Spring 2026 Shatil grant winners Profs. Yechezkel Kashi and Yachin Cohen

Congratulations to Prof. Yechezkel Kashi of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering and Prof. Yachin Cohen of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering. The two received an HSPRC Shatil grant for the project “Improving the biomimicry properties of oleaginous yeast lipids used as beef fat analogues in the alternative proteins industry.”

The rapid growth of alternative protein products has driven increasing demand for sustainable alternative fats. They have developed oleaginous yeast strains capable of efficiently growing on wheat straw hydrolysate and diverse food waste streams, enabling the production of vegan fat substitutes.

The aim of this study is to improve fatty acid composition to better mimic animal fat while enhancing economic feasibility. To achieve this, they will increase saturated fatty acid (SFA) levels through a combination of strain selection, genetic modification, and fermentation optimization. By integrating expertise from genomics and materials science, this project seeks to advance yeast-based fat biomimicry and support the scalable production of alternative fats.