15 MARCH 2022, KUALA LUMPUR – University Malaya’s Faculty of Science has formed a Research and Development collaboration with Patriots Food Network (Kebun Kita) on producing sustainable higher quality fodder for the livestock industry worth RM4 million. The agreement is signed by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation) University of Malaya, Profesor Ir. Dr. Shaliza Ibrahim, and Chief Executive Officer of Kebun Kita, Mohamad Jamalee Basah. The signing ceremony held today is witnessed by the Faculty Dean, Professor Dr Zulqarnain Mohamed and Kebun Kita Head of Operation, Intan Syafinaz Shaari.
Via this agreement, Kebun Kita will be focusing on producing at a large scale of split-gill mushroom averaging 2-4 tonnes per year at UM’s Glami Lemi Biotechnology Research Centre in Jelebu. The capacity is hoped to be able to fulfill the market demand of this mushroom species with many other possibilities to explore.
The research group led by Dr Muhamad Shakirin Mispan is to delve into the potential of utilizing the nutrient-rich properties of the split-gill spent mushroom substrate (SMS) to enhance the growth rate and quality of fodder.
“Split-gill mushroom (Schizophyllum commune) is known to have various medicinal properties and its spent mushroom substrate has the high potential to significantly improve quality of the fodder”, said Dr Muhamad Shakirin.
“We hope that our research will be the catalyst in enabling a more sustainable organic method to cultivate fodder for livestock feed and increases its value”, he added.
Kebun Kita is positive with the market potential of split-gill mushrooms that showed the demand for mushroom-based products steadily increasing over the years, including for export.
“Research conducted by educational institutions should be combined with the experience of industry players so that the marketability of studies can be implemented both at the domestic and global level,” said Jamalee.
“We hope that this collaboration with UM will lead to more cooperation between educational institutions and industry players, especially in the agriculture and livestock industry,” Jamalee concluded.
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation) Professor Ir. Dr. Shaliza Ibrahim added, “As an educational institution, we look forward to collaborate and receive more support from the industry for our researches. We know collaboration is key to innovation especially in the biotechnology field. With the unique expertise that each parties bring to the table, more innovation and advancement can be made possible.” Kebun Kita platform for retail products are live at www.kebunkita.biz.