NEW TECH FOODS

The UK’s Quest Meat has been awarded funding provided by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Technology Missions Fund and delivered by Innovate UK. A total of £13.5 million was made available to 48 different projects covering a range of sectors and disciplines, including making a sustainable alternative to palm oil, engineering animal stem cells to cultivate meat production and advancing industrial biotechnology to develop sustainable packaging solutions. Quest said it will use the funding to advance its next-generation controllable cell lines for producing cell-based meat at scale. Quest Meat’s CEO and co-founder, Ivan Wall, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded funding to advance our innovative technology to create next-generation scalable cell lines. Engineering biology is a powerful tool for unlocking the power of scale up to create tasty, cultivated meat whilst maintaining regulatory control and safety.” #QuestMeat #UK #UKRI #InnovateUK

Chicago, US-based foodtech company Aqua Cultured Foods (Aqua) has entered into a new partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks.   Aqua produces alternative seafood options through the use of microbial fermentation, while Ginkgo Bioworks is working to build a platform for cell programming and biosecurity.   Aqua has chosen Ginkgo to help optimise its fermentation technology to elevate the quality of its fish-free seafood products that ‘replicate the look, feel and taste’ of fresh-caught seafood. Leveraging Ginkgo's microbial characterisation and analytics, along with Aqua’s proprietary strains and processes, the partners aim to transform the future of alt-seafood production.  Aqua's offerings, including tuna and scallops, maintain freshness and tenderness for six weeks. Powered by a patent-pending fermentation process, which Aqua says can be scaled on a global level. Its fish-free seafood is made from microbes and fibres combined with plant-derived flavours that are said to replicate the buttery texture and umami notes found in fresh-caught seafood.   Ginkgo will leverage its high throughput sequencing and advanced analytics services to help optimise and tune Aqua’s strains to aid in the scale-up of its novel manufacturing process. With Ginkgo, Aqua hopes to amplify its R&D capabilities and further optimise its consortium to establish consistent, high-quality products.   Through the partnership, Aqua expects to introduce unique flavours and textures to the broader food industry.  Stefan Baier, chief science officer at Aqua Cultured Foods, said: "Today marks a significant step towards revolutionising alternative seafood production...Our partnership aims to accelerate our technology, bringing our delicious products to market faster. With Ginkgo's expertise in working with microbes, we are confident in optimising and applying our technology to create the most delicious seafood products possible.”  He continued: “Beyond sequencing, we envision engineering our proprietary consortium for next-gen products, pushing alt-seafood boundaries with unique textures and building the nutrition beyond a good source of fibre. We look forward to how our sustainable approach can revolutionise the fishing industry and contribute to the regeneration of our oceans."   Mervyn de Souza, senior director, business development at Ginkgo Bioworks, added: "This collaboration aligns beautifully with our commitment to work on projects that embody innovation and sustainability. Aqua’s groundbreaking fermentation technology is reshaping the future of alt-seafood, and we at Ginkgo are thrilled to contribute to this transformative journey. Together, we're paving the way for a more sustainable and responsible approach to meeting the world's growing food demands."  #AquaCulturedFoods #GinkgoBioworks #US

At this year’s Anuga FoodTec event in Germany, GEA presented an entry-level perfusion platform comprising its GEA Axenic P bioreactor and the GEA kytero separator for the production of alt-proteins from microbial and cultured sources. Perfusion is a pioneering new technology that can enhance both the productivity and resource efficiency in cell cultivation and precision fermentation for new food. These improvements are crucial to achieving more scalable, cost-effective production of alternative proteins. Embedded in a perfusion platform comprising the GEA Axenic P bioreactor and the GEA kytero single-use separator, the technology was specially developed for aseptic pilot projects. Perfusion technology separates cells from the depleted nutrient solution, increasing live cell density and productivity. “We see perfusion as one of the most promising technologies because it cuts the production cost of alternative proteins on several fronts,” said Tatjana Krampitz, head of new food technology management at GEA. She continued: “What the market currently needs are reliable pilot plants that are quick to set up and meet industrial standards. Our single-use separators enable start-ups in particular to work under sterile conditions, which helps them surmount a major challenge.” To stimulate healthy and rapid cell growth in bioreactors, it is necessary to remove growth-inhibiting metabolites such as ammonium and lactate from the culture medium. Perfusion technology allows for a portion of the depleted nutrient solution to be continuously separated in a sterile manner. The concentrated cell solution can then be returned to the bioreactor while the separated medium is replaced with fresh, nutrient-rich medium. This keeps the cultures in optimum growth conditions at all times and ensures reproducible product quality – a key criteria for the regulatory approval of new foods. Overall, perfusion significantly improves productivity and cell density compared to conventional batch and fed-batch processes. Rüdiger Göhmann, product manager pharma/chemicals/new food, business unit separators at GEA, commented: “For start-ups looking to validate their product ideas with cell lines of their own, kytero is a key to success. These companies do not yet have the cleaning and sterilisation facilities needed for a sophisticated process infrastructure. Yet they have to work in an aseptic environment in order to obtain reproducible results. Our single-use separator gets around this by doing without SIP and CIP processes.” Krampitz added: “Perfusion lets us grow cells in a much smaller space. In the long term, this technology will blaze a trail when it comes to shrinking bioreactors and hence reducing both the quantity of stainless steel needed and the nutrient and cleaning media required.” The technology holds out major potential for media reprocessing – a significant cost factor in the production of new foods and, in turn, of the end products. Reusing and purifying media would mark a major milestone on the path to reaching price parity between conventional and new foods. #GEA

German cell-based meat start-up Innocent Meat has raised €3 million, with a €500,000 investment from anchor investor Venture Capital Fonds and €2.5 million from a new, undisclosed private investor. Innocent Meat is striving to create a complete solution for cell-based meat production with an automated, end-to-end system. it is working on creating an automated plug-and-produce solution for cell-based meat to help meat producers transition to this innovative technology. The technology start-up based in Rostock, Germany, says it is one of the first to make it possible for any company to produce cultured meat itself. The fresh capital will enable Innocent Meat to develop its existing biocomponents, scale-up its pilot plant and initiate the necessary certification processes to begin its journey to regulatory approval. Innocent Meat’s model will provide food manufacturers with access to growth media, cell lines, scaffolding and manufacturing hardware such as bioreactors and filtration systems, facilitating clients to oversee the production process, guaranteeing safety and efficiency in developing cell-based meat products. The start-up has formulated its first serum-free proliferation medium for porcine primary muscle cells in cell-based pork, without foetal bovine serum. Innocent’s growth media incorporates growth factors that it developed with the University of Rostock through Innocent Meat’s large-scale recombinant animal protein platform FABA.BIO . According to Innocent Meat, by using Fabaceae plants as expression platforms or “natural bioreactors,” the company can reduce costs and increase scalability. #InnocentMeat #Germany

Global biotech company Triplebar has extended its strategic partnership with FrieslandCampina Ingredients, announcing a “breakthrough” in lactoferrin production. Through the partnership, which was first announced in January last year, the companies harness precision fermentation technology to enhance supply capacities of lactoferrin, to meet the increasing global demand. Lactoferrin is typically used for premium infant formulas for gut maturation and immunity because of its antimicrobial effects. Triplebar CEO Maria Cho said: “This is big news in the alternative protein space as we begin to create bioactive proteins that support and enhance human health and nutrition. Our partnership with FrieslandCampina Ingredients, a global leader in lactoferrin supply, will enable us to bring more of this incredibly valuable protein to market than ever.” Cho continued: “The challenge has been the protein’s availability. It is typically isolated from dairy, limiting its broader application and incorporation beyond early-life nutrition. Lactoferrin’s benefits extend beyond infants, serving as a valuable supplement for adults.” Through precision fermentation the companies employ microorganisms to produce specific functional ingredients, producing ingredients with properties similar to those found in bovine and human milk. Anne Peter Lindeboom, managing director of innovation at FrieslandCampina Ingredients, added: “FrieslandCampina Ingredients and Triplebar will accelerate the use of precision fermentation as a nutritious and sustainable source of protein. By offering a full range of dairy and alternative proteins, we aim to give people access to nutritional solutions, helping them get the most out of life, now and for future generations." Cho concluded: “We must continue leveraging science and technology to nourish future generations in balance with nature. This multi-year, multi-product and multi-country agreement with FrieslandCampina Ingredients will help make this ambition a reality.” In November, Triplebar announced it had received $20m in new funding for its product portfolio.

Oobli, a developer of sweet proteins and sugar alternatives, has received a ‘No Questions’ letter from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Oubli Fruit Sweet Protein. The letter confirms Oobli’s self-affirmed Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status for Oubli Fruit Sweet Protein, supporting its use as a sweetener for food and beverages. Scientifically known as ‘brazzein,’ the protein is made via precision fermentation. Jason Ryder, Oobli’s founder and CTO, said: “Oobli is changing the future of sweetness through the use of sweet proteins as a replacement for traditional cane sugar and other alternative sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, stevia and erythritol”. “The Oubli Fruit Sweet Protein is one of several sweet proteins that is derived from fruits primarily found in West Africa and other equatorial environments. Sweet proteins are a class of proteins that deliver a sugar-like sweetness but don’t affect blood sugar, insulin or the gut microbiome.” Ali Wing, CEO of Oobli, added: “The ‘No Questions’ letter from the FDA is a further testament to the strong potential that sweet proteins have to disrupt our global dependence on sugar and alternative sweeteners”. “The Oubli Fruit Sweet Protein can be safely used in various foods with support from the general scientific community and the FDA. It can replace 70% or more of sugar in most food and beverages such as sodas, teas, baked goods and more, making the opportunities to reduce our sugar consumption endless.” #Oobli #US

UK-based biotech business Clean Food Group has received a further £2.5 million in funding from Clean Growth Fund, taking its total raised to date to £13 million. Clean Growth Fund is a climate-specific UK venture capital fund that provides UK clean-tech entrepreneurs with the expertise and capital they need to reduce carbon emissions and tackle the climate crisis. The funding will be used to accelerate the commercialisation of Clean Food Group’s sustainable oils and fats technology. The proprietary technology platform uses proven, scalable yeast strains and fermentation technology and utilises food waste as its food source to deliver sustainable alternatives to traditional oil and fat ingredients. Clean Food Group’s go-to-market product is an equivalent to high oleic palm oil. It is backed by an externally validated LCA that demonstrates it delivers a 90% reduction in greenhouse gases when compared with traditional palm oil. Clean Food Group’s oil has been designed as a like-for-like drop-in ingredient that can be substituted in a number of consumables, including baked goods, confectionery and cosmetics applications. Alex Neves, CEO and co-founder of Clean Food Group, said: “The capital raised with Clean Growth Fund will allow us to accelerate the scale-up of our technology platform while advancing critical regulatory and commercial pathways, with a fully funded commercialisation plan in place well into 2025." Beverley Gower-Jones, founder and managing partner of Clean Growth Fund, added: “Backed by a strong technical base, Alex Neves and his team are well placed to commercialise the manufacture of palm oil substitutes and therefore reduce the reliance the food industry has on the production of palm oil, an industry which is one of the main drivers of deforestation and a major contributor to global CO₂ emissions. We are very pleased to support CFG’s development and growth.” #CleanFoodGroup #UK

The Netherlands-based cultivated pork company, Meatable, has slashed its cell-based pork production time to just four days. The company is now able to transform its pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) into high quality fat and muscle tissue in four days, down from eight days, which it says is a “faster process than any in the industry”. This breakthrough – using Meatable’s patented Opti-Ox technology – will enable the production of cell-based meat significantly faster and at lower costs than industry norms. This is a major step towards the commercialisation of Meatable’s technology and, more broadly, towards the large-scale production of cell-based meat. With its process enabling “cell-to-sausage” in four days, Meatable can produce high-quality cell-based meat at a significantly reduced cost. Slashing the cell differentiation timeframe by 50% means that Meatable’s process requires nearly half as many bioreactors at scale, cutting capex costs and enabling a more efficient use of production space. By utilising less labour, energy, infrastructure, ingredients and water, Meatable’s process has become more scalable and cost-efficient, as well as more environmentally sustainable. This new timeframe is around 60 times faster than the time it takes for farmers to rear a pig for pork and significantly faster than other cultivated meat processes. Additionally, the cell extraction process solely involves pulling a single cell once from a pig without causing harm. Daan Luining, co-founder and CTO of Meatable, said: “This is truly a remarkable moment for Meatable and the cultivated meat industry as a whole, as we just made the fastest process in the industry that much faster. Achieving the ability to produce cultivated meat at scale and efficiency has been our goal from day one, and this step moves us significantly forward in fulfilling our promise...I’m proud to say that the reduction in cell differentiation time puts us on path to delivering our products cost efficient at scale.” #Meatable #TheNetherlands

UK-based cultivated meat company Meatly has partnered with ethical pet food brand Omni to launch the “world’s first” cans of pet food that use cell-based chicken as the protein source. Once the product has been granted regulatory approval, Meatly-produced pet food will be made available in shops across the UK through partnerships with retailers and manufacturers like Omni. As an early investor in Meatly, British pet supplies retailer Pets at Home expects to be the first retailer to offer these products in its stores. Formerly known as 'Good Dog Food', the cell-based meat company rebranded as Meatly in November last year and has been working with the UK's Food Standards Agency and the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs to obtain approval for its cell-based chicken pet food to become available to buy in the UK. Owen Ensor, co-founder and CEO of Meatly, said: "It is incredibly exciting to see the first ever cans of cultivated pet food fly off the production line. This is a major milestone for cultivated meat globally and shows that we are ready to sell product...Cultivated meat gives pet parents an easy choice – high-quality, tasty, nutritious and sustainable pet food. We're thrilled to work with innovative companies like Omni to make this a reality as soon as possible." Omni’s founder, Guy Sandelowsky, commented: “Meatly’s ingredient is incredibly exciting to us at Omni, not only because it represents a virtually infinite, cruelty-free source of meat but also because it can be optimised for health. This means more essential vitamins, minerals and omegas, and an elimination of the troublesome components that can be found in traditional meat, such as antibiotic residues. We see the ingredient of particular importance to the cat food market, which lacks credible alternative protein solutions currently.” David Wainwright, commercial director at Pets at Home, added: “We are excited to be a part of Meatly’s journey and are looking forward to being the first retailer to offer their products in our pet care centres. While it is still early days, we are committed to helping drive change in the industry and finding sustainable alternatives to replace some of the protein used globally in pet food would be a major step forward.” #Meatly #Omni #Agronomics #petfood

Opalia, a Canadian start-up developing a technology to produce real milk using bovine mammary cells, has secured CAD 2 million (approx. $1.5 million) in funding. The funding was led by the Hoogwegt Group and included participation from Ahimsa Foundation, Box One Ventures, Cycle Momentum, Kale United and the Québec government through its Impulsion PME programme, managed by Investissement Québec. Opalia also secured funding from Natural Products Canada as part of its Proof of Concept programme. The capital will be used to accelerate the development of Opalia's first product. According to the company, Opalia's sustainable milk production method positions it to capture a significant portion of the dairy market. Opalia’s CEO, Jennifer Côté, said: "This funding marks a significant step for Opalia as it prepares to collaborate with commercial partners ahead of launching its inaugural product into the market. With Hoogwegt leading our round, we've not only gained essential customer validation but also tapped into their extensive network and global market expertise, setting the stage for Opalia's success." Roland Wientjes, global technology director of Hoogwegt Group, commented: “As a premier buyer and supplier of dairy and plant-based ingredients, we recognise and support the market's increasing drive to lower carbon emissions, particularly in alignment with the commitments made under the Paris Agreement." "We see rapid growing interest in our markets for environmentally friendly solutions whilst retaining the beneficial qualities of traditional dairy. We are already actively engaged in initiatives aimed at reducing emissions in the supply chain. With our investment in Opalia, we underline the imperative to explore sustainable alternatives. We are convinced that Opalia's cow-free milk represents a key component of the future sustainable dairy supply chain and eagerly anticipate the launch of Opalia's inaugural product.” Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of economy, innovation and energy, Minister responsible for regional economic development and Minister responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region, added: “Opalia has an innovative solution for reducing our carbon emissions. It’s the only company in Canada to use this method, which is directly in line with our goal of making Québec the first carbon-neutral state in the Americas by 2050." #Opalia #Canada

According to The Economic Times , the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is in the process of establishing regulatory guidelines for the approval of cell-based foods, which include cell-based meat and seafood. In India, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute initiated a project focused on cultivating fish, while the Department of Biotechnology and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology support research into cell-based meat. As cell-based meat has no prior history of existence or consumption in the country, the FSSAI classifies it as either "non-specified food or ingredient" or "novel food". Consequently, companies must seek prior approval from the food authority before commencing the manufacturing, production or importation of such products. Although cell-based meat is currently not sold in India, several companies, including MyoWorks and #NeatMeatt, are actively engaged in developing these products. Singapore became the first country to grant approval for the production and commercialisation of cultivated meat in 2020. Later, the US followed suit, permitting two California-based companies, Good Meat and Upside Foods, last year to sell meat derived from animal cells to restaurants, and, eventually, directly to consumers in grocery stores. #India

North American frozen seafood company High Liner Foods has committed to making a $5 million investment in Norcod. Norcod is a Trondheim, Norway-based aquaculture firm that produces sustainable and responsible cod. In exchange for the $5 million investment, High Liner Foods will receive a 10% share in Norcod. The all-cash investment forms part of a larger capital raise by Norcod that is expected to close this month. Norcod operates six farming sites with licenses secured to reach a 26,000 mt of production capacity. The company is geographically focused in central and northern Norway, with optimal biological conditions for aquaculture – this location means that Norcod can avoid seasonal dependency and deliver fresh products throughout the year. Paul Jewer, president and CEO at High Liner Foods, said: “Today's investment is a small but important step forward in our strategy to position High Liner Foods for the next chapter of leadership and growth. In a dynamic global seafood environment, we want to ensure that our company and its stakeholders can benefit from the opportunities across the full value chain in highly sought after species like cod." He continued: “We are impressed by Norcod's leadership team and their proven production record and expertise. In making this long-term investment, we welcome the opportunity to support, and help shape the bold, innovative work underway to lead the future of sustainable cod farming as a source of premium seafood for North America and markets around the world."