Vivici, a Dutch B2B ingredients startup utilizing precision fermentation, and Ginkgo Bioworks, a cell programming and biosecurity platform, have announced a strategic partnership to advance the production of sustainable animal-free dairy proteins.
Focusing on meeting the increasing global demand for sustainable and appealing proteins, Vivici utilizes precision fermentation techniques to create animal-free dairy proteins with microorganisms. Ginkgo Bioworks is set to enhance the partnership with its protein production services and generative AI platform. The company’s strategic role involves creating a comprehensive library, where it will screen and cultivate top-performing strains and then deliver them to Vivici for final evaluation.
“Ginkgo’s scale and AI-driven approach to designing strains for protein expression is a differentiated offering”
Stephan van Sint Fiet, CEO at Vivici, commented, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Ginkgo. Ginkgo’s scale and AI-driven approach to designing strains for protein expression is a differentiated offering. We are confident in Ginkgo’s capabilities to provide efficient, scalable strains that can support Vivici’s speed to market.”
Vivici recently entered the fermentation arena and concluded a seed funding round in August, securing resources to launch its animal-free dairy proteins into the market. Following the capital raise, the company announced that it had successfully scaled its platform to produce a beta-lactoglobulin — the major whey protein in milk, which CTO Marcel Wubbolts says “not only accelerates our pace but positions us firmly on track to scale further.”
Fermentation scale-up
A few months ago, QL AG, a Swiss food tech firm, also partnered with Gingko Bioworks to develop fermentation-based dairy proteins, underscoring the growing interest in leveraging precision fermentation to address challenges in traditional dairy protein production, offering advantages in taste, texture, and reduced environmental impact.
Ginkgo’s Senior Vice President of Commercialization, Kevin Madden, highlighted, “We believe our speed and experience with dairy protein development, ultra high throughput screening, and fermentation scale-up can enable Vivici to successfully expand their current protein portfolio and bring new solutions to market. We’re eager to help Vivici enter the market as a provider of sustainable and nutritious animal-free protein solutions to a wide range of customers.”
