Ayana Bio

Frank Jaksch, CEO of Ayana Bio

Frank Jaksch ©Ayana Bio
Opinion

Op Ed: Frank Jaksch, CEO of Ayana Bio – Regulation of Ultra Proccessed Foods, Navigating Potential Paths Forward

Frank Jaksch is the CEO of Ayana Bio, the Boston-based company working on the production of cacao bioactives and agriculture-free saffron amongst other developments. Ayana Bio is one of an emerging group of plant cell cultivation tech firms cultivating plant cells in controlled environments, such as bioreactors, to ensure a climate-proof supply of crops such as cacao, coffee, and other at-risk crops such as cotton and spices. Jaksch has more than 25 years in life sciences and food, beverage, and dietary supplement consumer products, building dietary supplement and food ingredient company ChromaDex from the ground up and taking the company public on Nasdaq. Jaksch sits on the board of directors for the Natural Products Association and is a recognized global expert on natural products chemistry, …

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A petri dish with plant ingredients

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People

Plant Cell Culture Company Ayana Bio Appoints Jill Zullo, Formerly of Cargill, to Board of Directors

Plant cell culture technology company Ayana Bio announces the appointment of Jill Zullo, PhD, described as “an experienced commercial leader with deep technical roots in biotechnology”, to the company’s Board of Directors. Zullo is the former president and CEO of NatureWorks and Global Managing Director Biointermediates at Cargill. According to the company, the appointment “further underscores the focus on establishing Ayana Bio as a leader in the plant cell culture space and assembling a board of directors with diverse backgrounds of expertise to guide the company to commercial success.” Ayana Bio uses plant cell cultivation to grow plant materials, with a focus on creating ingredients that leverage plant bioactives for health and wellness products. A spinoff from Boston’s Ginkgo Bioworks, Ayana recently partnered with Wooree …

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Ayana Bio and Wooree Green Science sign joint development agreement to make plant cell-derived ingredients for health and wellness products.

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Ayana Bio and Wooree Green Science Partner to Produce Agriculture-Free Saffron

Boston-based Ayana Bio, a spinoff from Ginkgo Bioworks, and Wooree Green Science, a biotech from South Korea developing functional ingredients, announce a partnership to develop sustainable ingredients for health and wellness products for the South Korean market.  Under a joint development agreement, the companies will produce agriculture-free saffron using plant-cell technology to make it more affordable for plant-based weight loss supplements. Using this novel method, the companies aim to address supply chain challenges and expensive labor fees. As Ayana Bio explains, saffron is proven to support weight loss by reducing hunger and boosting metabolism. However, the detrimental impact of climate change on saffron crops is intensifying the challenges within the supply chain. Harvesting this labor-intensive plant requires up to 170,000 flowers to yield a kilo of saffron, …

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cacao fruit

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Investments & Finance

Boston’s Ayana Bio Pledges $3M to Accelerate Cacao Bioactives Through Plant Cell Tech

Boston-based Ayana Bio, a spinoff from Ginkgo Bioworks, has announced a $3 million investment to accelerate the production of cacao bioactives using plant cell technology to make consumer products for markets such as health and wellness, F&B, and cosmetics. Ayana Bio will utilize the capital to expedite commercialization of its cacao ingredients and prioritize R&D of the benefits of different cacao varieties as well as possible usages and applications to expand partnerships with CPG companies. Producing high polyphenol cacao extracts  Ayana Bio leverages plant cell technology —growing plant cell lines in bioreactors rather than agricultural production — to discover and produce plant and fungal bioactives that support and improve human health. According to the biotech, cacao contains biologically active compounds that support healthy digestion, cardiovascular health, cognition, …

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