Domestic biotechnologies were the focus of one of the addresses during the traditional meeting of the President with young scientists. Rostislav Kovalevsky who is EFKO Innovation Director spoke about the company's developments and, in particular, about sweet proteins as a healthy alternative to sugar.

“This is a special type of protein, which, when interacting with taste receptors, creates a feeling of very sweetness,” Rostislav Kovalevsky explained. “Sweet proteins are several thousand times sweeter than sugar. Several kilograms of sugar may be substituted with one gram of this substance. At the moment, we have almost completed the process of registering in Russia. Furthermore, over eight months of study demonstrate that this is a genuinely helpful component that can be recommended in diabetic diet plans.”

Vladimir Putin probed about how sweet proteins are produced, whether they cause an insulin response in the blood, and, assessing the level of development, praised the project.

During the conversation, Rostislav Kovalevsky also touched upon the issue of mainstreaming innovative products.

Rostislav Kovalevsky,
EFKO Innovation Director

“We are convinced that all new products shall be subject to the most stringent examination in terms of their benefits to human health, and we are ready to invest in this expert evaluation ourselves. But what we consider important and would like to discuss is the feasibility of creating a specialized platform that would participate in the formation of public opinion concerning these new products. It seems to us that this would significantly reduce the likelihood of these new products being discredited by representatives of replacement industries.

These products are innovative. The attitude towards them on behalf of consumers has not been formed yet. There is a high risk that with the help of sophistication, without any scientific justification, they would be discredited. These new industries will not be as attractive to investors as their entire potential if this challenge is not fixed at the systemic level.”

Vladimir Putin,
the President of the Russian Federation

“As for attempts to discredit by competitors, this will still happen, it is inevitable. The most important thing is for the consumer to see what expert advice is. So that it is evident to the general public what sort of authority and professionals this is and that this is a mark of quality. There is nothing complicated, you need to circulate this information, and that’s it. This is a perfectly right idea.”