Enifer and Rovio Pet Foods Bring Mycoprotein to the Dog Treat Market
- Gauri Khanna
- 16 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Enifer's Pekilo mycoprotein, containing over 60% protein, is being used to develop semi-moist dog treats with Finnish partner Rovio Pet Foods.
A 60-day feeding trial involving 16 dogs showed high digestibility and palatability, with no negative effects on stool quality.
Enifer is building a commercial facility capable of producing 3,000 tonnes of Pekilo annually, as it pursues regulatory approvals across multiple markets.
Finland has long punched above its weight in fermentation science, and Enifer is the latest example of that tradition bearing fruit, albeit this time in a dog treat. The Helsinki-based startup has partnered with Rovio Pet Foods to develop a semi-moist canine snack built around its Pekilo mycoprotein, marking a concrete step in the company's efforts to bring fungal protein into commercial pet nutrition.
From Forest Byproducts to the Dog Bowl
Pekilo has a longer history than its startup branding might suggest. The fungal strain at its heart, Paecilomyces varioti, was identified as a promising candidate for mycoprotein production in Finland as far back as 1975, when researchers tested more than 300 fungal species for use in animal feed applications. That programme ran until 1991, feeding the microbes on byproducts from the forest industry. Enifer, spun out of the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in 2020, revived the process by adapting the strain to food and agricultural sidestreams, upgrading it to food-grade quality.
The production method involves continuous submerged fermentation, a process conceptually similar to brewing, in which the fungal mycelium, the thread-like vegetative structure of fungi, grows in a liquid medium and consumes the substrate. After fermentation, water is mechanically removed, and the resulting biomass is dried and milled into a fine, shelf-stable powder. The ingredient contains over 60% protein, 22% fibre, a strong amino acid profile comparable to meat-derived proteins, and notably low fat, carbohydrate, and ash content. The low ash level, below 8%, is particularly relevant for pet food formulators because it allows for higher inclusion rates without disrupting the balance of minerals in the final product.
Validation Through Partnership
The collaboration with Rovio Pet Foods, funded by Business Finland, centres on functional treat formats, a growing subcategory within pet nutrition driven by the broader humanisation of pets. As owners apply increasingly human-like health considerations to their animals, demand for products with clearer nutritional benefits has risen. That dynamic creates commercial space for novel ingredients that can demonstrate both palatability and functional relevance.
Palatability, how much an animal actually wants to eat something, is the decisive test for any pet food ingredient, however impressive its nutritional credentials on paper. A 60-day feeding trial involving 16 dogs found that PekiloPet, the pet-specific variant of the ingredient, showed high digestibility and palatability, produced no negative effects on stool quality, and was associated with biomarker changes linked to immune activity and oxidative balance. Those results provide a credible evidence base for the ingredient's use in functional applications, though the company acknowledges that further validation remains part of the process.
The partnership with Rovio also builds on earlier work with Prima Pet, which involved producing test batches at a dry food factory in Nokia, with palatability trials for both cats and dogs planned for spring. A four-tonne commercial production run of PekiloPet was completed in March, demonstrating that the ingredient can perform in real manufacturing environments. The Rovio dog treat will be showcased at Interzoo 2026 in Nuremberg. This kind of regulatory and commercial validation across different product categories is increasingly seen as essential groundwork for novel protein ingredients seeking mainstream adoption.
Scaling Towards Commercial Reality
Enifer currently operates a pilot production line yielding between 5 and 10 kilograms of Pekilo daily, supplemented by periodic campaigns with contract manufacturers at ten times that output. To move beyond pilot scale, the company is constructing a commercial facility in Kirkkonummi, at a cost of 33 million euros, which is designed to produce 3,000 tonnes of the ingredient annually.
On the regulatory front, Enifer has self-affirmed Pekilo as Generally Recognised as Safe for human food use in the United States and submitted a notification to the Food and Drug Administration. It has also filed for novel food approval in the EU, Singapore, and the UK. In the EU, the ingredient already holds approval for pet food use, which enables commercial activity to proceed while the broader human food pathway is navigated. Similar efforts by other mycoprotein producers pursuing novel food approval illustrate how complex and time-consuming these regulatory routes can be.
Having raised approximately 49 million euros in equity and debt to date, Enifer is now working towards a Series C funding round, which it expects to close before the end of the year.
