The largest cluster for sweet protein production employing Russian technology will be built in the Arab Emirates.
The contract on designing a site for sweet protein production using EFKO technology was signed on February 29th as part of the HiConf conference on innovative food in Dubai.
Investment in the project will total 500 million dollars, and the design of the biotechnology cluster will involve European engineering companies.
Rostislav Kovalevsky,
EFKO Innovation Director
EFKO Innovation Director
“The problem of obesity and diabetes is very acute in the Middle East. That is why the project is developing at a high rate in this region – people need a healthy alternative to sugar, which will allow them not to give up their usual products to lead a healthier lifestyle. Sweet protein is one of the most promising technologies to substitute “conventional” sugar because this protein sweetener does not cause an insulin response though being several thousand times sweeter than sugar, and it has a similar flavour profile. Many companies all over the world are now developing their own sweet proteins, and we highly appreciate that our partners have chosen our technology as the basis for a biotechnology cluster in the UAE.”
The project on the biotechnology cluster involves the continuous construction of three stages of production facilities capable of delivering sweet protein to consumers throughout the Middle East, not only in the UAE.