Mush’ab is a co-founder and CEO of Biteback, an Insect Bio-refinery company aiming to meet an increasing global demand for palm oil by creating a healthier and more sustainable alternative. Biteback develop a processing technology that allow us extracting more than 90% of fats of insect body mass and refining them into various functional ingredients like cooking oil, butter, fatty alcohol, and biofuel. The insect reproduce so rapidly that outdo palm oil in yield by up to 40 times within the same area of land, can be scaled vertically, and fed by using biomass from agro-industry waste streams. The fatty acid properties offer an advantageous combination of rich in unsaturated fats and healthy fats including omega-3, 6, and 9. He started Biteback as part research project for a student competition, initially looked at insects as a source of protein but soon realized the potential for oil based products, especially as an alternative to palm oil. Growing up in Indonesia Mush’ab has witnessed the destruction of natural resources due to the ever increasing demand for palm oil and endless expansion of palm plantations. He also strongly believe that a sustainable solution developed by an Indonesian company will help increase awareness from other young Indonesians and spur other developments in innovation around conservation and sustainability in his country.
Mush’ab received his BA in Agricultural Engineering from University of Brawijaya. He also a global ambassador and served as Next-Gen council member in 2018 at Thought For Food Foundation. He was shortlisted as UNEP young champion of the earth finalist for APAC in 2018 and part of Industry Expert correspondent for Global Bioeconomy Summit 2018 organized by German Bioeconomy Council.