John Hopkins College Studnents Alt Protein

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USDA’s First Cultivated Meat Center “NICA” Opens Applications for Research Grants

The first US government-funded center for cultivated meat, the USDA’s National Institute of Cellular Agriculture (NICA) at Tufts University, has announced the opening of applications for its Seed Grant Program 2024.  Seed-level funding grants of $25,000 or $50,000 will be awarded to support fundamental or applied research in cellular agriculture, precision fermentation, and alternative proteins. Only primary investigators not associated with NICA are eligible to submit proposals. The new projects must align with NICA’s objectives and demonstrate a self-sufficient approach that can be completed within one year. In addition, the research aims described in the proposal must be new and not currently under investigation by the submitting person or entity. The initial review of proposals will be conducted by NICA industry advisory board members, and the …

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Omni vegan dog food range

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Omni: What’s Next for the Plant-Based Pet Food Company?

Three years ago, Omni launched as a ProVeg Incubator start-up selling plant-based pet food. In 2023, the company grew by over 100% and boasted seven-figure annual sales. Building a health-first brand based on veterinary knowledge and scientific credibility, Omni is the only plant-based pet food company in the UK to have peer-reviewed scientific research supporting its products. Its product line includes nutritionally complete kibble, wet-food cans and toppers to increase palatability with a meaty taste and texture, and a newly launched range of supplements with functional benefits. Amid teases of a ‘world-first’ cultivated pet food product launch, ProVeg International’s New Food Hub speaks to Co-Founder and Co-CEO Shiv Sivakumar about Omni’s rise to market leadership and the future of pet food from plant-based and novel …

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Cultivated pet food company Meatly, previously Good Dog Food, has revealed what it claims to be the world's first cultivated meat product for cats.

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Meatly and Omni Unveil UK’s First Cultivated Meat Product for Cats

UK cultivated pet food company Meatly, previously Good Dog Food, has unveiled what it claims to be the world’s first cans of cat food made with cultivated chicken. The first batch, manufactured with its first commercial partner, Omni, a leader in the UK plant-based pet food scene, is a chicken pâté that blends Omni’s plant, yeast, and algae proteins with Meatly’s cruelty-free meat grown from chicken egg cells. Pets at Home, an early investor in Meatly, will be the first retailer to sell Omni Feast Chicken Revolution presented in 150g tins (enough for a single meal) at roughly £1, according to the announcement. “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 …

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Bored Cow launches animal-free yogurt, announced B-Corp status

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Bored Cow Launches “First of its Kind” Animal-Free Yogurt Made with Fermented Proteins

In response to its most consumer-requested product; Tomorrow Farms‘ animal-free dairy brand, Bored Cow, announces that it has developed the “first of its kind” range of drinkable yogurt made with milk protein from fermentation, coconut cream, and cane sugar.  Bored Cow’s new yogurt alternative comes in 7 oz bottles in three flavors: strawberry, vanilla, and passion fruit mango. Each bottle provides 8 g of complete protein per bottle, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and live probiotic cultures. Furthermore, they are free from milk’s lactose, cholesterol, hormones, and antibiotics. The new animal-free yogurt range will launch in New York City this month, with a suggested competitive retail price of $2.99 to $3.99.  The brand states, “Bored Cow offers everything consumers love about conventional dairy and nothing they …

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The Cultivated B Canada, a subsidiary of Germany’s The Cultivated B, has been renamed as n!Biomachines.

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The Cultivated B Canada Rebrands to n!Biomachines, Pioneering Fit-for-Purpose Bioreactors

The German biotech The Cultivated B. announces that its subsidiary The Cultivated B Canada has been rebranded to n!Biomachines to reflect its mission in bioreactor engineering for successful biomanufacturing. (The notation ‘n!’ represents ‘factorial’, hence the name can be read as ‘factorial biomachines.’) n!Biomachines, located in Burlington, Ontario, develops and manufactures fit-for-purpose, affordable, and automated bioreactors, to enable the commercial scalability of cellular agriculture-derived ingredients for for food, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and more. The Cultivated B. opened its bioreactor facility in 2022, as part of a strategic partnership with Ontario Genomics, a government-funded non-profit, to develop the economic potential of the cell ag industry.  Hamid Noori, CEO of n!Biomachines and The Cultivated B., comments: “The mathematical term, ‘n!’, or n factorial, acknowledges the core of our mission: scalability and …

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Two Opalia product mockups

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Opalia Receives Investment from Dairy Supplier Hoogwegt Group for “Cow-Free” Cell-Based Milk

Opalia, previously BetterMilk, reportedly the only company developing cell-based milk in Canada, has secured CAD$2 million to accelerate the development of its first milk product and establish a commercial strategy. The financial round was led by the Netherlands-based Hoogwegt Group, the world’s largest independent supplier of dairy products and ingredients, operating since 1965 and with a presence in over 130 countries. Other investors including Ahimsa Foundation, Box One Ventures, Cycle Momentum, Kale United, and the Québec government’s Impulsion PME program, also backed the cell-based milk startup. Opalia has received additional funding from Natural Products Canada through its Proof of Concept Program. Jennifer Côté, Opalia’s CEO, shared: “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 …

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A precision fermentation derived fat

Image courtesy of Melt&Marble

Melt&Marble Unlocks Commercial-Scale Production for Animal-Free Designer Fat, Sets Sights on US Market by 2025

Melt&Marble, a Swedish precision fermentation company that specializes in designer fats for food and other applications, has revealed new headquarters with expanded R&D and production capabilities. The facility features “state-of-the-art” molecular biology and microbiology labs, pilot-scale bioreactors, and a food application kitchen to test its “meat-like” fat in meat alternatives and other products. Melt&Marble says that it has already successfully scaled its production to one cubic meter. However, with the new capabilities, the company believes it will be able to achieve commercial-scale production beyond its previous milestone. Anastasia Krivoruchko, co-founder and CEO of Melt&Marble, says: “We are excited about the achievements to date. In the last months, we constantly improved key performance indicators related to rate, titre and yield, successfully achieving metrics relevant for commercial-scale and …

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Antoine Baule of Bon Vivant

Antoine Baule, image courtesy of Bon Vivant

Bon Vivant Appoints Antoine Baule as Chairman of its Board of Directors

Bon Vivant, a French startup in the animal-free dairy sector, announces the appointment of Antoine Baule as the new Chairman of its Board of Directors. Baule is the former director general of Lesaffre, a key player in the global fermentation industry, and brings a wealth of experience in agro-industry and biotechnology to the firm. Lesaffre has been a leader in the fermentation sector for over a century, boasting a turnover of 2.2 billion euros with operations across all continents, and a workforce of 10,700 employees. The strategic appointment closely follows Bon Vivant’s raise of €15 million in an oversubscribed equity finance round for its precision fermentation-derived whey and casein proteins aimed at the B2B dairy alternative market. The company also announced in October its intentions …

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India's cultivated meat startup Biokraft Foods has announced a strategic collaboration with ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research (DCFR) to create cultivated snow and rainbow trout products.

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Biokraft Foods Partners with ICAR-DCFR for Cultivated Trout Products in India

Indian cultivated meat startup Biokraft Foods has announced a strategic collaboration with ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research (DCFR) to create cultivated snow and rainbow trout products — two species that hold significant commercial value in the Indian market. Through the collaboration, ICAR-DCFR will develop the fish cell lines, and Biokraft Foods will create final products using 3D bioprinting and customized bioinks.  The ICAR-DCFR is India’s pioneer research institute working toward sustainable development of cold water aquaculture, management, and conservation of hill stream fishes. It operates under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Cultivating meat in India The novel food regulatory body in India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), is already working to set a regulatory framework for approving cell-based foods, including cultivated …

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Pluri announces that it has secured a patent from the Israel Patent Office for its System for its 3D bioreactor plant cells technology.

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Pluri Receives First-Ever Patent for 3D Bioreactor Technology in Plant Cell Cultivation

Pluri (Nasdaq:PLUR) (TASE:PLUR), parent company of the recently launched cell-based coffee biotech PluriAgtech, announces that it has secured a patent from the Israel Patent Office for its “System for 3D Cultivation of Plant Cells and Methods of Use.” Pluri claims this is the first-ever patent approval for 3D bioreactor technology in plant cell cultivation. Pluri’s 3D technology enables the cultivation of plant cells in bioreactors to develop sustainable and disease-free plant material for various sectors, from sustainable agriculture to healthcare.   According to the company,  approximately one-fifth of the 50,000 medical plants used today are on a list of threatened species, while climate change and restricted access to fresh water threaten temperature-sensitive crops such as coffee and cacao. Yaky Yanay, Pluri’s CEO and President, commented: “PluriAgtech’s patented …

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UMAMI Bioworks and Shiok Meats, have merged to establish a combined entity that will bring cultivated seafood closer to commercial viability.

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UMAMI Bioworks & Shiok Meats Merge to Commercialize Cultivated Seafood

Two cultivated seafood pioneers from Singapore — UMAMI Bioworks and Shiok Meats — have merged to establish a combined entity that will bring cultivated seafood closer to commercial viability. The strategic merge, believed to be the first in the cultivated seafood space, will leverage UMAMI Bioworks’ advanced production technologies with Shiok Meats’ research in crustacean cell cultivation. By combining their expertise, the companies expect to enhance go-to-market efficiencies, expand commercial opportunities, and accelerate regulatory approvals to introduce cultivated seafood products in the region while providing a production alternative to industrial fishing and aquaculture. Mihir Pershad, the CEO of UMAMI Bioworks, will lead the new company as CEO. He will be supported by global seafood investment leaders Hatch Blue and Aqua-Spark, who will join the company’s …

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Planted fermented steak

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Planted Launches “First of a Kind” Fermented Whole Cut Steak, Unveils Cutting-Edge Facility

Swiss foodtech company Planted has launched a new fermented steak alternative, the first product to be developed using the company’s whole-muscle platform. Made from soy protein, rapeseed oil, bean and rice flours, and microbial cultures, the product is said to be the first plant-based steak to use all-natural ingredients and no additives, while retaining a juicy, tender texture. The steak alternative is high in protein, fibre, and micronutrients such as B12 and iron, with low levels of saturated fat. Additionally, the plant-based steak is said to generate 97% fewer CO2e emissions per product weight compared to animal steak, and requires 81% less freshwater. The use of fermentation boosts the taste of the product while also improving properties such as tenderness. Whole-muscle platform Planted’s whole-muscle platform …

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Future of Foods podcast with Celeste Trujillo of Better Butchers

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Future of Foods Podcast: Celeste Trujillo, Food Science, Product Development at The Better Butchers

Alex Crisp of the Future of Foods podcast here interviews The Better Butchers, a Canadian company headed by Mitchell Scott previously of The Better Food Company, which intends to create hybrid cultivated meat products. The interview with Celeste Trujillo from The Better Butchers was carried out in September 2023. Since then the following updates have taken place and are reported by the company. We have launched a new line of products to start generating revenue and build our brand: three mycelium-based crumble SKUs, an original unflavoured, a chorizo and an Italian. We launched just two weeks ago and we have sold out and are scaling to grow and meet demand. We have a minimal ingredient list, we season with spices and herbs and don’t add …

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Swan Neck Bio Launches FlexCell for Fast and Affordable Fermentation Scaling

Swan Neck Bio, a spin-off from White Labs Copenhagen, a global leader in fermentation since 1995, has officially entered the market to unlock the biomanufacturing capacity of precision fermentation and biomass companies. Headquartered in Copenhagen, with supporting labs and production capabilities in the USA (California and North Carolina), Swan Neck Bio leverages a patented “breakthrough” technology developed by White Labs.  Called FlexCell, the technology allows companies to trial, validate, and scale microorganisms from the lab to 1,000 L more quickly and affordably. Fábio Faria-Oliveira, CSO of the company, shares: “Our dream is a world where there are no constraints to the innovative biosolutions our world urgently needs if we’re going to support a constantly growing population.”  Scaling without risks Troels Prahl, a microbiologist with over 20 …

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Ivy Farm Gyoza dish

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BSF Enterprise and Ivy Farm Partner to Produce Cultivated Meat in China

Two UK firms, BSF Enterprise, owner of the UK clinical and cell ag company 3D Bio-Tissues (3DBT), and the cultivated meat company Ivy Farm Technologies, have partnered to fundraise, produce, and scale cultivated meat in China. BSF Enterprise (LSE: BSFA) (OTCQB: BSFAF) announced that the commercial agreement involves securing investment to help Ivy Farm enter the Chinese market and find key manufacturers to develop various cultivated meat products. Last year, BSF Enterprise formed a separate entity (BSF HK) and opened an office in Hong Kong to develop a distribution and partner network to commercialize its products and launch cultivated meat in the country. China consumes over 100 million tons of meat (with pork as the preferred meat), which is more than a quarter of global meat consumption, representing a …

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TIME GreenTech Companies 2024

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TIME’s Top GreenTech Companies of 2024 Recognizes The Better Meat Co., Rebellyous Foods, Prime Roots & More

TIME Magazine together with Statista, a leading statistics portal, recently unveiled America’s Top GreenTech Companies in 2024, recognizing 250 firms leading the charge in sustainability and environmental stewardship. Among these, FoodTech companies have a notable presence, with a total of 19 making the list, showcasing their pivotal role in advancing green technologies within the food industry. This high profile list is the result of an in-depth analysis aimed at identifying companies that are not only financially robust but also innovatively reducing their environmental impact. Statista’s methodology included a comprehensive review of various data points. Key metrics such as the value of a company’s intellectual property portfolio, revenue, funding, and industry-specific environmental contributions like carbon capture, use of renewable energy, and efforts to offset carbon emissions …

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Koralo launches a new mycelium and microalgae fish fillet in South Korea

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Koralo to Launch New F!sh in More Restaurants in Seoul Following 5,000L Production Milestone

Koralo, a German B2B alternative seafood startup operating a subsidiary in South Korea, announces a milestone in the production of its flagship product called ‘New F!sh’, a mycelium-based fish fillet that debuted in Seoul last December.  According to Koralo, it has successfully scaled its patented co-fermentation biomass process to 5,000 L on existing equipment manufacturers (OEM) with local partners in South Korea. The company’s fermentation process harnesses the nutritional properties of microalgae to feed mycelium, replicating the natural diet of fish. This innovative process enables the creation of fish-like tasting and nutrient-rich alternatives in a sustainable process, emitting less CO2 and using less water than plant proteins. Clean-label and nutritious fish  New F!sh is said to be rich in nutrients, including omega-3, complete protein, probiotics, and …

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a photo of shrimp

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India to Set Regulatory Framework to Move Forward Cultivated Meat & Seafood

As reported by the Good Food Institute, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is setting a regulatory framework for the approval of cell-based foods, including cultivated meat and seafood. The development of regulations by FSSAI marks a significant step to move forward cultivated meat while joining other countries’ efforts to regulate its safety through a predictable and clear regulatory path to market. In India, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute has launched a cultivated fish project and the Department of Biotechnology and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology supports cultivated meat research.   The cultivated meat and seafood industry in India is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to benefit from the country’s thriving pharmaceutical sector.  Ingredients for cultivated meat …

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Kynda debuts a new mycelium ingredient in vegan burgers crafted by The Ranging Pig Co.

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Kynda Debuts Zero-Waste Mycelium Ingredient in Burgers Crafted by The Raging Pig Co.

German B2B biotech Kynda announces that it is introducing in the European market a new zero-waste mycelium ingredient — exempt from EU novel food regulations — for alt meat and hybrid products. Branded Kynda Meat, the ingredient is said to be highly nutritious and a “truly sustainable” alternative to animal proteins. It is made only with upcycled ingredients fermented in a highly efficient 48-hour biomass fermentation process.  In a first collaboration, Kynda Meat will debut at the Internorga trade fair in Hamburg (starting today), in vegan burgers created by the food tech The Ranging Pig Co. A new range of vegan sausages by The Ranging Pig will also be available for tasting. “Our mycelium-based ingredients offer a unique blend of taste, nutrition and environmental benefits to meet the growing demand …

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Fermify's team

Fermify's team - Image courtesy of Fermify

Fermify Offers Animal-Free Casein Samples to Industry Partners to “Unlock” Dairy-Free Creations

Fermify, an Austrian precision fermentation company set to revolutionize dairy production, announces that it now provides industry companies with samples of its liquid form animal-free casein to create “groundbreaking” dairy-free products. Fermify’s casein is said to offer a purity level of 94%, while its functionality — taste, meltability, and structure — rivals that of animal-based proteins, as shown in successful pilot-scale testings.  With this initiative, Fermify aims to spark interest and collaboration to accelerate the development of animal-free cheese and dairy products that meet top-notch quality and functionality standards and taste great. “We eagerly anticipate the exciting possibilities that our samples will unlock in the traditional dairy industry, inspiring new creations and advancements in dairy product development,” states Fermify. Cost-effective production Founded in November 2021 …

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