Pet and PEKILO®Aqua annually. The fermentation process will be directly integrated with FS’s ethanol production, utilizing side streams from existing operations to maximize resource efficiency and advance circular economy principles.
Rafael Abud, CEO at FS, said: “This project reinforces our commitment to innovation, science, and sustainability. We are adding extra value to second-crop corn by developing a relevant and innovative solution for animal nutrition, using a pre-existing raw material without compromising DDG production. This is a significant technological advancement for the sector.”
To enable the scale-up of the production, FS has approved the project under the Mais Inovação Brasil program, which supports innovation through public funding and subsidies. The initiative will receive R$9.8m (£1.3m) in funding from FINEP (Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos), the Brazilian innovation agency. The product will be marketed to the animal nutrition industry in Brazil as well as other countries, such as Ecuador and Chile, which are major producers of shrimp and salmon, respectively.
Once operational, the industrial plant could reach a production capacity of 10,000 tonnes annually, making it a significant new source of sustainable protein in Latin America.
Currently, FS uses thin stillage to produce DDG (dried distillers grains) for animal feed. By applying the PEKILO® process, FS will generate an additional solution for animal nutrition without displacing current production.
Enifer said the resulting mycoprotein is particularly well-suited for use in pet food and aquaculture, where the demand for sustainable, traceable, and high-quality protein sources is increasing.
Meanwhile in Finland, Enifer is finalising the construction of its first full-scale PEKILO® production facility, backed by €33m (£27.9m) in funding and designed to produce up to 3,000 tons of mycoprotein ingredients annually.
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