Press release: Unibio and Protelux deepen strategic partnership to grow commercial production of sustainable protein
Copenhagen, Denmark, 11 May 2021 – Unibio, the leading sustainable protein company, today announces that it has signed a partnership agreement with Stafilies, the holding company of Protelux, to further deepen their collaboration in developing the industrial-scale production of its high-quality Uniprotein® at Protelux.
Protelux is the first industrial plant that has brought Unibio’s patented U-Loop® continuous-flow fermentation process into industrial-scale production. Protelux is located in Ivangorod, Russia, close to the border with Estonia, an EU member state. This location has access to cost-effective natural gas, as well proximity to the European Union and the Baltic Sea for shipping.
Protelux currently has an installed capacity of 6,000 tonnes of Uniprotein® per year, which can be scaled up to 20,000 tonnes. Under the agreement, Stafilies, the Protelux parent company, will buy a shareholding in Unibio in exchange for cash and intellectual property. The intellectual property includes all of the knowledge gained over the past five years of how to install and operate industrial-scale production of Uniprotein®. Unibio has also secured an option to acquire a stake in Protelux in the future.
Unibio has developed an innovative process that allows the cost-effective production of high-quality protein using microbial continuous-flow fermentation with natural gas or methane as the primary feedstock. Unibio’s technology is highly resource efficient in respect of land and water usage and mimics microbial consumption of gas emitted by decaying plant material that happens every day in nature. Uniprotein® has been approved by the EU for animal and fish feed and is certified organic by Organic Farmers & Growers Ltd, the leading organic certification control body approved by the UK Government.
One of the key challenges for any protein technology is to upscale production from the laboratory to an industrial setting. Since 2016, Unibio and Stafilies have worked closely together developing solutions and operational guidelines that will benefit future projects and plants all over the world. With the commencement of industrial-scale production at Protelux, Unibio will benefit from being able to showcase the proven technology and processes to potential partners and customers. It will also use the facility to accelerate further product and production improvements and the global roll-out of its technology.
Jan Boeg Hansen, Chairman of the Board, Unibio:
“Global population growth has made protein scarcity a critical issue, and unsustainable soy production and uncontrolled extraction of wild fish for fishmeal are causing major environmental degradation. After many years under development, Uniprotein® is now in full industrial-scale production and is ready to help address the world’s rapidly growing protein demand. The collaboration with Protelux is consistent with our strategy of building a presence where natural gas is in abundance and may be revalued.”
Mikhail Serdtsev, Founding shareholder, Protelux:
“We are proud of all the technological innovation and hard work that we have put into scaling up production of Uniprotein® at our Protelux facility. The complex challenge of taking these ground-breaking processes and successfully commissioning them at scale should not be underestimated and has been the key hurdle where many other technologies have failed. We have always had faith in the importance of Uniprotein® as a critical input for the meat and fish farming industries. We are delighted to become a shareholder in Unibio and build further on their success.”
Notes to Editors
To watch the introductory video on the production of Uniprotein® at the Protelux plant please press the link:
Commencing industrial scale production of sustainable protein – YouTube
Unibio, the leading sustainable protein systems company, uses microbial fermentation to convert any natural gas or methane, including bio-gas, into high quality and sustainable protein for fish and animal feed. It is Unibio’s mission to deliver sustainable protein for farming and fishing practices. Unibio’s technology is highly resource efficient in respect of land and water usage and is sustainable. Our process mimics microbial consumption of gases emitted by decaying plant material that happens every day in nature. Our high-quality Uniprotein® has been approved by the EU for animal and fish feed and is certified organic by Organic Farmers & Growers Ltd, the leading organic certification control body approved by the UK Government.
About Protelux
Protelux is a Russian company producing protein for feed based on Unibio’s U-Loop® technology. Protelux was the first company to license Unibio’s technology in 2016 and has since invested in designing and building industrial-scale manufacturing of protein. Protelux is located in Ivangorod, Russia, and was established by Stafilies.
About Stafilies
Stafilies is a private international investment company backed by a group of international investors, including Kirill Pisarev and Mikhail Serdtsev whose primary businesses include high-end residential and mixed-use real estate development in the UK, EU, and CIS.
About Uniprotein® – a sustainable protein
Uniprotein® is derived from the continuous-flow fermentation of a microbial culture using any type of natural gas or methane, including biogas. Uniprotein® has a 70% protein content that easily compares with high-value proteins like super-prime fishmeal and highly concentrated soy products, especially in aquaculture feeds and as starter feed for piglets. Uniprotein® will be sold through a network of distributors, as well as directly to large key accounts around the world.
About U-Loop® technology
U-Loop® technology is a continuous-flow fermentation process allowing for a high conversion rate, the high utilization of gases, and economical production. Through our proprietary process, the gases are converted to protein that is subsequently treated and purified to a nutritious, high-quality feed grade. Unibio owns the intellectual property rights to U-Loop® technology.
For media inquiries / access to photos, please contact:
Unibio
Trine Leth, Head of Communications
T: +45 23231965 / E: tl@unibiogroup.com
Protelux
Andrei Polyakovsky
T: +7 (903) 723-0053 / E: andreipo@stratocom.ru
