Our technology

Enifer produces PEKILO® mycoprotein. Mycoprotein is derived from the mycelium (“root network”) of fungi that is grown in fermentation tanks. PEKILO® was the world’s first commercial mycoprotein, launched in Finland in the 1970s and produced commercially for more than 15 years as feed for pigs and chicken. Enifer has taken this tried and tested technology many steps further and is ready to feed the world.

Our process

Learn about our process in detail:

PEKILO® fermentation

Liquid raw materials are fed continuously into PEKILO®-fermentation. Diverse by-products from the food-, agri- and forest industries can be used to grow PEKILO®

PEKILO®-fungus grows in steel tanks by consuming the fed nutrients

In a process similar to brewing, the conditions are kept optimal for the rapid growth of the fungus.

The PEKILO® mass, or ”mycelium”, is strained to remove most of the water

PEKILO® is extremely easy to filter. This step resembles the straining of fresh cheese, and PEKILO® does look something like feta cheese afterwards.

Finally, the PEKILO® mass is dryed using hot air

Alongside drying, PEKILO® is broken down into a powder.

The final PEKILO® product is stored in silos, ready to go to our partners

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Tried and tested​.

Alternative protein solutions are nothing new to us. PEKILO® mycoprotein has been in industrial production already during 1975–1991. With a production process optimised for efficiency, applications are only limited by imagination.

At Enifer, we are the heirs to this proud legacy, owning the original PEKILO® strain, and having privileged access to the original process solutions employed.

But we’ve also taken this incredible piece of engineering many steps further, adapting it to tackle the global protein demand in the 2020s. Using the molecular level of control afforded by modern biotechnology, we have optimized PEKILO® production on a wide variety of by-products from diverse industries and geographies. We’ve also tailored specific PEKILO® mycoprotein ingredients to be used in different applications like food, petfood and aquafeed.

Transforming circular economy by-products into planet friendly protein.

Our impact

No virgin raw materials: The PEKILO® process is unique among mycoproteins in using a wide range of by-product streams as raw material. Our process can run on renewable energy, making our overall CO2 footprint very low. Unlike growing plants, our process also does not require new land to be used and the water use is neglible.

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