Unibio entered into an agreement Nov. 5 with PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad with the intent to conduct product trials of Uniprotein for the Southeast Asian market. Subject to the outcome of the product trials, the parties said they may consider entering into a joint feasibility study to assess any potential future collaboration.

“Unibio’s unique fermentation technology is based on converting natural gas into a highly concentrated protein product, Uniprotein, by bacterial fermentation. Unibio is, therefore, excited about the Uniprotein product trial agreement with PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad, the leading integrated chemicals producer in Malaysia, and we look forward to seeing the result of the product trials,” Unibio chief executive officer Henrik BuschLarsen said.

Unibio is a leading Danish biotechnology company with core competences within fermentation technologies. In collaboration with the Technical University of Denmark, Unibio has developed an innovative and unique technology – the U-Loop fermentation technology – that allows for the introduction of new sustainable protein production methods. Unibio’s unique fermentation technology is based on converting natural gas (methane) into a highly concentrated protein product, Uniprotein, by bacterial fermentation.

The novel Uniprotein protein source disrupts the traditional food value chain and mitigates the traditional challenges by decoupling protein production from the fluctuating agricultural sector and fishing industries, the companies explained. Cropland can instead be used to produce food for humans instead of feed for animals, the companies said, adding that Uniprotein has been tested as feed for salmon, calves, pigs, chickens, mink and blue fox, with positive results in terms of acceptance and growth rates.

PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad is the leading integrated chemicals producer in Malaysia and one of the largest in Southeast Asia. It operates a number of world-class production sites, which are fully vertically integrated, from feedstocks to downstream end products. With a total combined production capacity of more than 12 million metric tons per annum, it is involved primarily in manufacturing, marketing and selling a diversified range of chemical products, including olefins, polymers, fertilizers, methanol and other basic chemicals and derivative products. Listed on Bursa Malaysia and with three decades of experience in the chemicals industry, PCG is established as part of the PETRONAS Group to maximize value from Malaysia’s natural gas resources.

PCG is one of the top 10 companies in the FTSE4Good Bursa Malaysia Index out of the 200 largest companies ranked by market capitalization. It is committed to ensuring that its business practices are in line with globally recognized standards for environment, social and governance practices.