Standing Ovation, a French biotech company specialising in precision fermentation applied to dairy proteins, has announced a long-term strategic partnership with Ajinomoto Foods Europe (AFE).
AFE is an affiliate of Japan’s Ajinomoto Group with over 50 years of expertise in industrial fermentation. The goal of the partnership is to produce animal-free caseins at AFE’s biomanufacturing plant in Nesle, France.
Standing Ovation has developed an animal-free casein powder called Advanced Casein® using patented precision fermentation technology. The ingredient can be used to create a variety of sustainable animal-free dairy products, including cheese, ice cream, yogurt, and foaming milk. These products retain the functional and sensory qualities of traditional dairy.
Through the collaboration with AFE, Standing Ovation will gain access to large-scale manufacturing capabilities at a site using local raw materials and renewable energy sources.
“Ideal manufacturing partner”
Around a year ago, Standing Ovation received €3 million from the French government and Bpifrance for its CASPEX project, which aims to produce precision fermentation-derived caseins at scale. In September 2024, the company raised a further €3.75 million in Series A+ funding, with the goal of accelerating its growth and the distribution and sales of Advanced Casein in the USA.
Meanwhile, Ajinomoto has partnered with several companies developing animal-free foods and materials, including air protein producer Solar Foods and bio-based silk company AMSilk.
“We are very excited about this new partnership with one of the world’s leading food companies,” said Yvan Chardonnens, CEO of Standing Ovation. “As a global player with historical expertise, Ajinomoto is an ideal manufacturing partner for us. Their leading fermentation capabilities in France will enable us to meet our customers’ needs by providing them with high-quality, sustainable proteins.”
