Meet the man behind our unique lupin protein technology
The man behind our unique lupin protein technology (if you missed last week’s post catch up here (Lupin has the potential to be a multi-billion dollar industry for WA) is Dr Hayder Al-Ali, our Senior Food Scientist and co-inventor of Buntine Protein®.
Hayder grew up in Basra in southern Iraq where he studied Food Science and Biotechnology at Basra University followed by a Masters in Protein Functionality.
He was offered the Higher Committee for Education Development scholarship by the Iraqi government, which provides students with the opportunity to study at some of the finest universities in the world and fortunately for us, Hayder chose Curtin University as they best aligned with his chosen area of study.
With lupin containing the highest levels of protein of all legumes and Western Australia producing most of the world’s supply, looking back it seems inevitable that Hayder’s thesis would draw him to this humble crop.
When looking for someone to partner with, Curtin’s commercialisation team approached Wide Open Agriculture. As the leading regenerative agriculture company in Australia the partnership made perfect sense and we seized the opportunity and signed a Global Licence to create this unique plant-based protein on a commercial scale.
“As a PhD student, I was aware that many projects are often shelved once completed. My thesis came about trying to solve a problem and to be part of the solution makes me really happy! It’s a dream come true to be honest," Hayder said.
2022 has been a year of achievements for Hayder. Earlier this year he attended the graduation ceremony for his PhD and in June he was able to see another milestone reached thanks to his research, with the opening of the Lupin Protein Pilot Plant at our facilities in Kewdale. Next step? A commercial plant to introduce Buntine Protein® to the world!
“I came to Perth to complete my PhD, which I know is already a big achievement, but to be able to take my research from laboratory scale now to pilot scale and eventually to commercial scale is extremely fulfilling,” said Hayder.
We're thrilled to be a long chapter in Hayder's story.