Germany-Based Kenyan Man's Consortium Wins KSh 830m to Convert Mushrooms to Healthy Proteins

 

Habil Seronei Chelulei Cheison

The company of Habil Seronei Chelulei Cheison, a Kenyan living in Germany, is among 12 that will benefit from KSh 830 million to convert mushrooms into healthy proteins. Germany-Based Habil Seronei Chelulei Cheison, a Kenyan living in Germany.  What does Sinonin Biotech ug do? Habil is the founder of the Germany-based Sinonin Biotech ug (haftungsbeschrankt) Langwedel company. “Sinonin “describes the lush green habitat teeming with diverse flora and fauna in the scenic Nandi County in the Great Rift Valley Province of Kenya.  Modern Police Chopper Seronei drew from his wealth of expertise in academic research in dairy protein chemistry, acquired from China’s premier Food School (Jiangnan University in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province) and a postdoc (German Habilitation) at the elite Technical University of Munich in Freising, Bayern (Germany).  In addition, Seronei brought on invaluable experience in the pet food industry where he worked for MARS Petcare, and led projects in alternative protein innovation as well as palatant development. "My business combines the two worlds to offer exceptional leadership in the innovations in the alternative proteins and palatant process and sourcing strategies. We also help businesses with the development, testing and validation of alternative proteins and palatants," he said. Which companies are in ZEST’s consortium? In an interview with TUKO.co.ke, Habil said that 12 organisations came together to form the consortium, which includes companies from Germany, Spain, Denmark, and Latvia.  "In the project ZEST we bring together a consortium with various expertise to drive a sustainable way to produce proteins from 'mushrooms' said Habil, a doctor and researcher. How proteins from the ZEST project help? Basically, the mushrooms grown in a bioreactor are actually fungi that will later become proteins. "We have two branches of applications; one branch will formulate the proteins in mayonnaise product, some vegan sausage and pastor or spaghetti. The second application, which I lead personally, is to formulate a dog food product," he said. "The idea is to replace proteins like soy, wheat, poultry, pork or beef proteins used in those products," he said. Dr habil Dr Seronei Chelulei Cheison Photo of consortium members at the project launch at the Danish Technical Institute in Copenhagen 04 June 2024. Photo: Habil. Source: Twitter What is Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking? According to Habil, The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) is a partnership between the European Union and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), funded with a budget of KSh 276 billion (€2 billion).  "My consortium was awarded a grant of KSh 825 million.My business role is two-fold: We lead the work packet on product development to demonstrate feasibility of the proteins from "mushroom fermentation" and secondly, we lead a demonstration in specific petfood prototypes," he said. "By 2050, the earth's population is expected to reach about 10 billion people. With people "living longer" because of improved health, that would bring a lot of pressure on the food, especially 'quality' protein supply. If we don't do anything, then we would need five earths to meet that demand. the reality is we only have one earth," he added. Additionally, the researcher said there is a growing middle class, and as incomes rise, people will increasingly consume more resource-intensive, animal-based foods. At the same time, urgent action is needed to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agricultural production and stop converting remaining forests to agricultural land.  How will ZEST proteins replace animal proteins? In the interview, it was revealed that mushrooms (actual fungal proteins) produced using fermentation would enable the production of massive amounts without the need for land and the amounts of water needed to make proteins on land. "They may not be cheaper at the beginning because we need to optimise the process. However, soy, wheat, omena, poultry proteins, pork, and beef proteins are sustainable; their production leaves a negative impact on the environment) and for the animal proteins we would have problems for people who want "animal-free" proteins (e.g. vegans and vegetarians)," he said. "And they produce greenhouse gases, which are responsible for climate change," he added. Habil also divulged that feeding 10 billion people sustainably by 2050, then, requires closing three gaps: A 56 percent food gap between crop calories produced in 2010 and those needed in 2050 under “business as usual” growth and a 593 million-hectare land gap (an area nearly twice the size of India) between global agricultural land area in 2010 and expected agricultural expansion by 2050.  An 11-gigaton GHG mitigation gap between expected agricultural emissions in 2050 and the target level needed to hold global warming below 2oC (3.6°F), the level necessary for preventing the worst climate impacts. How are traditional proteins failing? Traditional protein sources struggle to meet the global demand due to the ever-growing population and sustainability concerns. The ZEST project proposes an innovative solution to this challenge: harnessing fungi-based protein production technologies. The project focuses on optimising fermentation processes and using low-cost agricultural waste streams as feedstock to produce a variety of bio-based protein products, such as protein-enriched food and feed, as well as related bioproducts, including cosmetic ingredients. ZEST will also foster a sustainable and secure food system in line with the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy. The project also focuses on optimising fermentation processes and using low-cost agricultural waste streams as feedstock to produce a variety of bio-based protein products, such as protein-enriched food and feed, as well as related bioproducts, including cosmetic ingredients. Enter zero-waste automatic production? So far, the project’s objectives include developing an efficient, zero-waste automatic production system and designing a multipurpose bioreactor adaptable to substrates with varying viscosities and dry matter content. It will also integrate precise dosing systems into bioreactors for the cascading use of filtrate. Additionally, the entire value will be assessed to ascertain the economic viability, market potential, environmental impact, and sustainability of fungal-based products. The nexis to identifytifying candidate fungi species for mycoprotein production and optimise fungal fermentation processes to minimise bacterial contamination. "Develop a machine-learning model for predicting fermentation outcomes, implement a flexible control system for automatic parameter correction, as well as monitor and adjust mycelia production conditions for optimal yield and quality," pointed out Habil as the next project. What are tasks outlined for Habil? Habil’s company will have two tasks that will make the project successful: Extract mycoprotein and nuHtrients from mycelia biomass, improve product quality through post-processing techniques, explore cascading of residue/by-products for biomaterials, evaluate the functionality of extracted ingredients in food and pet food prototypes, and monitor waste production and energy consumption to meet sustainability goals," Habil shared "Finally, they will also conduct safety, sustainability, and economic assessments, as well as share project findings to increase social acceptance, scale up mycoprotein production, develop a business model for market uptake, and operationalise the safe-and-sustainable-by-design framework for application in the project sectors," he added. 

by  Susan Mwenesi