NEW TECH FOODS

US-based cultured seafood start-up Atlantic Fish Co has developed the ‘world’s first’ cell-based black sea bass prototype, in partnership with the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab (NCFIL). Atlantic Fish Co has developed proprietary technology to develop high-performing fish cell lines that can grow in liquid suspension. The start-up held a product tasting at NCFIL’s facility in Kannapolis, North Carolina, US. CEO Doug Grant told The Cell Base: "I'm very happy to say the product tasted like fish. We compared it against a conventional fish counterpart and were very happy with the fish flavour." Doug Grant, CEO of Atlantic Fish Co, said: “Developing the world’s first cultivated sea bass is a win for our company and consumers who want sustainable, ethical seafood. We will provide seafood that is also free of mercury, antibiotics or microplastics.” Bill Aimutis, executive director of NCFIL, commented: “Atlantic Fish Co recognises the need to develop sustainable protein products to feed our increasing global population in coming decades. Our team at NCFIL is excited about working with Atlantic Fish Co and other companies in this emerging technology area.” Atlantic Fish Co is now working on its next milestone: lowering the cost of cell-based seafood through the development of growth media customised for black sea bass and offering product tasting events to restaurant partners. #AtlanticFishCo #US

Agronomics has invested $10 million in its portfolio company Liberation Labs as part of a wider $12.5 million funding round. The round saw participation from existing investor Siddhi Capital. The investment, structured as a Secured Convertible Promissory Note (SCPN), aims to support the ongoing construction of Liberation Labs' facility in Richmond, Indiana, in preparation for its Series A round. Liberation Labs was formed in 2022 to address the growing fermentation capacity gap in cellular agriculture by providing the industry with the infrastructure to commercialise novel protein manufacturing at the scale and cost structure required by the market. Through the design, build and operation of Bio3, its purpose-built biomanufacturing platform, Liberation Labs aims to address the critical bottleneck which fermentation companies face. The company broke ground on its first facility in June 2023, which, when complete, will have 600k litres of fermentation capacity. Currently, the project is around halfway through its build programme and, subject to completion of the Qualified Financing, is expected to be commissioned in Q1 2025. The Richmond, Indiana, US, site – which has the potential to be expanded by an additional 4 million litres of capacity – was selected considering several key metrics such as access to sugar inputs, utility rates, cost and availability of labour, regulatory environment and availability of government incentives. Mark Warner, CEO and co-founder of Liberation Labs, said: "The new funding from Agronomics and Siddhi Capital comes as we continue to make significant progress in building out our operations team and advancing facility construction – including the installation of key equipment like fermenters and spray dryers. Each day we're closer to our goal of unlocking the potential of domestic manufacturing of novel proteins for both food and industrial use. We greatly appreciate the continued support of our major funding partners." Jim Mellon, executive chairman of Agronomics, added: "Liberation Labs continues to deliver on the project milestones of its launch facility in Indiana. We have huge confidence in the team's ability to execute and believe that Liberation Labs will become the first company in Agronomics' portfolio to be cash generative." The latest investment comes after Liberation Labs' announcement in January this year, which announced its new partnership with Ivy Tech Community College. Under the partnership, Liberation Labs and Ivy Tech will develop a new biomanufacturing workforce training programme, designed specifically to equip future employees of the company with the required skills to work in precision fermentation. #LiberationLabs #US

UK-based bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer Nukoko has raised €1.5 million to scale its cocoa-free chocolate made from fava beans.   The round was led by Oyster Bay Venture Capital with participation from SOSV and The Mills Fabrica, as well as a grant from Innovate UK.  Nukoko says it will use the funding to scale its cocoa-free chocolate platform. The start-up has developed a fermentation process that closely mimics traditional cocoa fermentation, allowing it to transform the fava bean into a chocolate alternative.  By utilising fava beans, a nitrogen fixing plant, Nukoko’s chocolate alternative produces up to 90% less CO2 emissions than traditional chocolate. The ‘bean-to-bar’ chocolate contains 40% less sugar and a host of positive nutritional benefits inherent in the fava bean, such as high protein, fibre and antioxidants.  The investment will enable Nukoko to build up its process to industrial scale production ahead of market launch, as well increase its R&D headcount, in a bid to enhance its ability to flavour match varying cocoa flavour profiles.  Nukoko's co-founder Ross Newton said: ‘’We have worked in the cocoa industry for over ten years, and we love it but the chocolate industry as we know it is in trouble. We’re on the back of a three-year supply deficit resulting in a cocoa price that is crippling the manufacturers and impacting consumers." Co-founder and CSO David Salt added: ‘’At Nukoko we want to provide a viable alternative to chocolate that is from a trusted ingredient with a natural and planet positive production process. We believe that being a true and authentic ‘bean-to-bar’ manufacturer, that uses fava beans not cocoa beans to make our chocolate alternative, sets us apart and resonates with consumers."  Co-founder Kit Tomlinson commented: ‘’Nukoko’s ability to provide a 1:1 replacement for cocoa and chocolate to the manufacturing market with a natural, plant-based product that is more sustainable, cost-effective and healthier than chocolate, is transformative. We are on a mission to make a profound difference and drastically reduce the impact of the chocolate industry on the planet."   #Nukoko #UK

Givaudan, Mista and Bühler have announced the opening of a new extrusion hub at the Mista Innovation Center in San Francisco, US. The new facility enhances Mista’s capabilities for food innovation and underscores Givaudan’s and Bühler’s commitment to transforming the food system. Givaudan and Bühler’s collaboration provides companies with the chance to conduct product development trials for extruded products. The hub features a 30mm twin-screw Bühler extruder capable of high-moisture extrusion for plant-based meat and low moisture-extrusion for snacks and cereals. According to the company, results obtained at the facility are applicable to full-scale production equipment, unlike smaller benchtop extruders. With an output of up to 50kg per hour, companies can explore new product development possibilities. Fabio Campanile, global head of science and technology at Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing, said: “Adding extrusion capabilities at Mista expands our vast innovation network and further demonstrates our commitment to the alternative protein space. We believe that by working together and leveraging our collective expertise, we can continue driving the development of the food industry to deliver sustainable and delicious food experiences for consumers around the world.” Ian Roberts, CTO at Bühler, commented: “Collaboration is key to building a sustainable future for food with the goal of feeding the expected 10 billion world inhabitants by the year 2050. The Mista facility demonstrates that these collaborations provide real results. The partnership with Mista, Givaudan and Bühler is providing a world-class technology platform for food innovators to develop and scale the protein sources that will sustainably nourish the world’s growing population,” Scott May, founder and head of Mista, added: “Mista acts as a catalyst for companies to discover, integrate and evolve new ways of working that will help power their innovation engine and accelerate the transformation of the food system. Through the nodal network, unique collaborations, access to new technologies and domain expertise, Mista empowers companies to re-imagine innovation and drive positive change for companies and the industry." May concluded: "We are confident the addition of extrusion capabilities will help generate and accelerate many of the great-tasting food solutions needed to ensure a sustainable food future." #Givaudan #Mista #Bühler #US

Swedish start-up Ironic Biotech has successfully closed a pre-seed funding round of €1 million, led by Nordic Foodtech VC. Ironic Biotech has discovered a new generation of plant-derived proteins that contain iron, which it says are ‘highly bioavailable with no side effects’. The proteins – which are produced through precision fermentation – can be used as ingredients in food or food supplements. Ironic Biotech will use the funding to further its R&D work, expand its patent portfolio and optimise the production process. The start-up has announced that it is readily looking for partners in the food and food supplement industry to work with. Nélida Leiva Eriksson, CEO and founder of Ironic Biotech, said: “We want to help 2 billion people to prevent and recover from iron deficiency and anemia. The lack of iron is partly responsible for the performance gap between males and females, as women naturally lose iron regularly. The situation is widely unaddressed – a sad story that applies to many female health issues, iron deficiency not being an exception.” Up to 25% of the world’s population suffering from iron deficiency, which can lead to severe exhaustion, fatigue, heart palpitations, learning disabilities and anemia. Many consumers bolster their iron intake with iron supplements, which Ironic Biotech stated can cause various side effects, from digestive problems to nausea and even organ damage. Louise Heiberg, investment director at Nordic Foodtech VC, commented: “New ingredients like this enable the food industry to tackle a global health problem with new products. Worries about iron uptake are also a significant barrier to reducing the use of red meat in the Western diet. Putting a fundamental innovation like this to work takes effort, talent, and a bit of time. As an early investor, we work tightly with the team to build a solid foundation for success." Unlike current supplements, Ironic Biotech’s patented compounds have none of the side effects that most iron supplements can cause. The compounds are tasteless, and due to their stable form, can be stored at room temperature for long periods of time. The absorption rates are comparable to the iron in meat – this differs from traditional iron supplements where more than 90% of the iron goes through our digestive tract, as our bodies are unable to absorb it. Ironic Biotech's plant-derived proteins can help companies looking for ways to make their products fit predominantly plant-based diets. #IronicBiotech #Sweden

Israeli animal-free dairy protein developer Imagindairy and Ginkgo Bioworks have announced a new partnership designed to accelerate the introduction of a new wave of cow-free dairy. The multiyear programme – which aims to commercialise Imagindairy’s non-whey proteins – is partly funded with a joint grant from the Board of Governors of the Israel-US Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation. The collaboration will leverage Ginkgo’s protein expression services and Imagindairy’s process development and scale-up expertise to manufacture animal-free non-whey to reach prices similar to conventional dairy proteins. Jennifer Wipf, chief commercial officer at Ginkgo, said: “We’re thrilled to get to work with Imagindairy on this innovative and market relevant project. We’re also honoured to be recognised by the BIRD Foundation. Being awarded this highly competitive grant is a testament to our technical expertise and ability to accomplish this project with Imagindairy. I can speak for the entire team when I say that the samples that Imagindairy have shared are absolutely next-level. If the rest of their pipeline is anything like what we’ve tasted, we can’t wait to try what’s next.” Eyal Afergan, co-founder and CEO at Imagindairy, added: “We’re proud of this acknowledgment by the BIRD Foundation, as it highlights the importance of further innovation in the alternative proteins field, and our capability to successfully execute this project. Our process development capabilities and industrial-scale precision fermentation lines will allow us to rapidly scale the optimised strains created with Ginkgo and bring innovative non-whey proteins to the market faster.” He concluded: “We’re deeply impressed by Ginkgo’s work in the food-tech industry...We’re confident this collaboration will unlock further product offerings, providing consumers with additional animal-free dairy delights that match the cost and taste of traditional dairy, making significant contributions to the industry, consumers, and the world.” This week Ginkgo also announced that it is working with Chicago-based alt-seafood producer Aqua Cultured Foods to improve the economics and functions of its microbial strains for alt-seafood production. #GinkgoBioworks #Imagindairy #Israel

Steakholder Foods has entered the US market with the launch of SHMeat and SHFish; blended dried extracts ready for mixing to create 3D-printed fish and steak alternatives.  The initial blends, Beef Steak and White Fish have been developed to mimic the taste and texture of traditional meat.   Steakholder Foods plans to expand its plant-based offerings with further blends in the pipeline, including SHMeat Beef Asado, SHMeat Beef Tenderloin, SHMeat Beef Flank, SHMeat Chicken Fillet and SHFish Salmon. The company says its plant-based blends provide ‘superior quality and flavour’ and are designed to cater to a variety of culinary preferences.  The ingredients in its new Beef Steak and White Fish blends have been subject to a recent feasability report prepared by ‘highly regarded consultants,’ which Steakholder Foods said “confirms the legal status of the ingredients”.   The report confirms that all the ingredients used in the blends are approved for use in the US, with each ingredient complying with food safety regulations, with all having achieved Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status.   Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Foods, said: "As we introduce our SHMeat and SHFish blends to the US market, we stand at the cusp of a new era in food technology. Our advanced 3D printing technologies are not just a testament to innovation but also a commitment to sustainability and health.”  He continued: “These products represent our dedication to providing consumers with food options that are not only delicious but also responsible choices for our planet. We believe that our entry into the US market is a significant step towards a future where the food we eat contributes to a healthier society and a more sustainable world."  Steakholder Foods' uses two types of 3D technologies to mimic the texture of meat and fish: Drop Location in Space is used for fish and seafood production to create delicate textures that ‘closely resemble’ those found in real seafood. Its Fused Paste Layering printed is used for meat production as it replicates the fibrous texture of meat in the plant-based products.  These machines – which  Steakholder Foods began to offer to manufacturers last year – are designed and built to work in traditional food factories, matching the same scale production of the industry and are designed according to food safety standards set by the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group.  The company made its first private-sector commercialisation deal in February, signing a memorandum of understanding with Wyler Farm . Through the deal, Wyler Farm – one of Israel’s leading alt-protein manufacturers and the country’s largest tofu producer – acquired a Steakholder Foods printer, in a transaction valued at “several million dollars”.  Steakholder Foods has also announed that it is seeking partnerships with companies in the plant-based meat and alt-fish sector, as well as traditional meat and fish producers ‘looking to diversify and expand their product portfolios,’ to ensure more ethical and sustainable food choices.    #SteakholderFoods #Israel #US

Australian start-up and cell-based meet pioneer Vow has unveiled Quailia, an entirely new food crafted from a subspecies of the Japanese quail. A Vow spokesperson told The Cell Base: "The Singapore Food Agency independently assessed our entire product and process from start to end and concluded that it is completely safe for human consumption. In doing so, Forged Parfait received world-first approval for consumption in Singapore on 20 March 2024." Launched in Singapore, the cultivated quail parfait, named Forged Parfait, is Vow’s flagship product from its new range, Vow Forged.  The launch makes Vow the third company worldwide to market food derived from cultured cells, after Good Meat and Upside Foods received approval and began serving their cell-based chicken in restaurants in Singapore and the US last year.  To create Forged Parfait, Vow began with a small sample of cells from a Japanese quail. The company's food scientists identified and isolated the cells that contributed to taste and texture, before moving them to a bioreactor to emulate the natural growth conditions needed to flourish.  Vow's chefs then mixed those cells with other ingredients to create Quailia – which is made entirely without serum. In a statement, Vow said: “Unlike its traditional counterpart, Quailia is without a heart, brain, feathers, or bones – its entire body consists only of rich flavours, delicate textures and delectable meat made to be eaten”.  Vow’s CEO George Peppou added: “Today we are making history yet again. We tantalised diners around the world with the mammoth meatball, and now we're bringing to life another world-first – an entirely new, utterly delectable animal. Quailia is the ultimate expression of what we do – intentionally create foods unlike anything we’ve had before." "Forged Parfait combines a flavour and texture combination you can’t find anywhere else. The result is a delightful contradiction rich yet delicate with a unique weightless, melt-in-your-mouth quality.”    Forged’s innovations are tapping into increased consumer demand for novelty and never-before-tasted ingredients, creating foods with new flavour and texture combinations. Ryan Clift, a chef who has collaborated with Forged, added: “I’m so blown away by the profile of Forged Parfait. It’s sweet, has a beautiful, delicate flavour, and the texture is always perfect. It’s the perfect parfait.”  Forged Parfait will be available to experience first at Mandala Club’s MORI in Singapore from 12-27 April, with continued roll out ‘at some of the finest restaurants in the country' in the coming months.   #Vow #Singapore

Computational biology company Evogene and food-tech incubator and investment arm of Israel’s Strauss Group, The Kitchen FoodTech Hub (TKH), have jointly announced the establishment of Finally Foods.  Finally Foods is an AI-driven company specialising in molecular farming for the food sector, committed to providing sustainable alternative sources to animal-based proteins.   The newly founded company's mission is to modify plants as ‘bioreactors’ to produce proteins efficiently and sustainably. Leveraging Evogene's ‘GeneRator AI’ technology, the new company aims for short R&D cycles and rapid time-to-market.  Finally Foods has secured pre-seed funding from TKH and the Israeli Innovation Authority. Evogene holds a 40% stake in the company, with the remaining ownership divided among TKH and the founding team – CEO Dafna Gabbay and CTO Basia Vinocur.  Ofer Haviv, president and CEO of Evogene, said: "We are thrilled to embark on this new segment, marking a milestone for Evogene as we continue to drive innovation and growth in the Life Science industry. By harnessing the power of our GeneRator AI tech-engine, molecular farming has the potential to revolutionise the food industry and promote healthier diets worldwide."  Amir Zaidman, chief business officer of The Kitchen FoodTech Hub, commented: "Finally Foods is one of the rare cases where we see an extremely strong founding team, in Gabbay and Vinocur, coupled with a proven technology platform based on the leading AI engine of Evogene. Establishing the company under the framework of TKH and investing the pre-seed round was an easy decision in this case."  Co-founder Gabbay added: "I believe that with Evogene's cutting edge technology, TKH's leading position in the FoodTech industry and with Vinocur's vast experience – Finally Foods has full potential to emerge as a promising company in the alternative proteins sector. Molecular farming represents a catalyst towards global food security and a more sustainable future, and I am proud to lead Finally Foods to take an important part towards supporting this crucial vision for the world."  #FinallyFoods

Food tech innovator MeliBio is expanding its technology platform to enhance its precision fermentation capabilities, with scale-up projects commencing this month.  MeliBio’s R&D team has successfully completed proof of concept work related to the production and use of fermentation-enabled protein targets and will begin scale-up with its partner Pow.Bio .  MeliBio partnered with Pow.Bio  due to its expertise in traditional fermentation and continuous fermentation technology utilising artificial intelligence. By offering AI-enhanced and traditional methods of precision fermentation, Pow.Bio  is uniquely positioned to work with MeliBio to scale its bioprocesses.  MeliBio says that the expansion of its fermentation technologies will enable it to produce high- value bee proteins and enzymes for multiple markets including global functional food ingredients.   Aaron Schaller, chief technology officer and co-founder of MeliBio, said: “Our ability to produce target bee proteins and enzymes through our experimental methods has yielded promising results, and we’re ready to take our technology to the next stage. This initiative will help us elevate the functionality of our products to come and provide more of the benefits of bee-derived honey to current products, while also matching authenticity beyond taste and texture.”  MeliBio’s CEO and co-founder Darko Mandich, added: “We’ve enjoyed a fantastic market response to our plant-based honey products and will continue to serve that demand. Beyond that, accessing levels of product performance and authenticity not possible through plant science alone, through our enhanced technology platform, opens up a variety of significant commercial opportunities.”   Along with its precision-fermented honey, the company produces sustainable alternatives to traditional bee-derived honey products, sold under the Mellody brand in the US, as JustVeg! Vegan Hanny in the EU and Better Foodie Vegan H*ney in the UK.  The company unveiled its Mellody Spicy Habanero vegan honey product last month, developed using advanced culinary techniques and proprietary plant science.  #MeliBio #PowBio

Israeli molecular farming company PoLoPo has announced its new SuperAA platform, which can produce proteins in common plant crops. The platform is currently deployed in potatoes at greenhouse scale and can generate both a native protein (patatin) as well as egg protein (ovalbumin) through proprietary metabolic engineering techniques. The cutting-edge SuperAA platform turns the potato plant into a micro-’biofactory’ that manufactures the target amino acids in the plant and stores them in the tuber. PoLoPo harvests the tubers when they reach sufficient size, extracting the proteins before drying them into powder. The resulting powders are said to ‘seamlessly’ integrate into current food processing lines and formulations. PoLoPo started with potatoes due to their resilience in diverse climates, low growth costs, short maturation time, relatively large storage capacity in the form of tubers, high yield per land use and compatibility with existing harvesting and processing technology. PoLoPo’s CEO Maya Sapir-Mir, said: “The SuperAA platform uses plants as living factories and leverages their natural productivity and storage organs to grow proteins that are identical to protein derived from a chicken’s egg. The high-scale production of proteins in plants via molecular farming has the potential to economically transform not only potato farming and processing, but broader agriculture and ag-tech, for a more resilient and sustainable food system.” Currently being used to develop patatin and ovalbumin, PoLaPo’s ovalbumin can be used in packaged foods for its functional properties, including texture and stability, as well as for enhancing nutritional value and increasing shelf life. Patatin powder can be used as an allergen-free protein for a variety of products such as plant-based meat and dairy, baked goods, cereals, snacks, beverages, sports nutrition and nutraceuticals. PoLoPo says its proteins will soon be available to the food industry for testing. #PoLoPo #Israel

Finnish biotech company Onego Bio has successfully raised €27 million in its Series A financing round, with a further €9.5 million in non-dilutive funding.   The Series A round was led by NordicNinja VC, a Japanese-Nordic venture capital firm that backs companies in climate and deep-tech. Agronomics participated in the round with a €1.55 million investment alongside existing investors Maki VC and Holdix, and new investors EIT Food and Tesi.  Agronomics now holds an equity stake of 16.36% in Onego Bio on a fully diluted basis.  The additional €9.5 million in non-dilutive funding came from Business Finland, a government organisation that offers grant funding for Finnish companies that address significant global needs and challenges.  Onego Bio harnesses precision fermentation to manufacture Bioalbumen, a bioidentical ovalbumin (the most important protein in egg white), without the use of animals. Bioalbumen contains all essential amino acids, has the highest possible protein digestibility score PDCAAS of 1.0 and delivers 90g of protein per 100g.   Tomosaku Sohara, managing partner at Nordic Ninja, commented: “Onego Bio is taking all the right steps to commercialise in record time. It is a next-generation precision fermentation company, with a clear path to industrialisation, go-to-market and profitability...With technology that is designed to scale...In less than two years, Onego is already working with major global food companies and is staged to disrupt the $330 billion egg market and create system-level change, accelerating the green transition.”  In 2022, Onego Bio secured a license from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland to commercialise its proprietary strains of the ‘highly productive’ protein expression system Trichoderma reesei  to produce egg proteins.   Onego Bio will use the funding to continue scaling and optimising its production processes and productivity, finance its work with its contract manufacturing partners and prepare for US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) filing for regulatory approval in the US. Onego currently collaborates with over 25 ‘well-known’ CPG companies, integrating Bioalbumen into their innovation pipeline for a range of products, including baked goods, confectionery, snacks, sauces, pasta and meat alternatives.  Onego says that it is on track to receive self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status for Bioalbumen this year, with a no-objections letter expected from the FDA in 2025.    As a US-Finnish company, Onego plans to first launch in North America, where the regulatory landscape allows a faster market entry, followed by expansion in Europe, South America and Asia.  Jim Mellon, executive chairman of Agronomics, said: “A long-term sustainable solution for chicken eggs is needed. We have been highly impressed with Onego's capabilities and vision from the very beginning. By repurposing a well-established technology from the enzyme industry for food protein production, they are well-positioned to scale to the massive volumes needed to future-proof the supply of the world's most versatile and popular food protein."   #OnegoBio #Finland #Agronomics