Moolec Science raises $30m to produce more animal proteins via plants

Business

Moolec Science raises $30m to produce more animal proteins via plants

Phoebe Fraser

30 October 2023

Moolec Science raises $30m to produce more animal proteins via plants

UK-based ag bio-tech start-up Moolec has announced a $30 million raise in cash and in-kind contributions from strategic investors via convertible notes.

Moolec is a spinout of Bioceres Crop Solutions, an integrated bio-tech company of crop productivity solutions, including high-impact technologies for seeds.

Moolec is known for its molecular farming platform, which bio-engineers plants such as yellow peas and soybeans to express bovine and porcine proteins. The proteins are said to improve the taste, texture, nutrition, flavour, and colour of meat alternatives.

Moolec’s CEO Gastón Paladini told media outlet AgFunder News that it plans to focus on more meat molecules and proteins in multiple R&D projects. He said that instead of extracting and purifying the animal protein from these ingredients, Moolec plans to sell the soy and pea proteins with the meat proteins embedded in the matrix.

#Moolec #UK

Cell-based protein

Innovation

Funding & Investments

Food

UK publishes first safety guidance for lab-grown meat

The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA), in collaboration with Food Standards Scotland (FSS), has released the country’s first safety guidance for cell-cultivated products (CCPs), commonly known as lab-grown meat.

UK launches FASTA programme to scale climate-smart farming technologies

The UK Agri-Tech Centre and the Carbon Trust have launched the Food Agriculture System Technology Accelerator (FASTA), a programme designed to help UK-based innovators scale technologies that support sustainable farming.

UK government urged to invest £150m in alternative protein innovation

The Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe) is calling on the UK government to bolster its commitment to alternative proteins by investing £150 million as part of the National Food Strategy.

UK pet market gets first microbial protein dog treats with launch of Gut Bites

British animal-free pet food brand The Pack has teamed up with German biotech start-up MicroHarvest to launch Gut Bites, a microbial protein dog treat for the UK market.