NEW TECH FOODS

Superbrewed Food has received a no-questions letter from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding its patent-protected postbiotic cultured protein's Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status. Postbiotic cultured protein is the first FDA-notified, bacteria-derived biomass ingredient, similar to nutritional fungal proteins, and builds upon the acceptance of probiotics and prebiotics. Superbrewed’s GRAS covers diverse food and beverage uses, facilitating broad adoption by brand owners. It ensures new food ingredients or additives are safe for consumption under intended conditions and levels of use. Superbrewed has applied for market authorisation of postbiotic cultured protein as a "novel food" in the European Union, Great Britain and Canada. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) evaluates the safety of any microorganism in the novel food to determine its suitability for Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) as part of the European Commission's approval process. Superbrewed's microorganism was added to the EFSA QPS list in January due to the absence of safety concerns associated with the species for humans, animals or the environment. According to Superbrewed, postbiotic cultured protein provides healthy, sustainable, non-GMO, animal-free and allergen-free nutrition without sacrificing flavour, texture or affordability. It serves as a versatile replacement or addition to animal and plant proteins in various food and beverage applications. Postbiotic cultured protein has over 85% protein content and is rich in essential and branched-chain amino acids. Unlike protein isolates, it contains beneficial minerals and vitamins like iron, zinc, phosphorous and B12. It boasts a neutral taste, minimal colour impact, excellent pH and temperature stability and strong functional properties. In addition, it functions well in sports and lifestyle beverages, baked goods, confectionery, meat alternatives and healthy snacks, as well as in dairy and alternative dairy products. Bryan Tracy, CEO and co-founder of Superbrewed Food, said: “This is truly a transformative moment for food ingredients and our company, accomplished by the persistence of our amazing team at Superbrewed. The FDA no-questions letter, coupled with our recently announced manufacturing partnership with Döhler, allow Superbrewed Food to expand into new markets and reach more consumers through iconic and emerging brands.” #SuperbrewedFood #US

UK biotech BSF Enterprise has partnered with Ivy Farm Technologies to support fundraising, launch and scale of cell-based meat in China. Founded in 2019, Ivy Farm is a cultivated meat business that uses its technology to produce nutritious mincemeat from premium Wagyu Beef, Aberdeen Angus and English Large White Pork tissue. These ingredients are then transformed into final products like meatballs, scotch eggs and burgers. BSF Enterprise has recently established an independent entity – BSF Enterprise Hong Kong (BSF HK) – as it aims to build a distribution and partner network in the Greater China market. Due to BSF HK's strong presence and investor network in the Asian cultivated meat and tissue engineering sectors, it seeks collaborations with multiple biotech and green tech firms. The partnership involves "generating and progressing investment opportunities to support the company’s fundraising ambitions". BSF will support Ivy Farm's ongoing funding round to scale up technology for larger production-sized fermenters. Ivy Farm aims to produce 12,000 tonnes from a single efficient facility powered by renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 92% and land use by 90% compared to industrial farming. According to BSF, this is essential, given China's annual consumption of over 100 million tons of meat, accounting for more than a quarter of global meat consumption. Che Connon, managing director of BSF Enterprise and CEO of 3DBT, commented: “Today’s announcement represents the start of a strong commercial and technical working relationship between BSF Enterprise and Ivy Farm. The cultivated meat market is front and centre for China in its blueprint for food security as part of its five-year agricultural plan." "We look forward to helping Ivy Farm enter the China market through securing investment and working with key manufacturers to develop a variety of cultivated meat products that can serve a significant, growing market." #BSFEnterprise #IvyFarm #China

Steakholder Foods has secured a first-phase payment of $220,000 from the Singapore-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation (SIIRD), out of a maximum $1 million grant from SIIRD. Steakholder Foods has 3D-printed hybrid fish using its SHFish – White Fish plant-based raw material formulation and cultivated grouper cells from Umami Bioworks. The printing was done with Steakholder’s Drop Location in Space (DLS) technology. After undergoing "rigorous validation testing" by SIIRD, the hybrid fish was found to have similar texture, flavour and nutritional values as traditional fish. Steakholder Drop Location in Space (DLS) and its 3D printed fish Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Foods, said: “We believe that our initial SIIRD grant payment is indicative of non-dilutive funding sources that we hope to make available to Steakholder Foods in the foreseeable future, as our technologies continue to reach more advanced TRLs.” #SteakholderFoods

The Bezos Earth Fund has announced an initial $60m investment to establish the Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein. Announced by Bezos Earth Fund vice chair Lauren Sánchez, the investment forms part of the fund’s $1 billion commitment to food transformation. Biomanufacturing and the production of sustainable protein products at scale – whether plant-based, fermented or cell-based – currently faces challenges resulting in high costs and limited quality. Through establishing the new Centers for Sustainable Protein, the fund aims to target technological barriers to reducing cost, increasing quality and boosting nutritional benefits of alternative proteins by advancing science and technology. Innovation in cell biology and engineering is expected to bring numerous opportunities for enhancing the taste and texture of such products. Commenting on the new investment, Sánchez said that the global food industry must pursue advancements in technologies to find solutions for our future, enabling us to “invent our way out of climate change”. She commented: “We need to feed ten billion people with healthy, sustainable food throughout this century while protecting our planet. We can do it, and it will require a ton of innovation. Our world is poised for transformation, for a future not constrained by compromise. Solutions to our greatest challenges often come from the quiet persistence of those willing to question, reimagine, and innovate.” Food production is the second largest cause of climate change, and agriculture is the primary driver of deforestation and biodiversity loss. The fund calls for a shift in the way we produce and consume food, given that by 2050, food consumption is expected to rise by 50% in line with population and income growth. This latest announcement builds on the Bezos Earth Fund’s $1 billion commitment to supporting farmers and expanding food production sustainably. Work includes reducing methane from livestock and innovating in pasture management to help take pressure off forested land. The Earth Fund is also working with inventors, researchers and entrepreneurs to improve the resilience and carbon absorption of major food crops.

A study published in Future Foods, a scientific journal dedicated to sustainability in food science, found that buying and eating cell-based meat "significantly boosted" diners’ acceptance of this food. The study, carried out at Huber’s Butchery and Bistro in Singapore, also found that after trying cell-based chicken, consumers displayed an interest in consuming it again and recommending it to others. In a survey of over 100 people dining at Huber’s in 2023, researchers from Singapore Management University investigated whether presenting cell-based meat in familiar meal settings would influence diners’ willingness to try it again and recommend it to others. The study also supported Good Meat’s strategy of "socialising cultivated chicken to consumers through curated food trials at restaurants: eating is believing.” Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Good Meat, said: “This report is significant, as it’s the first-ever study of actual paying consumers of cultivated meat. The findings are clear: when consumers are free to buy cultivated meat, they are much more likely to accept it and suggest it to their friends and family.” Mark Chong, one of the study’s authors, commented: “We undertook this study because it represented an unprecedented opportunity to study consumer reactions in an actual consumption setting. Our findings scientifically validate the importance of sensory experience (e.g. through product trials) and tastiness to consumers' repeat consumption of cultivated meat.” In the research, taste emerged as another important factor, indicating that the "tastiness" of the cell-based chicken itself held more weight for consumers compared to whether it was served in a "familiar meal or dish". Participants rated cultivated meat with a score of 4.2 out of 5 for taste and 4.45 out of 5 for their inclination to recommend it to others. The Good Food Institute APAC managing director Mirte Gosker added: “Singaporean diners are renowned for their discerning taste in food, so while environmental and public health benefits can be additional motivators, the product has to hit the mark on flavour. This data shows that cultivated meat can pass that high bar and turn sceptics into enthusiasts, so now we need costs to come down enough to enable such products to reach the masses. That’s going to require greater global collaboration, market access and investment, but Singapore has made clear that it’s open for business and ready to meet this moment.” #study #cellbasedmeat

Melt&Marble, a Swedish precision fermentation company that develops animal-free fat ingredients, has announced its move to a new headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden. The new site includes precision fermentation facilities including molecular biology and microbiology labs, bioreactors up to pilot scale and a food application test kitchen. The facilities will accelerate the development and commercialisation of its fat ingredients. Melt&Marble has now scaled up the production process for its first product – a solid fat designed to replicate the properties of animal-derived fats for use in alternative meat products – to cubic-metre bioreactor scale. The company said it is now in the process of scaling further, to tens of cubic metres. The precision fermentation technology allows Melt&Marble to gain precise control of its fats’ composition and properties, allowing it to create ‘designer fats’ from the ground up. This includes dictating the types of fatty acids, as well as how these fatty acids assemble to a glycerol backbone to form specific triglycerides. Anastasia Krivoruchko, co-founder and CEO at Melt&Marble, said: “In the last months, we constantly improved key performance indicators related to rate, titre and yield, successfully achieving metrics relevant for commercial-scale and demonstrating the scalability of our process”. According to Melt&Marble, it has secured a partnership that will allow the production of hundreds of kilograms of fat per batch in the coming months. Further expansion potential to tonnes per batch is expected by the start-up in 2025, as it plans an expansion into the US market. Melt&Marble’s chief business officer, Thomas Creswell, said that the company’s technology is seeing increasing interest from industry players both in Europe and the US, thanks to its ability to fine-tune the composition and properties of sustainable, animal-free fat ingredients. He commented: “Palatability remains a challenge in the animal-free food space and our fats are an extremely effective way to address that by replicating the taste experience consumers crave”. “Our new facilities will allow us to test applications and produce samples in-house while our manufacturing partnership paves a clear path to market." #MeltandMarble #Sweden

Californian B2B cell-based meat producer Orbillion Bio has secured funding to scale-up its cultivated meat production and develop its biotech platform. The funding round was co-led by The Venture Collective and At One Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, Metaplanet and other strategic investors, alongside university endowments. It brings Orbillion’s total capital raised to $15 million. The start-up will use the money to scale its manufacturing, develop its technology and premium cell-based beef product – Wagyu beef – and to advance its regulatory path. The announcement comes after the company’s successful 200-litre scale-up run of its cell-basewd meat in September last year, which it said was the largest production run undertaken by a pre-Series A company in the sector. This will enable the production of more than 4 million pounds of cultivated meat annually. Orbillion said that the achievement will enable it to demonstrate its algorithm to transform 2D culture into 3D culture in record time and at low costs. The company’s CEO and founder, Patricia Bubner, wrote on LinkedIn: “My team completed the largest-scale production run ever undertaken by a company at our stage already last year, in a powerful demonstration of both speed and cost-efficiency. Our technology first, capex second approach allows us to be fast and cost effective – asset-light in the truest sense of the word.” She concluded: “With the fresh capital infusion from The Venture Collective, At One Ventures, Y Combinator and Metaplanet, we are now planning for the next step up in scale”. #OrbillionBio #US

In this instalment of The Cell Base's ‘Start-up spotlight,' we speak to Brett Thompson and Tasneem Karodia, co-founders of Newform Foods, a South Africa-based cultured meat start-up aiming to help food producers, retailers and business owners develop and scale cell-based meat manufacturing. What inspired the establishment of Newform Foods, and what is the company's main focus? The inspiration and driving force behind the establishment of Newform Foods (previously Mzansi Meat Co.) was to transform global food systems. Our co-founder and CEO, Brett Thompson, has dedicated most of his career to combatting the effects of factory farming. Tasneem Karodia, our co-founder and COO, joined the industry to create a more sustainable food system. As the global population increases, we consume more meat and despite the increasing popularity around plant-based meat alternatives, these offerings don’t move the dial enough to change the environmental effects of conventional agriculture. That being said, meat is a rich form of protein that brings people together. Here in South Africa, it’s an indelible part of culture. So rather than trying to convince people to eat less meat, we’re working to bring something better to the table. Cultivated meat is the same meat people love. The only difference is that it’s made in the best way possible. We’ve had some truly remarkable moments during our tastings, with feedback indicating that it tastes just as good, too. We are leveraging a continent-spanning research and development network to help food producers, retailers, business owners and change-makers develop and scale cultivated meat at a significantly lower cost compared to industry norms. We’re working to make cultivated meat a staple in mainstream markets by providing innovation and scalable technology. This will enable meat and food producers to enter the market. Newform Foods has successfully cultivated various products. Can you tell us more about these and the reason why the company selected these meats? When we launched our company, it was always our vision to start with beef and make products like burgers, sausages and ground mince. Beef is a staple ingredient in cultures all over the world. It’s also the most costly when it comes to environmental harm. We unveiled the first cultivated beef burgers in Africa in 2022 and shortly after we started developing a lamb product which we showcased in 2023. This was after three months of developing the necessary technology. We also have plans to further develop a variety of cell-lines which we will be unveiling at a later stage, but for now we’re focusing on scaling the production of our beef and lamb products. What unique benefits does Newform Foods' bioproduction platform offer, and how do you envision its impact on the future of cell-based meat production? We’ve developed a bioproduction platform to transform the process of producing cultivated meat. The results have shown a significant reduction in both cost and time requirements. By breaking down these barriers, we aim to make production more efficient and accessible in order to create new opportunities for a wide range of stakeholders. Our team has achieved significant reductions in bio-production platform capital expenditure and operation costs. For example, our customised bioreactors are significantly more cost-effective compared to off-the-shelf equivalents. In addition, our proprietary sterilisation and bioprocessing technology simplifies the operation of bioreactors to reduce costs while increasing efficiency. Intuitive design and flexibility. The simplicity of our design implementation leads to easy tech transfer and operation by partners. We incorporate 3D printing technology in the creation of prototype design elements for maximum efficiency and output in this flexible system that can be adapted to a wide range of product lines. Our interdisciplinary team has developed a process for R&D to finish product development of a prototype in six months. Our favourable regulatory environment allows for rapid speed and output. We are laser-focused on upstream bio-product development to enable effective food partner collaborations. Our bioproduction platform has multiple applications, making it easier for food producers to speed up their development and enter the industry. This makes it possible for companies to go from zero to prototype and from prototype to pilot, faster and more affordably than ever before. We want to empower business leaders looking to future-proof their operations by offering alternatives to what’s currently available on the market. Sustainability and ethical considerations play a significant role in the cell-based food sector. How does Newform Foods approach these aspects in its operations? The ethical considerations were a massive inspiration for starting our company. We want to shape a food landscape based on harm reduction. Fundamentally, cultivated meat production uses fewer resources, like land, water and energy. The process starts by collecting a small sample of cells from a living animal. We work with an animal farm sanctuary here in Cape Town, South Africa, called Greyton Farm Animal Sanctuary. This incredible organisation provides a home to many abandoned animals ranging from chickens, cows, and lambs that the meat industry has otherwise discarded. By providing us with cell samples, these animals are then free to live out their days on a beautiful plot of land, the way nature intended. In terms of energy usage, our R&D facility incorporates mix-energy sources like solar, generators and the grid to power our operations. Has Newform Foods encountered any challenges on its journey so far? How did the company navigate and overcome these obstacles? Being Africa-based, we’ve developed a natural sense of autonomy and resourcefulness. This has empowered us to adopt a ‘build it, don’t buy it’ mindset, leading to a drastic reduction in the cost of producing our products. Africa is growing from a low base in venture capital, which is why we’re working to refine and scale our bioproduction platform and partner with food producers so we can lower these costs and serve up more meat to more people. So far, it’s been successful, so much so that we’ve even had investors who had previously shown no interest in our company, call us back months later after reading headlines about the progress we’ve made. We had a remarkable year in 2023, but this year will probably be the most challenging for the industry at large. Although fundraising will be challenging in the future, we’ve come a long way since starting our company and these challenges won’t deter us from our mission to 'Shape Tomorrow's Food Landscape.' By sticking to our company's values of innovation, transparency, diversity and founder thinking, we’ve been able to push forward and evolve constantly. We’re about to unveil some exciting new developments in this regard, so stick around for announcements dropping soon! Collaboration with the scientific community can be crucial in advancing cell-based technologies. Can you shed light on Newform Foods' engagement with researchers and scientists? Collaboration is in our DNA. We’ve always valued input from our peers in the industry, but also stakeholders and partners who help drive our mission forward. What we’re doing is not easy and requires a special kind of collaboration, which is why we’re working with partners like the international flavour house MANE. Taste and mouthfeel are going to be the factors that win over customers when cultivated meat is available to mainstream audiences. We work with MANE to create delicious hybrid products, which involve cultivated meat blended with plant-based protein ingredients. On the production side, we’re working with South African engineering firm Project Assignments to build a pilot facility for cultivated meat right here in Cape Town. This will be the largest facility of its kind in Africa and we can’t wait to move in and get busy. What exciting developments or plans does Newform Foods have in the pipeline for the future, and what can we expect to see from the company in the coming months or years? We’re in the process of expanding globally by opening an office in the United Kingdom. This will be our commercial headquarters while our R&D operations will remain in sunny South Africa as we continue to evolve our production capabilities. We’re looking at engaging with food and meat manufacturers across the globe, with our new commercial hub in the UK set to give us a larger footprint and bigger reach. #NewformFoods #StartupSpotlight

The UK’s Food Standards Agency  (FSA) has agreed to reform its regulation system applied to products such as precision fermentation-derived ingredients and cell-based meat. In a board meeting held yesterday (20 March 2024), the FSA’s board members agreed upon plans to modernise the regulations around bringing such foods to market in the UK. Under the reformed regulations, a new public register of ‘regulated products’ will be created. This will replace the current system for such products – which include some alternative proteins as well as various additives and flavourings – whereby a Statutory Instrument must be laid before new products can be brought to market. The FSA estimates that this procedure can add up to six months to the approval period. Additionally, companies will no longer be required to have these products reauthorised after several years once they have been approved. The FSA estimated that under its current system, 22% of regulated product applications are for reauthorisations. This change aims to free up capacity for dealing with new product authorisation procedures. The FSA’s current regulatory framework is based on the EU’s model, but the agency has emphasised that certain aspects of this system are resource-intensive, and that reform is necessary to improve efficiency and creating a high-quality service that can “keep pace” with industry innovation. It highlighted that the reform would not negatively impact food and feed safety standards, which will maintain rigorous, evidence-based assessments of new products’ safety and nutritional value before they can be sold in the country. Nonprofit think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) welcomed the reforms in a press statement, but said that further changes must follow given the alternative protein sector’s pace of innovation. Linus Pardoe, UK policy manager at GFI Europe, said: “More than two years after reforms were promised to how the UK regulates new alternative proteins, it is positive to see the Food Standards Agency taking sensible measures to modernise its process while continuing to enforce one of the world’s most robust regulatory systems”. He continued: “Alternative proteins could be a game-changer in helping the UK achieve its science superpower ambitions and boost food security, and while regulators must play a crucial role in ensuring consumers have confidence in these foods, regulatory frameworks must keep pace with innovation. These reforms are a step in the right direction, but much more can be done.” Pardoe told FoodBev Media that further reforms could include engaging in dialogue with cell-based meat and precision fermentation companies prior to submissions, and clarifying requirements by producing bespoke guidance documents for those sectors. GFI Europe has also called for the UK government to increase the FSA’s budget, which Pardoe explained would “enable the agency to fulfil its expanded post-Brexit role”. He added: “This will support the UK food industry more broadly, and in particular will give confidence to Britain’s growing alternative protein sector, reducing the risk of startups moving overseas due to regulatory uncertainty.” #FSA #UK

Research conducted in Germany and Austria has revealed that nearly two-thirds of people believe consumers should be entitled to choose whether to consume cell-based meat once it receives approval. The surveys, commissioned by the Good Food Institute Europe and carried out by market research company YouGov, indicate that 65% of Germans and 63% of Austrians support allowing the sale of cell-based meat, once it is considered safe and nutritious by food safety regulators. Moreover, 66% of Germans and Austrians approve of the domestic production of cell-based meat within their countries to benefit their national economies. The study showed that the majority of individuals across all political affiliations in both countries support this position. The survey, which polled 2,105 people in Germany and 1,026 in Austria, also found that 53% of Germans and 59% of Austrians were aware of cell-based meat, with 47% and 42%, respectively, willing to try it. Meanwhile, nearly half of respondents in both countries supported alternatives to meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. 46% in both nations aimed to reduce animal product consumption in the next two years, with 30% interested in consuming more plant-based meat. Additionally, 53% in both countries wanted government support for farmers transitioning to plant-based foods, while 47% of Germans and 44% of Austrians supported government research into animal product replacements. Seth Roberts, policy manager at the Good Food Institute Europe, said: “Cultivated meat must go through one of the world’s most robust food regulatory processes before it will be available in the EU. Once it’s been approved, Germans and Austrians believe it should be up to consumers themselves to decide whether or not to eat cultivated meat.  “In the wake of the Italian ban , policymakers should note that people who responded to this survey – regardless of their political views – are increasingly aware of the economic opportunities offered by cultivated meat and are more interested in consumer choice than ideological debates.” #Germany #Austria

US animal-free dairy brand, Bored Cow, has launched a “first of its kind” range of drinkable yogurt alternatives. Bored Cow's drinkable yogurts range – available in strawberry, vanilla and passion fruit mango flavours - is made with fermented milk protein from fermentation. It uses coconut cream and cane sugar to replace milk fat and lactose found in traditional dairy yogurt. In addition, it is fortified with calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and live probiotic cultures. According to the brand, Bored Cow is cruelty-free, contains eight grams of complete protein per bottle and is free from lactose, cholesterol, hormones and antibiotics. The drinkable yogurts are available in 7oz bottles in stores across New York, US, for an SRP of between $2.99 to $3.99. #BoredCow #US

French precision-fermented protein start-up Standing Ovation has raised €3.75 million in a Series A+ funding round. The start-up has developed a solution to produce casein and begin sales of its patented ingredient, Advanced Casein, positioning itself as a global player in the food transition. Backed by Standing Ovation's existing shareholders, the €3.75 million Series A+ round is set to accelerate the company's growth and sales of its flagship protein, Advanced Casein. The company plans to complete preparations for industrial-scale production by the end of the year. Advanced Casein emits 10 times less CO2 than animal-derived milk proteins, enables efficient use of water and land and is free from antibiotics and GMO traces – all while ensuring consumers the same nutritional, functional and taste qualities as protein originating from livestock. Standing Ovation previously raised €12 million in 2022 through a Series A round led by Astanor Ventures, with backing from Bel Group. The latest Series A+ round brings the total funds raised in four years to €23 million. Standing Ovation has also announced the appointment of a new CEO, Yvan Chardonnens. With 30 years of experience in growing global B2B companies, Standing Ovation expects Chardonnens’ appointment to help ramp up its production at an industrial scale. Before joining Standing Ovation, Chardonnens’ was chief commercial officer at Oterra, one of the world's largest suppliers of natural colourants for the food industry. He previously held roles at Firmenich, International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), Barry Callebaut and Roquette. New CEO Chardonnens commented: “I am excited to be joining such an innovative company at the forefront of its sector, with the potential to have a positive impact on our food ecosystems and deliver solutions to climate challenges. In just four years under Romain's leadership, Standing Ovation has hit key technological, operational and financial milestones, paving the way for the next phase of industrial-scale growth. Together, our priority will be to step up our development by obtaining the necessary regulatory approval, strengthening our go-to-market strategy and embarking on large-scale industrial production.” Romain Chayot, co-founder and managing director of Standing Ovation, added: “After four years of research and innovation to fine-tune our industrial manufacturing and production process, the time has come to accelerate towards mass production and distribution of Advanced Casein in the global agrifood market. Chardonnens has a reputation as a pioneer in developing new products that meet both industrial challenges and consumer demand. Our respective areas of expertise are a perfect fit and will enable Standing Ovation to become the global leader in alternative proteins and a key player in the food transition.” #StandingOvation #France #precisionfermentation #casein