NEW TECH FOODS

The Netherlands-based microalgae producer, Phycom, has announced an investment of over €9 million to accelerate the company’s growth. The investment – which involved key partners including Corbion, Phase2.earth, Invest-NL and Invest International – is set to propel the company’s microalgae cultivation on an industrial scale. All parties involved in the investment recognise Phycom’s unique technology for large-scale microalgae cultivation and advocate its cost-effectiveness and sustainability efforts as the sustainable protein alternative could transform and potentially play a crucial role in our food systems. Over the last four years, Phycom has built two production facilities in Veenendaal, the Netherlands, which it says prove the technology and scalability of microalgae production. The investment is set to propel the Phycom team in all levels of the organisation and will help expand marketing activities and fund further technology development. Eelco Benink, head of equity at Invest International, said: “Investing in Phycom fits perfectly with our AgriFood strategy, helping drive important change in the food system, thereby contributing to the SDGs. Stepping in this together with Invest-NL, the investment creates direct jobs in the Netherlands, enabling the company to develop an international expansion plan.” Strategic partner and president of Corbion Algae Ingredients, Ruud Peerbooms, commented: “At Corbion, we unleash the power of algae fermentation to enhance nutrition while preserving the world’s limited resources. Phycom’s shown capabilities offer great potential, and we believe combining complementary strengths through this collaborative partnership will help us continue to redefine what’s possible through algae-based technologies.” Daan Meijer, investment associate of Invest-NL, added: “Invest-NL aims to accelerate the transition to a sustainable food system by investing in innovative technologies for alternative proteins. Microalgae’s role in this transition and Phycom’s unique technology and large-scale production make us exceptionally proud to add Phycom to our investment portfolio.” The round also drew renewed support from all existing shareholders. #Phycom #theNetherlands

The Cultivated B (TCB) and DenovoMatrix have entered into a collaborative partnership to conduct a feasibility study to enable the scalable, economically viable commercial production of cell-based meats. DenovoMatrix will contribute its microcarrier technology to test the proliferation of suspended cells in TCB’s bioreactors and cell mediums, and its coating technology for functionalising scaffolding, which enables a structured final cell-based meat product. Microcarriers act as an adherence mechanism for cells, contributing to rapid cell doubling and overcoming growth limits. The companies say that the use of microcarriers will allow industrial-scale cell mass production and establishes a controllable, consistent as well as repeatable pilot-phase process for manufacturing cell mass. The development aims to set a standard for the industry, enabling traditional meat companies to create and scale their own cell-based meat programmes internally. Hamid Noori, CEO of The Cultivated B, said: “Together with DenovoMatrix, we’re poised to bring our shared vision of a more sustainable, future-forward biotech sector to life. This collaboration not only signifies a step forward in cell line technology but also reflects our mutual dedication to progressive innovation in the cultivated meat sector.” The collaboration will leverage the shared technical knowledge of the two B2B technology providers to perform an in-depth analysis of the viability and potential benefits of this integrated system. The partnership is set to enable an end-to-end approach for the alt-protein sector. DenovoMatrix is contributing its biomaterials and its cell biology and development expertise, which the company says have the potential to unlock cell growth and manufacturing opportunities for TCB’s cell lines and bioreactor setups. Once the feasibility study concludes and demonstrates productive outcomes, TCB intends to integrate DenovoMatrix's technology into its product offerings, marking a major stride in cellular agriculture innovation. Dejan Hušman, CEO of DenovoMatrix, commented: “Our alliance with The Cultivated B is a commitment to enabling existing as well as new players in the cultivated meat space. The outcome which we strive for is a turnkey solution for customers, composed of the expertise and technologies of our two companies.” The potential impact of this partnership extends beyond the commercial cell-based meat sector as it could be adopted by academic institutions researching cell-based meat, democratising the initiation of pilot-scale cell manufacturing. #TheCultivatedB #DenovoMatrix #Germany

Israel-based deep-tech food company Steakholder Foods has submitted a provisional patent application for its “Immortal Bovine Cell Line and Uses Thereof”. This development marks a significant step in making commercial-scale cell-based meat production a reality, meeting the growing need for alt-protein sources. The company’s patent application enhances the growth capacity of bovine cells, leading them to immortalisation and increased biomass production at a “relatively short division time”. This is set to pave the way for scale, repeatability and growth – key factors needed for the large-scale commercialisation of cell-based meat technologies. With its immortal cell lines, Steakholder Foods aims to provide a stable, renewable source for generating different tissues, which will reduce the ecological impact of animal agriculture whilst improving nutritional options. Transforming the cell-based meat landscape – utilising the self-replication and functional differentiation abilities of stem cells, the patent presents immortal cell lines that are able to generate a broad array of tissues, such as muscle and fat. Steakholder Foods says this positions the company at the forefront of revolutionising the food industry. Dan Kozlovski, CTO of Steakholder Foods, said: "In 100 generations of replications, a single cell in an immortal cell line could theoretically produce more than 3,250 trillion tons of meat. With around 350 million tons of meat consumed annually, immortal cell lines are paving the way to ensuring slaughter-free meat supply for the foreseeable future. This isn't merely a technological milestone; it's a paradigm shift in how we envision food production for the future." This is the latest in a number of developments for Steakholder Foods. In June, the company announced it had completed the upgrade of its industrial-scale 3D bio-printer , advancing towards mass production of the company's bio-printed products. Last month it detailed the allowance of a new patent for advanced print heads for 3D bioprinting and last week the company launched its proprietary Light CAD Editor 3D modelling software for client use , providing an easy-to-use platform for 3D model customisation. #SteakholderFoods #Israel

This week, FoodBev had the privilege of attending the opening of BioBetter’s first food-grade pilot facility located near the city of Qiryat Shemona in northern Israel. This marked our first time in Israel – a nation distinguished for its dynamic start-up ecosystem. Renowned as an epicentre for food-tech innovation, many Israeli companies are at the forefront of creating innovative solutions across every facet of the food-tech industry. Fuelled by its strong technological expertise, well-established research institutions, proactive regulatory environment and substantial investments, the country is home to a plethora of pioneering companies in the food-tech space, including Aleph Farms, Steakholder Foods and Believer Meats. But nothing could have prepared us for the groundbreaking technology and processes unveiled by BioBetter. Started in 2015, BioBetter has pioneered a unique protein manufacturing platform for producing growth factors (GFs) that uses tobacco plants as self-sustained, animal-free bioreactors. By turning tobacco plants into “natural bioreactors,” the start-up says it could bring the cost of GFs for cell-based meat down from the normal range of $50,000-$1 million per gram to just $1 per gram. The company was founded by Oded Shoseyov, entrepreneur, researcher and professor of protein engineering and nano-biotechnology at Hebrew University, Jerusalem; Dana Yarden, a bio-tech business expert; and Avi Tzur, an industrialist with an avid vision to put the tobacco plant to positive use. Shoseyov's entrepreneurial spirit has led him to start more than 20 companies, from Collplant – a regenerative medicine company focused on the 3D bioprinting of tissues and organs, to SavorEat – a start-up harnessing 3D printing technology to create realistic plant-based meat alternatives, to nanotechnology company SP Nano, which commercialises the use of nanoparticles in products made from composite materials. On the drive home from the facility back to Tel Aviv, Shoseyov's passion and confidence in BioBetter and northern Israel's innovation culture shone through, he said: "What you have seen here today is one of the most remarkable things in Israel. Science may start in the middle of the country, in one or two of the universities, but at the end of the day, it is my experience that the best place to perform, and the best place to execute, is here in the Upper Galilee." Why growth factors? As all cell-based meat requires GFs to stimulate cell development and differentiation and supplement cell culture media, GFs take up anywhere between 55-95% of the marginal cost of manufacturing cell-based foods, according to The Good Food Institute (GFI). GFs are usually gathered from livestock or made through fermentation – both of which are costly and complex. Fetal bovine serum (FBS) – which provides a mix of the most important factors required for cell attachment, growth and proliferation – has conventionally been used in cell-based meat production due to its richness in nutrients and GFs. However, FBS has been flagged as unsustainable, unethical and not scalable, due to its process of being harvested from the blood of fetuses taken from pregnant cows. BioBetter’s process that turns tobacco plants into bioreactors – using only water, CO2 and sunlight – for the expression of proteins, can produce various bovine GFs, including FGF2, transferrin and insulin. The company’s newly established plant has the capacity to process 100kg of tobacco plant-derived GFs daily with several thousand square metres of bovine-insulin and FGF2-expressing tobacco plants already thriving in northern Israel. Speaking to those who attended the opening of the new facility, BioBetter’s CEO Amit Yaari detailed just how disruptive this new technology could be: “To illustrate, if cultivated meat were to take just 10% of the global meat market, this would require 17,000 tons of insulin. Today, the entire global capacity of insulin is only 30 tons...Just a year ago, we made the commitment to complete a food-grade pilot facility, we are now setting a goal to build a factory capable of producing up to five tons of growth factors per day by the end of 2025”. BioBetter’s chief research and development officer, Yonatan Eran, gave us a tour of the facility while explaining how the plants are modified to express the proteins. “We take tobacco seeds, sterilise them and grow them in sterile conditions to create plantlets. Once we have the plantlets, we cut them and use small discs of leaf as our starting material. Then, we introduce DNA – for example, DNA that encodes an insulin gene from a cow, or green fluorescent protein from a jellyfish, whatever DNA you can imagine –into the genome of cells inside these leaf discs.” Together with the target gene, BioBetter introduces an antibiotic resistance gene, so transformed cells in the leaf discs have the foreign DNA and also resistance to an antibiotic drug. Then, the scientists incubate the leaf discs in a sterile plate that contains nutrients and also an antibiotic agent, meaning that only transformed leaf cells that contain the new DNA will survive and grow in the plate. And this is when the magic happens: The transformed leaf tissue begins regenerating itself into a new plantlet: it develops new roots and leaves. The young plantlet develops within few weeks into a mature and fertile plant containing DNA from a foreign source within its genome. Fluorescent jellyfish Back in the 1970s, scientists have isolated a specific gene encoding a green fluorescent protein (GFP) from a jellyfish in the Pacific Ocean. Since then, GFP has become a versatile biological marker for visualizing protein and detecting transgenic expression in vivo. “To demonstrate the power of our technology, we introduced this GFP gene into tobacco leaf discs and regenerated a transgenic plant, So, if you emit UV light, you will see the plant glowing, and it will show the abundance of protein expressed in the leaf.” Eran said that the plants contain somewhere between milligrams to grams of protein per kilogram of fresh leaves. “The proteins that are being produced right now for the cultivated meat industry, are super, super expensive. For example, FGF2 can cost up to $1 million per gram. And here we’re talking about one plant that produces one kilo of leaves and could potentially produce one gram of FGF2.” Side streams and sustainability Throughout our time at the facility, BioBetter’s ingenuity shined through every facet of its operations. For starters, the plants can be irrigated with recycled, low-quality or even salt water. “Tobacco grows on every continent besides Antarctica,” said Eran “Furthermore, tobacco plants can reach 2.5 metres tall in less than three months.” Co-founder Dana Yarden, who drove us on the two-hour journey from Tel Aviv to Qiryat Shemona, added: “We can grow tobacco four times per year, with a high yield, and when you cultivate the crop, it grows back”. “Nothing goes to waste,” she added. “We remove the nicotine, which can be used as a natural pesticide, and the remaining material can be used as animal feed or even used within construction”. Yarden said that while tobacco plants are grown on most continents, they do require warm weather to thrive. She mentioned that in areas with colder climates, the plants could be grown in quantity in vertical farming facilities, and that the plants can flourish even in extreme weather, having withstood temperatures of 50°C this spring. Furthermore, Yarden pointed out that as the world begins to understand the detrimental impact that smoking tobacco has on our health, the new technology has the potential to repurpose the tobacco crop, securing tobacco farmers’ jobs that could potentially be at risk. Current tobacco agriculture methods are very advanced due to the lucrative smoking market, which means that farmers have sophisticated machinery to optimise tobacco growth. Eran says that this is another advantage of using tobacco plants as all of the infrastructure already exists. For BioBetter, the new facility is the latest in a string of developments. In the last year, the start-up has achieved commercial-scale cultivation of its insulin- and FGF-expressing tobacco plants, reached GF expression levels that enable a significant reduction of production costs, enabled significant regulatory progress and advances with the Israel Ministry of Health, collaborated with leading cell-based meat companies and has secured a $10 million Series A investment led by Jerusalem Venture Partners.  Following an exclusive tour of the company's facilities, BioBetter's founders and key leaders gave heartfelt speeches – showcasing their pride in the team's accomplishments and their enthusiasm for the future. BioBetter truly knows how to celebrate; the food was incredible and the wine was flowing, with smiles all round. A huge thank you to the BioBetter team for inviting us to the opening of the new pilot plant in Israel, and for the insight into how the start-up is shaking up the cell-based meat industry. #BioBetter #Israel

Good Meat has announced that a group of leading Islamic scholars has advised the company that cell-based meat, which is made without raising and slaughtering animals, can be halal if production meets certain criteria. Answering this theological question is a major step forward for international acceptance of cell-based meat since halal consumers represent about 25% of the world's population. This landmark Shariah opinion from a trio of well-respected scholars in Saudi Arabia comes as cell-based meat begins to enter commerce in the US. The Shariah scholars reviewed documentation prepared by Good Meat that described how cell-based chicken, the company’s first product, is made. The panel studied details about how the cells are sourced and selected, the ingredients fed to the cells to stimulate growth, how the cells are harvested and how finished products are manufactured. GoodMeat also engaged the Halal Product Advisory, a division of Halal Product Development Company, a fully owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, to advise and assist the company with the official process for halal pre-certification in Saudi Arabia and globally. The scholars concluded that cell-based meat can be halal under the following conditions: The cell line is from an animal that is permissible to eat, such as a chicken or a cow The animal the cell line is extracted from is slaughtered according to Islamic law The nutrients fed to the cells are permissible to eat, and do not include any substances that are forbidden to be eaten such as spilled blood, alcohol or materials extracted from animals that have not been slaughtered properly or pigs The cell-based meat is edible and that it does not harm human health, and this is confirmed by referring to specialists, such as a country’s food regulatory agency Good Meat’s chicken cell line and production process that were approved by regulators in the US and Singapore in July do not yet meet the above criteria, however, with this clarity the company says it will work on a process to meet the halal guidelines moving forward. Good Meat’s co-founder and CEO Josh Tetrick said: "If cultivated meat is to help address our future food system needs, it has to be an option for the billions of people around the world who eat halal. This landmark ruling provides much needed clarity on how to ensure that is achieved. All companies should work to build a process to meet these guidelines." Kosher ruling The same week, OU Kosher, the Kosher certification division of the Orthodox Union (OU), and the world's largest and most widely recognised kosher certification agency, determined that cell-based meat company SuperMeat’s chicken cell line, meets Kosher meat Mehadrin standards. Following this acknowledgement, the parties say they are embarking on a “thorough examination” of the entire supply chain and the cell-based meat production process. This is set to establish clear guidelines for other enterprises in the cell-based meat sector. This is a pivotal moment in the overlap of religious dietary standards and advanced food technology in the cell-based meat industry and indicates for the first time a wide consensus among Jewish religious factions. The OU's recognition came after a series of halachic discussions and scientific reviews. These reviews focused on avian embryogenesis and stem cells, including the observation of the excision of embryonic stem cells from a fertilised chicken egg prior to the appearance of blood spots. Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher and Rabbi of Congregation Shomrei Emunah, said: “The kosher certification for cultivated meat poses a unique halachic challenge, requiring innovative guidelines that mirror the scientific and technological advancements integral to these novel products. This collaboration aims to bridge the gap between scientific understanding and halachic adjudication, setting unprecedented standards in the cultivated meat industry.” Based on in-depth discussions and reviews, the OU has determined that SuperMeat's poultry cell line development process has broad acceptance as the basis for a kosher, Mehadrin, meat product – the most stringent level of kosher supervision. Ido Savir, CEO of SuperMeat, commented: "Aligning our technology with kosher dietary laws holds immense significance for us. This step represents our commitment to inclusivity and respect for diverse dietary needs, making our cultivated chicken meat accessible to audiences around the world. This recognition of our process is a testament to our meticulous attention to detail and the high standards we uphold. We believe this historic initiative with the Orthodox Union not only broadens the options for kosher consumers worldwide but will also set clear guidelines for other companies in the cultivated meat industry." With this decision, OU Kosher and SuperMeat say they will now work together on a project to bring high-quality, cell-based poultry products produced with the highest level of kashrut supervision to future customers. This joint effort will serve as a guide for other cell-based meat companies seeking Kosher certification, opening new avenues for the kosher food industry.

The Cultivated B (TCB) has begun discussions with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and has officially entered the pre-submission process for novel food approval of a cell-based sausage product. After the official submission, TCB says it will emerge as world’s first bio-tech company to apply for EFSA certification for cell-based meat. This is a pivotal first step in the evolution of the cell-based meat market and is set to establish a viable path towards large-scale commercial production. Seth Roberts, policy manager at the GFI Europe, said: “EFSA's Novel Food regulatory approvals process is among the most robust in the world, including a thorough and evidence-based assessment of food safety and nutritional value. For cultivated meat to become available in Europe, where this food was born, would mark a paradigm shift for the sector.” The cell-based sausage product for which TCB seeks certification is “similar to boiled sausages used in hot dogs” and has been developed in close collaboration with TCB’s sister company, The Family Butchers. It is a hybrid sausage product made up of vegan ingredients and includes a significant amount of cell-based meat. TCB says that by leveraging the combined expertise of both entities, it ensures that consumers will experience the familiar, delectable taste they love, whilst benefiting from a sustainable and ethically produced product. TCB CEO Hamid Noori added: "This is more than just a certification process; it’s a testament to our advanced, industrial-scale cellular agriculture technology and also a reflection of our unwavering commitment to usher in a new era of food production – one where health, taste, ethics and sustainability converge seamlessly." He continued: "The European cultivated meat sector has vast potential and considerable opportunity for growth. As this market gains prominence, our objective is to ensure consistent access to high-quality, sustainable meat for everyone. Attaining EFSA certification is a significant step in this direction.” Achieving certification by EFSA for TCB’s cultivated sausage will indicate the safety of its cell-based meat products as measured by the highest European standards, whilst also charting the course and laying the groundwork for regulatory approvals worldwide. This strategic roadmap underscores the company’s determination to lead in the global cell-based meat industry and is set to give hundreds of start-ups in this space a path toward viable and scalable commercialisation, setting new standards in food safety, innovation and accessibility. #TheCultivatedB #Germany

Upside Foods has announced plans to build its first large-scale cell-based meat production plant, named Rubicon, in Glenview, Illinois, US. The 187,000 square foot plant will start by producing ground cell-based chicken products, with plans to expand to other species and whole-textured formats in the future. With an initial capacity to produce millions of pounds of cell-based meat products annually – and the potential to expand to over 30 million pounds – the plant represents a significant step forward in achieving the company’s vision of creating a more humane, sustainable and resilient food system. The new plant is designed to house cultivators with capacities of up to 100,000 litres and will stand as one of the world’s largest and most advanced commercial cell-based meat facilities. Building upon the knowledge gained from Upside’s Engineering, Production, and Innovation Centre (EPIC) in California, the company’s new plant will cultivate meat at commercial scales and serve as a guiding force for its future endeavours in scaling up its operations to the next level. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said: “Here in Illinois, we are a hub for tech and innovation, thanks to our talented workforce and prime location in the heart of the Midwest. This new facility is a significant investment in our communities – creating new good-paying jobs while advancing our ambitious clean energy goals to create a more sustainable future. We also congratulate Upside Foods on its recent milestone of being the inaugural company to commercially sell cultivated meat in the US. Their pioneering leadership makes them a perfect fit for the region.” Upside says it selected Glenview as the location of its new plant, due to the region's commitment to sustainability and innovation, as well as its strategic geographical advantage as it is located at major transportation crossroads. Uma Valeti, CEO and founder of Upside, commented: “We’re excited that the next chapter of our journey towards building a more sustainable, humane, and abundant future will be in Illinois. Establishing our plant in this region allows us to tap into a remarkable talent pool, a thriving innovation ecosystem, and a notable history of meat production. We are grateful for the collaboration and partnership that we have built at the state, county, and local levels in our site selection process.” Following its acquisition of Wisconsin-based cell-based seafood company Cultured Decadence in January last year, Upside is furthering its commitment to Midwest US with a planned investment of more than $140 million in the region, along with the creation of more than 75 new jobs, from warehousing and logistics positions to bioprocessing and food production. Kyle Schulz, EVP, World Business Chicago, said: “We are proud to partner with Upside Foods as they make the strategic decision to harness the unparalleled strengths of the greater Chicagoland region. Their groundbreaking work in growing meat, poultry, and seafood directly from animal cells aligns with our region's commitment to innovation, sustainability, and the future of food." Upside selected the name ‘Rubicon’ for the cell-based meat production plant, with an appreciation for its historical significance as a point of no return. #UpsideFoods #US

Steakholder Foods has announced the launch of its AI-powered Nozzle Inspection System, engineered for the stringent demands of industrial print head inspection. The new system leverages specialised industrial camera technology and AI algorithms to reshape print head monitoring. The start-up says that it takes “industrial 3D printing to unprecedented levels, offering real-time analysis and actionable insights for print head performance”. The AI-powered nozzle inspection system is set to disrupt the industry, where precision and consistency are non-negotiable. By delivering real-time insights into print head performance, it enables proactive maintenance, minimises downtime and assures consistently high-quality prints. Key features of the new system include: Precision imaging: Utilising specialised lighting, the system captures water-based droplets as minute as 10µm, ensuring “unparalleled” clarity and detail. Advanced segmentation AI: The system employs a segmentation algorithm, facilitating granular analysis by precisely identifying each individual droplet. Real-time nozzle analysis: Going beyond static imaging, the AI assesses the efficacy of each nozzle in real-time, scoring performance to provide immediate feedback. Comprehensive reporting: Post-analysis, the system generates an exhaustive report detailing the status of the print head nozzles. This provides an immediate assessment while also offering actionable recommendations to enhance print quality and maintain equipment longevity. Itamar Atzmony, chief engineering officer at Steakholder Foods, said: “We believe in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. With this new system, we’re not just elevating printing standards; we’re giving our partners and clients access to the pinnacle of technological innovation.” Steakholder Foods perceives this new system as a strategic asset for the company’s B2B clients. By ensuring a new level of consistency and quality in 3D bioprinting, it is designed to enable producers to meet the high standards expected by consumers, regulators and investors. In practical terms, the start-up predicts this to mean fewer recalls, less waste and a faster time-to-market – essential factors for scaling up operations and meeting global demands.

The Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) today announced it was investing around CAD 3.16 million (approx. $2.35 million) into two food-tech projects that are creating resiliency in Canada's food sector through cellular food innovation. The projects, which are valued at over CAD 6 million (approx $4.46 million), and are funded through the organisation’s ‘Food Innovation Challenge Program’, are Myo Palate and The Verschuren Centre. Myo Palate, based in Ontario, Canada, is scaling cell-based pork production using embryonic stem cells. The start-up has successfully addressed a significant production challenge within the cell-based meat sector – by harnessing pig embryonic stem cells (ESCs), known for their vitality, food-tech company has overcome the obstacle of muscle cell maturation. This innovation ensures sustained muscle fibre development, as these ESCs and their offspring are cultivated without encountering cellular fatigue. Collaborating with researchers from the University of Toronto, Myo Palate is applying established machine learning algorithms to refine cell growth conditions, solidifying the effectiveness of its approach. The company has partnered with Canadian med-tech company Getinge Canada and will engineer a bespoke bioreactor process, designed to facilitate large-scale cell-based pork manufacturing. Frank Yu, co-founder, Myo Palate, said: "The CFIN Food Innovation Challenge comes at a time in which novel approaches to the production of cultivated meats are needed. Myo Palate and our project partners are thrilled by this opportunity to work together and scale our innovative approach. Through our bioprocess, we will challenge the status quo in cellular manufacturing and bring Canada to the forefront of cultivated meats.” The Verschuren Centre, through its project ‘Automation and Digital Twin Integration for Precision Fermentation Scale Up of Cell-Based Food Ingredients’, collaborates with technology SMEs to harness synthetic biology for advancing cell-based food solutions through precision fermentation. These SMEs specialise in producing essential food molecules such as flavours, binders, pigments, proteins, oils and polymers from natural sources. The Verschuren Centre's project involves constructing a 10,000-litre precision fermentation facility – the first of its kind in Canada – to facilitate progression for companies from pilot to commercial production. This capacity-building effort offers accessible open access, expediting process scaling and product purification for food manufacturers. By integrating advanced automation, digital twin technology and machine learning, the initiative focuses on optimising two facets: swift fermentation process enhancement and maximised efficiency in material inputs. This approach empowers companies to streamline their market entry, reduce costs and establish a resilient Canadian supply chain. Beth Mason CEO of The Verschuren Centre commented: "Bio-manufacturing companies, particularly cellular agriculture and therapeutics require three key factors for success: capacity, a highly trained workforce, and investment. Adding innovative tools to accelerate the path through scale is vital to getting more companies through faster, all the while advancing their own design engineering for plant buildout in Canada.” Dana McCauley, CEO at CFIN, said: “Funding and supporting cellular food innovation is a critical stride towards sustainable nourishment, bridging the gap between growing demand and limited resources. These two projects are prime examples of how Canada is spearheading a new era of food innovation on the world stage, showcasing how collaboration, novel ideas, and responsible science can redefine how we sustainably feed our growing global population.” #CanadianFoodInnovationNetwork #CFIN #MyoPalate #TheVerschurenCentre #Canada

Brussels-based agrifood tech impact investor Astanor Ventures has announced the successful closing of its second venture fund at €360 million. Building upon the success of its first venture fund, Astanor is committed to its core investment strategy of supporting early-stage and mission-driven companies that have identified a social or environmental issue and have developed a nature positive solution to resolve it. In a statement provided to The Cell Base, Astanor confirmed that the funding could be used to invest in cell-based food technologies, including cell-based meat and precision fermentation. Eric Archambeau, co-founder and partner of Astanor, said: “When looking at new companies to invest in, our approach will continue to always look for highly disruptive and scalable business models, driven by ambitious entrepreneurs who also share our vision of sustainable and resilient agrifood and bioeconomy systems”. Astanor says that the agrifood value chain requires investors to take a holistic view to achieve system change, and that over the years, it has developed an extensive network of entrepreneurs, experts, scientists, leaders and policy makers enabling it to identify the innovative technologies that will drive the bioeconomy, with a specific emphasis on solutions that foster regenerative agriculture. Due to this ecosystem, to date, Astanor has invested in more than 45 companies and mission-driven founders globally. This focus aligns with the investor’s core values of climate transition, nature positivity, resource efficiency and to better social and health outcomes. Hendrik Van Asbroeck, partner at Astanor Ventures, commented: "As we witness the ever-evolving landscape of the agrifood market, it becomes increasingly evident that innovation is not an option but a necessity. The challenges we face today, from climate change to resource scarcity, demand a transformation in how we produce, distribute, and consume food. Astanor Ventures is dedicated to playing a pivotal role in this transformation by supporting visionary entrepreneurs who are redefining the future of agrifood, paving the way for a more sustainable and resilient global food system.” This latest closing tops Astanor’s existing funds and special purpose vehicles, which altogether amount to around €800 million assets under management. #AstanorVentures #Belgium

UK-based biotech company Hoxton Farms has opened its pilot facility to advance research of its cell-based fat, scale up production and develop prototypes with customers. The new site is the “UK’s first” pilot production facility for cell-based animal fat and comprises 14,000 square feet, including cell culture laboratories, a food development kitchen, office space and communal areas. A hardware workshop enables Hoxton Farms to manufacture its own bioreactors, designed to optimise fat cell growth with much lower capital costs than industry-standard bioreactors. The design is based on insights from Hoxton Farm’s own technology platform, which blends computational biology and mathematical modelling. The additional space also provides an opportunity to grow employee headcount from 40 to 100 people. Hoxton Farms’ tech platform is paramount to the scalability of production and co-development of prototype products alongside early customers and strategic partners, whether food ingredients suppliers and distributors or manufacturers of plant-based meat. In the new facility, Hoxton Farms’ says its scientists and engineers will be able to increase production capacity to 10 tonnes of cell-based fat each year, with the company on track to reach cost-parity with plant oils at commercial scale. Max Jamilly, co-founder of Hoxton Farms, said: “It’s no secret that the traditional meat industry is broken, but consumers are disappointed when they seek quality alternatives. But as people turn away from meat because of concerns over health, environmental impact, or animal welfare, flexitarianism is booming. Cultivated fat is the missing ingredient for creating irresistible meat alternatives, unlocking the delicious taste and experience of the real thing without the environmental or ethical impact.” Ed Steele, co-founder of Hoxton Farms, commented: “By bringing cellular agriculture to the city on a wider scale, rather than a remote business park, we are in the best place possible to find the customers, partners, investors and talent that we need, and to raise awareness of cultivated fat in a market that has shown it is ready for meat alternatives. We’re excited to work closely with industry stakeholders as we seek regulatory approval for our ingredient, and guide the industry towards a tastier, fattier future”. Jennifer Uhrig, senior managing director at Fine Structure Ventures – which led Hoxton Farm’s £20 million Series A raise in 2022, added: “Hoxton Farms is...unlocking the power of biology to reduce the impact of meat production on animals and the environment, while also adding that much-needed sensory experience for consumers. Hoxton Farms’ ability to optimise cost, scalability and time to market also demonstrates it can deliver a commercially viable product to market incredibly quickly.” #HoxtonFarms #UK

Three companies have received a total of €1.8 million from EIT Food to develop innovative products to reduce the cost of producing cell-based meat within the next two years. EIT Food has awarded funding to three research teams to reduce the cost of cell culture media – one of the most significant barriers to commercialising cell-based meat. The teams were selected after their plans were originally put forward in EIT Food’s ‘Cultivated Meat Innovation Challenge’. EIT Food, part of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, is a knowledge and innovation community dedicated to making a more sustainable food system. Cell culture media – which feeds the cells as they grow in a cultivator – remains the most expensive element of cultivating meat. Each of the selected companies will use ‘food grade’ cell culture media – far less costly and energy-intensive to produce than the pharmaceutical-grade media used by biotech companies – and plans to develop commercial products that cell-based meat companies can use to produce higher cell yields. The funding will support the companies to pursue further market testing and commercialisation in order for these innovative products to reach European consumers. The first company to be awarded the funding is German pharmaceutical company LenioBio. It uses rapidly growing plant cells to produce proteins within 48 hours – with its tech already being used in drug development. The company says that cell-based meat companies can use it to produce any protein within two days at any scale, anywhere in the world – whether they are using it to produce beef, salmon or other products, – using standard equipment without the need for advanced cell engineering expertise. The UK’s 3D Bio-Tissues was awarded €612,000 as part of the funding. The start-up is a spin-out from Newcastle University that produces human corneas for eye transplants, and plans to scale up production of its existing formula, which is synthesised from the byproducts of agroforestry and other industries, by expanding its manufacturing facilities. The start-up also plans to develop an innovative media mix by combining this technology with other low-cost, food-grade ingredients that can be sold to cell-based meat companies as ready-to-use, recyclable products. Finally, Israeli company BioBetter uses technology that ‘teaches’ tobacco plants to produce the growth factors cells need to reproduce. The company describes the plants as 'natural bioreactors’ as the protein can be extracted from the entire plant, which can then be harvested up to four times a year. It has already completed work on its pilot plant, with plans to scale up production this year and aim to begin supplying its product to cell-based meat companies in 2024. Adam Adamek, director of innovation at EIT Food, said: “This is such an exciting time for cultivated meat innovation, and we’re delighted to be awarding new funding to three of the most cutting-edge startups in the industry. The cost of cell-culture media is a significant barrier to scaling cultivated meat, and we hope that reducing this will bring us one step closer to seeing these innovations on the market – and to achieving a more healthy, sustainable food system.” Seren Kell, senior science and technology manager at the GFI Europe, added: “It’s very exciting to see these innovative ideas turned into plans that could be brought to the market within the next two years, helping cultivated meat companies across the world to drive prices down and turn this more sustainable way of making meat into a commercial reality. This work could have a major impact on how quickly we can scale up production and create a more sustainable food system.” #EITFood #GFI #LenioBio #3DBioTissues #BioBetter #Germany #UK #Israel