NEW TECH FOODS

Animal-free dairy company New Culture announced that it will be launching its first product – mozzarella cheese – in collaboration with award-winning chef Nancy Silverton. New Culture replaces the essential dairy protein in cheese – called casein – with its own animal-free version that the company produces using precision fermentation. According to New Culture, the mozzarella will be the “first cheese in the world made with animal-free casein”. New Culture’s cell-based mozzarella will be served at Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, US, slated to start in early June 2024. The company says that “this historic announcement represents a critical milestone for the first-ever animal-free, dairy mozzarella to be available to consumers”. New Culture says it is leading the global transition to an animal-free dairy future by making melty, stretchy dairy cheese without any animal inputs, starting with mozzarella. The company uses fermentation to produce the cheese that it says “tastes just like conventional cheese,” but is much more sustainable, healthier and better for the global food system. Inja Radman, CSO and co-founder of New Culture, said: “We believe consumers shouldn't have to compromise on stretch, melt, taste or sustainability when enjoying their favourite cheeses and we can't wait to see New Culture mozzarella on pizzeria menus nationwide, starting at Pizzeria Mozza”. New Culture’s mozzarella is free from cholesterol, lactose and trace hormones and antibiotics, while having the versatility to bake, bubble and brown in wood-fired, gas and electric ovens. The company’s approach to cheesemaking cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions and water, land and energy usage. #NewCulture #US

Israel-based deep tech company Steakholder Foods has unveiled its 3D bio-printing business model targeting B2B cell-based meat producers. The company announced that it has focused its business model to target B2B meat manufacturers and cell-based meat producers, by offering manufacturers the ability to produce a cell-based meat product that aims to closely mimic the taste, texture and appearance of traditional meat. Steakholder Foods competitive advantage lies in its expertise in 3D bio-printing technology and its ability to create sophisticated, structured end products that aim to closely mimic real meat. Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Foods, said: "By offering 3D printing production methodologies to B2B clients, Steakholder Foods has the opportunity to become a backbone supplier that enables the production of products that consumers seek and expect. Our 3D bio-printing technology and customised bio-inks reflect our commitment to revolutionising the food industry." The company is developing two types of 3D bio-printer platforms, the Ready to Cook (RTC) printer and the 3D printer for incubated products. The flagship product, the RTC printer, produces a hybrid cultivated meat product made from a mixture of cultivated and plant-based ingredients. The 3D printer for incubated products – such as tissue-engineered steak – is expected to be a future value proposition for Steakholder Foods when economies of scale support a market for fully cultivated products. This printer is designed to produce a fully matured, cultivated, printed meat product, which will require live cells to grow, differentiate and mature, forming complex fibrous tissue that resembles the texture and taste of conventional meat. The company plans to offer lab- and industrial-scale printers using one of two types of technology to produce different end products. DropJet technology – based on drops of gel-based materials to create a 3D structure – is designed to produce fish and seafood products. For all other meat products Fusion technology extrudes paste materials through a narrow nozzle, enabling the creation of fibre texture that best simulates conventional meat fibres. Bio-inks are a vital part of Steakholder Foods’ 3D printing technology and are made of plant-based ingredients and cultivated cells. They are developed to ensure the production of tasty, safe and consistent products, and the company plans to offer customisation options to allow clients to create bio-inks for any type of species they would like to produce, tailored to specific needs and preferences. The latest update follows Steakholder Foods' announcement in April that it was participating in Wilk Technologies' strategic investment round. The deal saw Steakholder Foods purchase ordinary shares in Wilk for $450,000 at a 15% discount below their 45-day average closing price, resulting in a 2.5% ownership stake in Wilk. Additionally, Steakholder Foods said it aims to identify business opportunities with Wilk, including strategic cooperation on its proprietary biology and printing technologies. #SteakholderFoods #Israel #Bioprinting

French-American agricultural bio-tech company Arbiom, has announced the beginning of its European collaborative project, Sylplant. The company received a €14 million grant from the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), a public-private partnership between the EU Commission and the Bio-based Industries Consortium. Arbiom specialises in the production of proteins for feed and food applications by processing agricultural and wood residues. The Sylplant project gathers 17 partners from all aspects of the entire food and feed value chains, from feedstock manufacturers to retailers. The investment will also see the construction and operation of Arbiom’s first plant in France. Marc Chevrel, Arbiom’s CEO, said: “This factory paves the way to Arbiom’s industrial deployment. It will bring 10,000 tons per year of alternative, highly nutritional and sustainable protein to the market to answer the future food needs.” CBE JU executive director, Nicoló Giacomuzzi-Moore, said: “CBE JU is very proud to co-fund this pioneering project. Sylplant is the perfect answer to ensure European food security and sovereignty and so contributes to the viability of the food system.” As part of the Sylplant project, the consortium will work on three objectives over the next three years. Firstly, the construction and operation of Arbiom’s plant to reach 10,000 tons of ingredient production annually. Secondly, validating the use of its Sylpro ingredient in aquafeed and petfood applications, and thirdly, developing the next generation of foods such as cheese analogues, meat analogues and specialised nutrition products with Arbiom’s ingredients. The consortium includes Arbiom, Bel Group, Fibenol, The Lyfe Institute Research Centre, Satt Sayens, Agromousquetaires (through three entities), Biozoon, Centiv, Normandise Pet Food, Biomar, Eurofins Food Testing France, IFEU and PNO Consultants. #Arbiom #Sylplant #France #US

Plant cell technology company and producer of sustainable bioactives for consumer products, Ayana Bio, has unveiled functional gummies made with plant cell cultivation technology, in partnership with Robertet. The two companies joined forces to create new product prototypes featuring Plant Cell Advantage (PCA) lemon balm and echinacea-purpurea, which were showcased in May at the Global Synthetic Biology Conference, SynBioBeta, in Oakland, California. The functional gummies were developed using ingredients derived from cultivated plant cells, guaranteeing that they are free from contaminants, solvents, pesticides and heavy metals, while also ensuring that they are fully traceable. Ayana Bio showcased the versatility of PCA ingredients with two prototypes: blueberry acai gummy infused with Lemon Balm PCA for stress relief, and tarocco blood orange gummy enhanced with Echinacea-p PCA for immune support. Frank Jaksch, Ayana Bio’s CEO, said: “These delectable gummies demonstrate how effortlessly product developers can create offerings that consumers will love which incorporate Ayana plant cell ingredients. Our Plant Cell Advantage ingredients empower the industry with clean-label, sustainable options that are DNA-fingerprint certified, free from adulteration, contamination, pesticide residue and the inconsistent quality caused by agricultural and climate variation.” He continued: “We welcome collaboration with CPG companies to address the challenges they face in sourcing high-quality botanical ingredients and to develop solutions that meet future market demand." ‍ Effendi Leonard, cofounder and CTO of Ayana Bio, added: "We are thrilled to showcase our first two PCA ingredients at SynBioBeta, allowing visitors to experience our innovative plant cell cultivation technology first-hand. By leveraging our advanced multi-omics and rich collection of cell lines, Ayana Bio has the capability to develop a variety of botanicals while streamlining the manufacturing process and improving cell line productivity." The gummy concept follows Ayana Bio's launch of plant cell-cultivated lemon balm and echinacea ingredients, first announced in April. #AyanaBio #US

Dutch food tech company Mosa Meat has opened a new 29,708-square-foot scale-up facility in Maastricht, the Netherlands. This is the company’s fourth facility and completes the new Mosa CAMPUS (Center for Advanced Meat Production, Upscaling and Sustainability), with a total footprint of 79,007 square feet. According to the company, the new facility has already started its first production runs. Mosa Meat’s CEO Maarten Bosch said: "As this scale-up facility comes online next month, we will have the capacity to make tens of thousands of cultivated hamburgers. The facility is designed to grow as demand increases with regulatory approvals and regional market entries, up to hundreds of thousands of cultivated hamburgers per year.” Mark Post, Mosa Meat’s co-founder and CSO, commented: “When we introduced cultivated meat to the world, we predicted it would take 10 years to create a consumer product. Now, almost exactly 10 years later, we have a consumer product that we can start making in larger quantities and that we can start serving to consumers in Singapore, pending regulatory approval.” The latest announcement comes after Mosa Meat began constructing an industrial production development centre near the company’s existing pilot facility in October last year. #MosaMeat #theNetherlands

Talks of cell-based meat are on an upward trajectory as the industry experiences significant growth. In December 2020, Singapore became the first country to approve the sale of cell-based meat with the commercialisation of Good Meat’s cell-based chicken, a brand from plant-based company Eat Just. In this blog post, we take a look at cell-based meat and what it could mean for the industry. The idea of producing meat proteins via cell-cultured practices can be traced back to 1932 when Winston Churchill predicted in his book Thoughts and Adventures that it would one day be possible to produce chicken meat without rearing live chickens. Fast forward to 2013, the first cell-cultured beef burger was introduced by Professor Mark Post of Vascular Physiology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. It cost over €200,000 at the time, according to GovGrant, though in 2019, the professor claimed costs had lowered to around €9 per burger. While this is considerably more expensive than most beef burgers you could find in retailers, it provides a window into the significant progress that has occurred in a short space of time and its potential for the future. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has stated that two of the biggest global challenges – feeding the human population and combatting climate change – could be tackled with the use of biotechnology. WEF says that current global food systems "cannot provide a sustainable, healthy diet for the world’s growing population". In an article, WEF said: “We are already seeing the devastating impacts of climate change, and it will prove fatal to ignore the available solutions like those offered by biotechnology”. “The decisions we make now, whether through policy-making, business, or in society at large, will drastically impact our future and the world in which we live. It will not be easy, but we must try much harder. If we replace meat-based proteins with alternative proteins, we can drastically reduce global warming, water use, and land use by over 80% in Europe alone.” According to Good Food Institute (GFI), the manufacturing process begins with acquiring and banking stem cells from an animal. The cells are then grown (cultivated) in bioreactors at high densities and volumes by being fed an oxygen-rich cell culture medium made of basic nutrients. The entire process takes around two to eight weeks, depending on what kind of meat is being cultivated, GFI says, adding that some companies are using similar strategies to create milk and dairy products. A recent report by GFI revealed that sustainable companies across Europe raised €579 million last year, nearly 24% more than in 2021, while cell-based meat companies in Europe saw investments jump by 30% to €120 million. This figure is more than half of the total raised by European cultivated meat companies between 2016 and 2021. The Dubai Future Foundation Forum has also highlighted the potential that cell-based meat holds for overcoming environmental sustainability and food security crises. At the Dubai Future Forum in October, technology and healthcare futurist Jamie Metzle expressed his concerns for a future that exists the same way it does today due to agricultural influence. Metzle said: “We’re going to have 10 billion people on the planet by 2050 and if we continue as we are now, we’re going to need 70% more arable land. We do not have that amount and a lot of arable land is becoming less arable because of climate change.” Cell-based meat is certainly lapping up the limelight as its benefits are increasingly being noted and reiterated as time goes on and as technology develops. A report by Allied Market Research claimed that the global cell-based meat market size is expected to reach $2.78 billion by 2030...The consumption of cell-based meat on a commercial level could be closer than we think.

South Korea-based cultivated seafood company CellMeat has raised KRW 17.4 billion (approx. $13.34 million) in a funding round. The Series A was led by previous investors BNK Venture Investment, Ryukyung PSG Asset Management, and Strong Ventures, with three new investors – NH Venture Investment, Genting Ventures and Daewoodang Healthcare – also joining the round. The announcement comes as CellMeat prepares to open a mass production centre in Guri, in South Korea’s Gyeonggi province, this month, after claiming to develop proprietary cell culture technology that makes large-scale production of cell-based meat economically viable. CellMeat’s CEO, Park Gil-jun, said: “Through this Series A investment, CellMeat can strengthen its position as a leader in the cell-based meat market and continue to prioritise technology development”. The company is known for developing a serum-free cell culture medium, helping to bring down the cost of production while removing any ethical issues associated with fetal bovine serum. Last year, the company raised $8.1 million in a funding round, saying it would use the capital to double pilot production of its cultivated shrimp. #CellMeat #SouthKorea

Extracellular, a UK-based contract development and manufacturing organisation dedicated to cell-based meat and seafood, has developed low-cost, licence-free cell banks for use by the cell-based meat sector. The cell banks are stocked with primary cells relevant to cell-based meat research, which have been created with funding from InnovateUK – part of the UK Government’s Department of Research and Innovation – and developed in collaboration with biotech company Multus. According to Extracellular, “currently, animal primary cells relevant for cell-based meat research are expensive, often of poor quality, and come with limited information regarding their performance or provenance. Their use is also limited by licensing or commercial agreements that can impede innovative technologies and approaches in this nascent field.” Extracellular’s cell bank initiative aims to support early-stage companies and researchers in the sector by providing high-quality animal primary cells that are suitable for cell-based research and development. The company says that its cell banks are “up to 90% cheaper than other cell line providers and free from licensing restrictions”. The cell banks offer cells isolated from the fat, muscle and bone marrow tissues of cows, pigs and lamb. Each batch will include information on the cells’ provenance, from the age, breed and sex of the animal, to the passage numbers and expected population doubling times. Extracellular says that more animal species and tissue types will be available in the future. Dr Will Milligan, co-founder and CEO of Extracellular, said: "Primary cells are the building blocks for cultivated meat research, but good cells are too hard to access for many researchers in industry and academia. By bringing our cell banks to market, we hope more researchers can develop new cell lines, media formulations, processes and technologies, without restrictions from licensing or commercial agreements.” The project also involves extensive collaboration with Multus, which develops low-cost growth media formulations and ingredients for the cell-based meat industry. Multus provided protocols and materials to de-risk the cell bank project, along with independent quality control for cell identification, cryopreservation (a process that preserves cells by cooling the samples to very low temperatures) and growth characterisation. Seren Kell, senior science and technology manager at the Good Food Institute Europe, said: "Increasing the availability of cell lines will be crucial to help researchers and companies develop the innovations needed to bring down the cost of this more sustainable way of making meat. The creation of a licence-free cell bank is exactly the kind of collaborative approach needed to help the UK accelerate this growing field, while the involvement of farmers demonstrates how agricultural communities can benefit from a transition to sustainable proteins." As part of the cell bank initiative, Extracellular plans to work with other organisations to provide an open and collaborative platform focused on facilitating effective data sharing of cell-based meat research. Dr Kiren Baines, co-founder and CSO of Extracellular, said: "We wanted to create cell banks that came with an extensive data pack, and that’s what we’ve done. We’ve characterised our cell banks to make sure researchers understand the quality of the cells we’re providing. Our banks also allow researchers to compare species, tissue types, and even tissues from the same animal to understand the details behind delivering a fantastic cultivated meat product." Extracellular’s cell banks will be available from July 2023. #Extracellular #InnovateUK #UK

Meat processing company JBS has announced that its subsidiary, BioTech Foods , has begun construction of its first commercial-scale plant for cell-based meat. JBS invested $41 million into the plant in San Sebastián, Spain, which is expected to be completed in mid-2024. The investment aims to help accelerate the development of the cell-based protein market globally. When complete, the plant will produce over 1,000 tons of protein annually, potentially reaching a production capacity of 4,000 tons per year in the medium term. BioTech plans to gradually increase its production capacity to address growing consumer demand. Eduardo Noronha, JBS USA’s head of value-added business and leading JBS’ global cultivated protein strategy, said: “The new BioTech plant puts JBS in a unique position to lead the segment and ride this wave of innovation. The new hub in San Sebastián will allow BioTech Foods to offer cultivated protein as an innovative product that will meet the consumer demand for healthy, tasty, and sustainable food products.” The new plant will be built on a 20,000-square-metre plot of land, enabling the facilities to expand and adapt to the needs of the market, which is in constant evolution. The plant will incorporate patented bioreactors and cutting-edge technology, adapted specifically for producing cell-based proteins. The plant is expected to create around 150 new jobs, including qualified R&D professionals. JBS also plans to construct a “latest generation” biotech cell-based protein R&D centre in Florianópolis, Brazil, which will receive an estimated $60 million investment. The facility’s goal is to develop 100% Brazilian cutting-edge technology to produce alternative proteins. JBS is the majority shareholder of BioTech Foods after acquiring a 53% stake in the Spanish company in November 2021. #JBS #BioTechFoods #Spain #Brazil

UK-based start-up Uncommon – formerly Higher Steaks – has raised $30 million in Series A funding, led by Balderton Capital and Lowercarbon. The funding includes participation from Red Alpine and East Alpha will be used to further develop Uncommon’s novel approach, scale-up production at its pilot manufacturing facility in Cambridge, UK, and begin the regulatory approvals process for its cell-based pork. Founded by Benjamina Bollag and Ruth Faram, Uncommon leverages RNA, the molecule that contains the chemical instructions that direct cells’ natural machinery into making a protein, to create delicious cultivated bacon and pork belly from animal cells. Bollag said: “Uncommon [is] a biocreation company that uses the power of cells to tackle the most pressing challenges to our health, starting with cultivated pork. As the only cultivated meat leveraging RNA technologies, we believe we have a competitive advantage that could help us become the largest protein company in the world.” The company says that its unique approach enables it to “more quickly reach price parity with conventional meat, scale faster and create safer, healthier products without the use of gene editing,” which it says will open up a wider global market than its competitors. Uncommon’s extensive research used insights to build complex proteins and fats that possess “authentic flavour” and nutritional benefits. This technology does not require the need for antibiotics, animal products or toxic small molecules, and reduces the raw materials needed for alt-protein production. In a statement, the company said: “With over a third of the world’s total antibiotics used solely on pigs in China, and antibiotic resistance predicted to kill more people than cancer by 2050, cultivated meat offers a sustainable solution”. Daniel Waterhouse, partner at Balderton Capital, commented: “The cultivated meat industry faces significant challenges, from the cost of materials to regulation and scaling. We’re convinced that Uncommon has the formula to become a global leader that will transform how we eat and enjoy meat.” Clea Kolster, partner at Lowercarbon, added: “The meat industry is one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions globally and industrial production is also tied to infectious diseases like swine fever and bird flu. Uncommon is on a mission to build a healthier future by leveraging RNA technologies to create cultivated pork belly and bacon, which could produce up to 52% fewer carbon emissions per pound than traditional pork.” #Uncommon #HigherSteaks #UK

Steakholder Foods has completed the upgrade of its industrial-scale 3D bio-printer, advancing towards mass production of the company's bioprinted products. The upgraded 3D bio-printer is integrated with electronic cards and printeheads with a fully-digital ink delivery system, which allows for high throughput printing for a variety of species through hundreds of printhead nozzles, with the potential to print tons of meat each month. High-throughput 3D printing can be used to create complex meat structures at a commercial scale. The upgrade includes hundreds of nozzles that work simultaneously on a carousel to allow the high-throughput volume, with a modular structure that is expected to enable the addition of printheads, depending on the specifications of the client. The printheads are controlled and managed through a ‘DropJet’ printed circuit board. During the upgrade, printheads were connected to Steakholder Foods’ proprietary in-house software that models and reads design files and creates the slicing that manages printing through the printheads. This software enables the printing of complex 3D structures with “extreme” precision. Steakholder Foods expects the system’s adaptability to allow the printing of almost any species, as the printer systems keep cells alive and undamaged throughout the printing process. Itamar Atzmony, VP of engineering at Steakholder Foods, said: “Steakholder Foods’ 3D printer cutting-edge technology is fully developed in-house. From the mechanical design to the software and electronics, this upgrade brings us one step closer to mass production, creating sophisticated meat and fish structures for the cultivated meat industry.” Future development is expected to include further automation capabilities, cost optimisation and validations for commercialisation, with additional development that could include modification and customisation for partner needs. #SteakholderFoods #Israel

International tech group has inaugurated its New Food Application and Technology Center of Excellence (ATC) in Hildesheim, Germany. The ATC houses a pilot plant for the production of sustainable alternatives to meat, milk, seafood and eggs, through microbial fermentation and cell cultivation. At the new technology centre, GEA’s food experts will use a cell cultivation and fermentation pilot line to fast-track innovations from the lab to commercial-scale manufacturing. The new testing platform at the ATC is designed to bridge the gap between the test bench and industrial-scale production without customers having to invest in a large-scale plant from the outset. Heinz Jürgen Kroner, senior VP of New Food at GEA, said: “Establishing and scaling up a new food production facility is a major task,. In many cases, new food producers are still stuck at the lab scale – with the hygiene, aseptic and process requirements that involves. On the other hand, industrial-scale manufacturing presents much greater technical and financial challenges.” He continued: “At the ATC, our process experts explore the potential for mass production in order to make this step manageable for food manufacturers. Ultimately, GEA and our customers want to work together on the development of safe, affordable new food products for consumers.” With cell-based meat being fast-developed, GEA says that research is “turning to precision fermentation for milk proteins”. One of the company’s first customers in this field is Imagindairy, an Israel-based scale-up that will utilise the ATC to develop its milk products. Imagindairy’s CEO Eyal Afergan said: “We want to make dairy products without harming the planet. To make that happen, we harness the ancient art of fermentation and combine it with science. This lets us create milk proteins with the taste, functionality, mouthfeel and nutritional value that we love about milk. Together with GEA, we can pave the way to bringing this innovation faster to the market, with the highest possible quality standards.” #GEA #Germany