THE sediment was white, looking like fine sand. Despite its marine origin, it smelt sweet rather than saline. “It’s khamir,” said Sukoso, a professor of fishery and maritime biotechnology of the Fishery & Maritime School, Brawijaya University, Malang, East Java.

Khamir or marine yeast is a microorganism researched by Sukoso for 10 years. Thanks to his findings, he was promoted as the 182nd professor of Brawijaya University at the end of la