Pet food company Prima Pet and biotechnology company Enifer are starting a collaboration to develop a new petfood with PEKILO® mycoprotein. The aim is to gather insights into the functionality and palatability of this novel protein.

Test batches containing PEKILO® protein will be produced in April at Prima Pet’s dry food factory in Nokia, Finland. Cats and dogs will get to try the products later in the spring in palatability trials.

Prima Pet and Enifer share a common ambition to develop new and sustainable solutions for the future of pet nutrition. In the first phase of the collaboration, the focus is on understanding how the novel ingredient performs in pet food applications and how well it is accepted by pets.

The pet food industry needs novel protein sources, partly to replace animal-based ingredients and to diversify product portfolios. The goal of product development is to create nutritionally high-quality, responsible products that support pet wellbeing.

PEKILO® is a mycoprotein produced from industrial side streams through a fermentation process. In addition to the pet food ingredient, Enifer has developed a mycoprotein suitable for food applications. Enifer’s first commercial-scale production facility will be completed in Kirkkonummi, Finland, next autumn.

“Collaborating with Prima Pet gives us the opportunity to demonstrate how fermentation-based ingredients, rich in protein and fiber, can be utilized in pet food. Partnerships like this are essential for bringing new food technologies to market,” says Simo Ellilä, CEO of Enifer.

Prima Pet will gain valuable insights into how PEKILO® performs in recipes and production – and, most importantly, how it is received by pets.

“Testing new ingredients is a natural part of our work. Innovation is essential when we want to develop nutritionally optimal products for pets,” says Reija Hoffrén, Chief Innovation Officer at Prima Pet.

More information on the test batch products entering the web shop will be shared during the spring, and results from the palatability trials will be published in the summer.

 

Additional information

Tanja Yrjölä, Chief Strategy Officer

Prima Pet Premium
tanja.yrjola@primapet.fi

 

Simo Ellilä, CEO
Enifer
simo.ellila@enifer.com