NEW TECH FOODS

MycoTechnology has achieved several technical and safety objectives, surpassing its initial expected timeline on its path to commercialising its honey truffle sweetener. The honey truffle sweetener has the potential to provide a valuable alternative to sugar and existing sweeteners. In less than a year since the announcement of its discovery, MycoTechnology has scaled production from the lab bench to 3000-litre tanks, improving production process efficiency, optimising costs and validating safety and digestibility. Claimed to be the first new, naturally-derived sweetener discovered in decades, honey truffle sweetener is emerging as a novel, clean label addition to the sweet proteins category. Honey truffles are recognised for their intensely sweet taste. After isolating the protein responsible for this sweet flavour, MycoTechnology used precision fermentation technology to produce the ‘world’s first’ honey truffle sweetener. Its potency ranges from 1000-2500 times sweeter than sucrose. The company has revealed that its recent safety evaluations, including genetic testing for toxicity, allergenicity and digestibility, have shown that the protein is not considered to be allergenic or toxic and is fully digestible by the human gastrointestinal tract. According to MycoTechnology, rather than being absorbed in its intact form, the sweetener breaks down completely into amino acids that are routinely found in other dietary protein sources, such as meat, fish or eggs. In silico analysis also suggests that the molecule has no similarity to any other known protein structures, and therefore has minimal potential for other secondary effects beyond sweetness. Sue Potter, senior director for global regulatory affairs at MycoTechnology, said: “Following global best practices in partnership with world-class industry experts, our findings suggest that honey truffle sweetener is likely to be an ideal general-purpose sweetener for foods and beverages. We’re confident in the results we’ve received so far, and we’re on track for regulatory submissions in key global jurisdictions.” The food-tech start-up has also reported steady improvements in strain development, process yield and quality as it continues to scale up production in its facility. Simplified downstream processing will allow for flexible and less capital-intensive manufacturing, the company said, positioning its honey truffle sweetener to be ‘economically competitive’ with sugar and other high-intensity sweeteners. Ranjan Patnaik, MycoTechnology’s chief technology officer, commented: “Our team has achieved remarkable results, exceeding initial expectations for speed of scale-up, mechanistic understanding of the protein, sensory characterisation and applications development with industry partners. This progress is a reflection of Myco’s unique ability to integrate discovery with commercial development to quickly create innovative, impactful solutions from nature.” #MycoTechnology #US

The Bezos Earth Fund has unveiled its ‘AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge,’ under which up to $100 million in grants will be awarded. Through the challenge, Bezos Earth Fund hopes to discover how modern AI technology can help to address climate change and biodiversity loss, with the aim of inspiring collaboration between environmental solution groups and AI technology providers. Jeff Bezos, executive chair of the fund, said: “Can modern AI help counter climate change and nature loss, and, if so, how? That’s the question we hope to answer. By bringing together brilliant minds across fields, we may be able to invent new ways forward.” In its first round, the Grand Challenge will advance solutions in three focus areas: sustainable proteins, biodiversity conservation and power grid optimisation. It will also include a ‘Wild Card’ category for powerful ideas outside the focus areas. Subsequent rounds will address other priorities. Each round will include two funding opportunities. In the first phase, up to 30 seed grants will be awarded for promising AI ideas addressing the focus areas. Awardees will be announced at a Bezos Earth Fund-TED event during Climate Week NYC in September 2024. In phase two, the awardees will be eligible to apply for grants up to $2 million to grow their concepts into viable solutions, receiving mentorship, support from technology leaders and access to computing infrastructure and relevant datasets. Vice chair Lauren Sánchez commented: “AI may have the potential to solve some of our biggest problems, and we’re calling on the planet’s brightest problem solvers to bring their visionary ideas to the table. Together, we can innovate and solve these challenges.” The Bezos Earth Fund invites proposals from practitioners, researchers and innovators in universities, NGOs, private companies and global organisations. This latest update comes after the Bezos Earth Fund unveiled plans to invest $60 million in sustainable protein production last month, to establish the Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein. Applications for the AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge funding opens in May 2024. #BezosEarthFund

Finnish food-tech company Solar Foods has opened Factory 01, a new facility in Vantaa, Finland, to support the commercial-scale manufacturing of its Solein protein. After closing an €8 million funding round in November last year to support the construction of Factory 01, Solar Foods has now announced that the site is open and operational. Solar Foods’ novel microbial protein, Solein, is described as the ‘world’s most sustainable protein,’ as it is made from air. Solein is a microbial protein-rich powder that contains all essential amino acids and can be used to replace existing proteins in a variety of foods, such as in alt-dairy and meat, snacks, beverages, pasta, breads and spreads. The nutritious yellow powder, highly functional and compatible with a wide range of traditional ingredients, has long been contained to small quantities: only the Solar Foods pilot laboratory in Espoo, Finland, has produced it. Solein is produced using a bioprocess where microbes are fed with carbon dioxide, hydrogen, oxygen and small amounts of nutrients. Solar Foods received regulatory approval to sell Solein in Singapore in September 2022. Solar Foods’ CEO and co-founder, Pasi Vainikka, said: “We will be able to deliver quantities that allow food producers for the first time to create large batches of Solein-powered products. While we have been able to offer consumers a small taste, finding a Solein-based food in your local supermarket has not been possible. Soon it will be." Factory 01’s bioreactor grows the same amount of Solein protein per day as a 300-cow dairy farm would produce milk protein – and does so while being entirely decoupled from the demands and environmental stresses of traditional agriculture. “Just like with quantum computers, it’s no longer a question of will cellular agriculture become a thing: it’s evident that it will. The question is more about who leads the charge,” Vainikka added. “We are exploring the possibilities of this scientific platform on a new scale. Factory 01 demonstrates it is possible to grow protein from start to finish under one roof, year-round even in the harsh Northern conditions of Finland – and to do it all sustainably and in a commercially viable manner.” Factory 01 will also serve as Solar Foods’ hub for R&D and future product development and will pave the way for Solein’s next milestone, Factory 02. Vainikka commented: “Factory 01 is already a bona fide factory, the kind you could see in an industrial park. But to realise Solein’s full potential, we think bigger. That’s why Factory 02 will eventually scale up the bioprocess as well as the production process: it would not be located in an industrial park, it would more likely fill an industrial park." Solar Foods is seeking novel food regulatory approvals for Solein in several key markets, including the EU, UK and US. The company’s aim is to enter the US market later this year. #SolarFoods #Finland

Alpine Bio, formerly known as Nobell Foods, has revealed a corporate rebranding and has announced a newly issued patent. Nobell Foods creates cheeses from plant-derived casein proteins but has shifted its corporate identity to better reflect its broader biomanufacturing ambitions. In a statement posted yesterday (17 April 2024), the company said: “Today marks a significant milestone in our journey as our platform is more robust than it has ever been, and we have laid the groundwork for aggressive expansion into other proteins. Going forward, Nobell Foods will transition into a division of Alpine Bio – which will spearhead the cultivation of our proprietary plant-grown casein production and drive the expansion of our ingredients pipeline.” The rebranding to Alpine Bio aligns with the company’s vision to enhance its biotech capabilities in producing various plant-based proteins. Nobell Foods will continue to operate as a division of Alpine Bio. Magi Richani, Alpine Bio founder and CEO, said: “Today we celebrate the breakthroughs our company has made over the last few years to reimagine the future of food in a way that positively impacts the climate, agriculture and our food system at large. This milestone not only reflects our strides in science-backed technology but also brings us closer to delivering a sustainable and delicious product to market.” Additionally, Alpine Bio has announced its tenth patent, focused on dairy food compositions containing plant-expressed recombinant casein proteins. The patent showcases Alpine Bio's advancements in replicating the production of traditional animal-based dairy products in a plant system and strengthens its IP portfolio. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued US Patent No. 11,952,606 on 9 April 2024, protecting Alpine Bio's milk protein production technology. This proprietary technology enables consistent production of milk proteins in plants, which Alpine Bio says ‘greatly outperforms’ first-generation expression of casein and makes the resulting animal-free products more cost-competitive against traditional dairy products. #NobellFoods #AlpineBio

Dutch food-tech company Meatable has become the first to hold an approved cell-based meat tasting in the European Union. Following approval from the independent Expert Committee sanctioned by the Dutch government on its dossier including extensive product safety data, Meatable welcomed a number of guests to its new headquarters in Leiden, the Netherlands, to taste its cell-based pork sausages. Among those who participated in the tasting were Michelin starred chef Ron Blaauw, Constantijn van Oranje, Prince of the Netherlands and Special Envoy, Techleap; and entrepreneur Ira van Eelen, whose father Willem van Eelen is considered the founder of cell-based meat. Tastings are essential to gain valuable feedback to inform product optimisation on the road to regulatory approval and commercialisation. Krijn de Nood, founder and CEO of Meatable, said: “We are incredibly proud to hold the first official cultivated meat tasting in the European Union, marking a landmark moment for Meatable and our industry. At Meatable, we have been working tirelessly over the last five years to develop a delicious product that looks like, tastes like and has the same texture and flavour profile as farm raised meat.” He continued: “We now have the opportunity to verify those findings and further optimise our product before mass market entry. I want to thank our guests for supporting the product and contributing to our mission to satisfy the world’s appetite for real meat without harming people, animals or the planet. We look forward to hosting many more tastings in the future as we work towards regulatory approval and global commercialisation.” Constantijn van Oranje, Special Envoy, Techleap, commented: “The Netherlands is a pioneer in the development of cultivated meat, and it was an honour to join the frontrunner in the field Meatable for the first European tasting of their products. Meatable’s cultivated meat has great potential to reduce the food industry’s impact on the environment, and I look forward to continuing to support the company as they work towards this goal on a path to commercialisation.” Ira van Eelen concluded: "This is a huge step for the sector. Before cultured meat companies can submit their dossier to the relevant authorities it is essential that their product can first be tasted. This way, valuable feedback can be collected for further product development. The fact that this is now possible in the Netherlands itself, without having to resort to other countries, is unique. I have already attended several tastings in other countries and have to say I found Meatable's sausage to be remarkably delicious!" #Meatable #theNetherlands

Precision-fermented dairy company Perfect Day has been sued by its Italian contract manufacturer Olon for breach of contract, fraudulent inducement and fraudulent concealment, as reported by Ag Funder News. Olon is claiming $112 million in unpaid bills and a further $22 million in damages, according to a case filed at the New York Supreme Court. When approached by The Cell Base, Perfect Day declined to comment on the lawsuit. The complaint accuses Perfect Day of stringing Olon along while it ‘secretly planned’ to switch production of beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) to cheaper fermentation facilities in India – the company already has a manufacturing business in the country, which it acquired in 2022. For the last six years, Olon has been producing animal-free whey beta-lactoglobulin – the precision-fermented whey protein commercialised by Perfect Day. Perfect Day signed a contract under which Olon pumped over $86 million into “expanding and tailoring its manufacturing capabilities to Perfect Day’s unique specifications,” which would have enabled it to “earn substantial revenues by producing the vast quantities of beta-lactoglobulin needed to meet Perfect Day’s anticipated global supply chain needs”. Olon said that, in 2022, Perfect Day had “explicitly stated that the India plants would not be used to replace Olon’s facilities,” hence the manufacturer continued to invest in the collaboration. It was expecting “at least five years of continuous manufacturing activity and revenues going forward”. Olon claims that the parties’ relationship came to a halt in August last year when Perfect Day stopped paying its bills. Olon said that in September, it was shocked to learn that Perfect Day planned to move all manufacturing to plants it had recently purchased in India. According to Olon, it is owed $112 million in unpaid manufacturing fees, unreimbursed CapEx, raw materials costs and other costs, with an estimated additional $32 million in damages resulting from Perfect Day’s alleged fraud, which it argues curtailed Olon’s ability to develop alternate revenue streams with other clients. #PerfectDay #Olon

Clean label baking ingredient manufacturer Il Granaio delle Idee (IGDI) has entered into a strategic partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks. IGDI has identified a new sourdough bakery strain that it says can improve the flavour and aroma profile of baked goods with its starter culture product, Pater. The collaboration will leverage Ginkgo's Adaptive Laboratory Evolution (ALE) technology to accelerate the growth rate of IGDI's selected strain. IGDI has used its proprietary technology to develop a product, Pater, that keeps lactic acid bacteria dispersed in flour, viable and stable over time. Pater is a shelf stable, dried baking mix that can be used to make sourdough on a large scale, enabling artisanal and industrial bakers to expand their potential offerings of sourdough-based products. Bakers can use Pater to enhance the flavour, fragrance, structure, and colour of bread, improve digestibility and extend bread freshness. Additionally, Pater can produce natural emulsifiers, reducing reliance on chemical additives used widely in the baking industry. In order to grow this strain economically, IGDI will leverage Ginkgo's ALE technology as it seeks to evolve the strain towards a higher growth rate. Ginkgo uses ALE as a fast, powerful strain development tool that can adapt strains to industrially-relevant conditions without gene editing. Federico Allamprese Manes Rossi, founder and CEO of Il Granaio delle Idee, said: "We've watched Ginkgo excel in the food and nutrition space for years, and we couldn't be more excited to work with them. Ginkgo's impressive ALE technology shows promising potential to rapidly improve the growth rate of our strain, distinguishing Pater within the market. Together, we're enhancing product quality, empowering bakers with innovative solutions that elevate their craft and preserving the expression of culture and identity in food." Simon Trancart, Head of ALE at Ginkgo Bioworks, added: "This collaboration underscores Ginkgo's commitment to innovation within the food and nutrition industry. We're thrilled to support Il Granaio delle Idee's vision by leveraging our strain optimisation tools and powerful ALE technology to elevate their sourdough product to advanced levels of quality and efficiency.” This is the latest in a number of partnerships for Ginkgo. In October, the biotech company partnered with Swiss food-tech solutions company QL AG to develop new dairy proteins made using precision fermentation. Last month, Ginkgo joined forces with Aqua Cultured Foods to enhance Aqua's fermentation technology used to create alt-seafood products and Ginkgo also partnered with Imagindairy to accelerate the introduction of a new wave of cow-free dairy proteins. #GingkoBioworks #IGDI

The Netherlands’ Mosa Meat has announced it is welcoming new and existing partners to help bring its cell-based beef to consumers, as part of €40 million in new capital raised. The funds will be used to further scale Mosa Meat’s production processeses as it prepares for market entry. The oversubscribed round was led by Lowercarbon Capital and M Ventures. Investors include new government-backed partners such as Dutch state-owned impact investor Invest-NL, European Commission programme InvestEU, LIOF, the regional development agency for the Limburg province and the Limburg Energy Fund (LEF), the regional fund supporting greenhouse gas emissions reduction. New partners with a background in the conventional meat sector also partook, including the PHW Group, one of Europe’s largest poultry producers, with new investors such as XO Ventures, Doux Investments and others. Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat, said: “The overall macroeconomic landscape has been rough in the last two years, which has culled the herd of companies and forced us to be even more strategic and focused on achieving our mission. As such, we are humbled and honoured to welcome both public parties and conventional meat producers to join this critical journey.” He continued: “In an environment that is increasingly polarised, we choose to connect and collaborate, working towards a future where cultivated beef is a real choice for consumers and a complementary solution in the toolbox to combat the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and food insecurity. Rethinking how we produce great food for a growing planet without destroying it is quite a daunting task and will take many people and organisations to pull in the same direction.” Mosa Meat is currently preparing its first formal tastings of cultivated beef in The Netherlands. #MosaMeat #TheNetherlands

The UK’s Quest Meat has held a tasting of its edible and food-safe microcarrier replacements – set to boost the scale-up of cell-based meat production.  Meat cells are inherently adherent cells, meaning they grow while attached to surfaces. Microcarriers are micro-scale material beads or particles that provide a large surface area to volume ratio for adherent cells to attach and grow. They allow adherent cells to be grown in large fermenters where the cells would otherwise float and die.  To date, in the cell-based meat space there has been a reliance on extrapolating from the biopharmaceutical industry, with attempts to adopt the same technology and know-how that has been used to produce recombinant proteins and vaccines since the 1970s. An example of this, is the use of biopharma grade microcarriers. However, these microcarriers present multiple challenges when applied to food, including poor cell harvest, the presence of non-edible (microplastic) materials and limitingly high costs.  Currently, microcarriers represent a significant portion in the cost of cell-based meat production, and as a result cost-effective food-grade microcarriers have become an almost inevitable necessity. Despite this there is a distinct lack of effective, edible microcarriers commercially available to the cell-based meat industry.   This is where Quest’s edible, food-safe, microcarriers come into play.   “Our microcarriers are animal-free and completely edible (with the intention that they will remain in the final product),” a Quest spokesperson told The Cell Base. “We have seen really promising results using these microcarriers with our cells in-house and have validated them at scaled systems (seed train and 500ml bioreactors). But last week we did our first team cook-up and tasting.”  Throughout the tasting, Quest found that its microcarriers had an ‘umami flavour,’ a ‘distinct meaty gravy-like smell,’ the microcarriers ‘browned and crisped upon cooking,’ ‘behaved like meat when cooking’ and had a ‘delicate, easy to chew texture’.   Ella Hodder, project manager at Quest Meat, told The Cell Base: “We were really pleased with how well the material performed during cooking, the material genuinely behaved and smelled like meat. The tasting showed us that not only is our microcarrier replacement material scalable and sustainable, but it can also provide beneficial meat like, visual and sensorial attributes to the final food product.”  #QuestMeat #UK

UK-based cider maker Thatchers has launched Juicy Apple, a new cider made with 100% renewable electricity. The new flavour, made with ‘sun-drenched’ apples, is crafted using renewable electricity, including power generated from the 3,500 solar panels at Thatchers’ Myrtle Farm in Bristol, UK. “It’s as good for the environment as it tastes in the glass,” Thatchers said in a statement. Juicy Apple is exclusively available in bars and pubs and has an ABV of 4%. It is described as a delicately light cider, with a hint of sour balancing the sweetness you’d expect from apples. It takes its aroma from the apples that are pressed, fermented and blended, including Katy and Jonagold apple varieties. Martin Thatcher, managing director of Thatchers Cider and fourth-generation cider maker, said: “This brand-new cider, which began life in our Cider Barn range, reflects the demand from British consumers for a light, crisp cider, that provides refreshment with a gentle bite. This easy-drinking cider is ideal for those discovering apple cider for the first time, and fits into our range." He continued: “At Thatchers we put as much care into looking after the environment as we do to creating great cider, so crafting ciders that are not only powered by sunshine, but as refreshing as a cool breeze on a warm summers day, is in our nature.” The cider is made at Thatchers home in Somerset, where sustainable developments are helping to reduce the company’s impact on the environment. The latest innovation sees the CO2 produced in the fermentation process, captured and used to add bubbles to the cider. Thatchers Juicy Apple is available to serve to the on-trade now.

Israeli food-tech company Efishient Protein has announced the successful completion of its talapia cell line development. Through its technological capabilities, Efishient Protein has unlocked the potential to produce muscle and fat cells of tilapia, which it says is a ‘key step towards establishing a genetic cell bank’. Dana Levin, CEO of Efishient Protein, said: "We are thrilled to lead the way in revolutionising the global fish products industry. Completing the tilapia cell line development showcases our dedication to accelerating sustainable protein solutions, ensuring future generations can enjoy nutritious and ethical fish products". Efishient Protein recognises that its partnership with BioMeat Foodtech and the Volcani Institute was instrumental in this latest achievment, combining the companies' tech with their experience in the alt-protein sector. #EfishientProtein #Israel

Bluu Seafood has opened a new headquarters in Hamburg, Germany, opening Europe’s first pilot plant for cell-based fish in preparation for market entry.   The European biotech company has relocated from Lübeck to Hamburg-Altona, ‘leaving behind’ its lab-scale facility in exchange for the new 2,000-square-metre site. The new headquarters has zones dedicated to customised research, production and office space, to develop and produce cell-based fish.   The new fermenters, which have a capacity of 65 litres with the potential to expand to 2,000 litres, will enable Bluu Seafood to cultivate muscle, fat and connective tissue cells from Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout in much larger quantities than before.  Bluu Seafood’s fish products, such as fish sticks or fish balls, are GMO-free and free from heavy metals and microplastics. They are similar to conventional products in terms of taste, nutritional content and cooking behaviour.  Sebastian Rakers, Bluu Seafood’s co-founder and co-CEO, said: "With the facilities at our new site, we can continue to develop our products and prepare intensively for the future market entry of cultivated fish. We are thus laying the foundations to supply the first markets. In Hamburg, we have the ideal conditions to continue to grow and continuously reduce production costs."   He continued: "We will only see a real shift towards a more sustainable diet when products based on alternative proteins are available in larger quantities and are also affordable. That is what we are working on at Bluu. If the scalability and market conditions are favourable, we will be able to offer cultivated fish at wholesale fish prices in as little as three years. The new site is an important building block in this development."  Bluu Seafood expects cell-based seafood to be approved as safe for human consumption in Singapore in early 2025, followed by the US and the European Union.    #BluuSeafood #Germany