Microbial Protein

Spain’s MOA Foodtech, a B2B platform for alternative proteins and sustainable ingredients, announces the closure of a series A funding round led by the Dutch venture capital firm ICOS Capital.

Image courtesy of MOA Foodtech
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

MOA Foodtech Raises Funds to Scale AI-Driven Production of Highly Nutritious Microbial Proteins

Spain’s MOA Foodtech, a B2B platform for alternative proteins and sustainable ingredients, announces the closure of a Series A funding round led by the Dutch venture capital firm ICOS Capital. Notable investors ClaveMayor, Viscofan, SODENA, and Banco Sabadell also participated. Founded in 2021 in Pamplona, Navarra by Susana Sánchez (CSO), José María Elorza (CFO), and Bosco Emparanza (CEO), MOA Foodtech leverages precision fermentation, agrifood side streams, and AI to discover and deliver carbon-efficient microbial proteins and functional ingredients for the F&B industry. The financial boost aims to facilitate a comprehensive market launch targeting international customers. To do so, the company will expand its operations, including developing a commercialization strategy, production scale-up, and enhancing its AI platform, aiming to position itself at the forefront of sustainable …

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Dutch food tech pioneer Revyve to debut yeast-based egg replacer for plant-based burgers in Chicago

© Alessa Joseph - Image courtesy of revyve
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Revyve Introduces “Super Clean” Yeast-Based Egg Replacer for Plant-Based Burgers at IFT First 2024

Dutch food tech company Revyve announces it will debut its high-performance, clean-label egg replacer designed to enhance the texture of plant-based burgers at IFT First 2024. The ingredient, made with Revyve’s yeast proteins, is said to mimic the functionality of egg whites (heat-set gelling, binding, and emulsification), delivering the sensory experience consumers expect in plant-based meat. According to the Dutch company, its egg replacer — the first to be available on a broad commercial scale — is sustainable, price-competitive, designed for easy use with standard processing equipment, and compliant with all international regulatory requirements. Edgar Suarez Garcia, Revyve’s CTO and co-founder, shares, “At Revyve, we have taken yeast functionality to the next level. Revyve offers exceptional heat-set gelling, binding, and emulsification. Burgers retain water and …

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Dutch precision fermentation startup Vivici B.V. announces it has successfully scaled its platform to produce a beta-lactoglobulin

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Fermentation

Vivici Achieves Scaling Milestone to Produce Animal-Free Beta-Lactoglobulin

After raising capital to produce animal-free proteins, Dutch precision fermentation startup Vivici announces it has successfully scaled its platform to produce a beta-lactoglobulin — the major whey protein in milk. After this milestone, Vivici plans to introduce its flagship product in early 2024. As a B2B company, it will supply leading F&B brands searching for sustainable whey ingredients to meet the growing demand for sustainable products. The company is working on multiple applications to support its future clients with formulations using these novel proteins. Novel dairy proteins Beta-lactoglobulin is a versatile ingredient that is nutritionally superior to most proteins, explains Vivici. It offers gelling, foaming, and emulsification properties, improving the mouthfeel and texture of foods and enhancing beverages. According to Vivici, its Beta-lactoglobulin is naturally identical …

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Changing Bio launches alt dairy line made with microbial proteins

Changing Bio- Image courtesy of GFI
Fermentation

Dao Foods Releases Detailed Report on Microbial Fermentation Industry in China

Dao Foods International has released The Role of Fermentation in New Protein Adoption in China, a new report on the state of microbial proteins in the country. Co-written and led by Rouyu Wu, director of investment and innovation at Dao Foods, the report explores the exceptional factors that make China a prime location for biomanufacturing microbial proteins. The review examines the historical progress of the biomanufacturing infrastructure and the recent regional government policies to promote its future development. It highlights the companies working in the industry and the opportunities and challenges facing large-scale fermentation of novel proteins. “By conducting this initial research, we hope to bridge the information gap between China and the rest of the world, inspire more entrepreneurs to engage in alternative protein …

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Changing Bio launches alt dairy line made with microbial proteins

Changing Bio- Image courtesy of GFI
Company News

Dao Foods Releases Detailed Report on Microbial Fermentation Industry in China

Dao Foods International has released The Role of Fermentation in New Protein Adoption in China, a new report on the state of microbial proteins in the country. Co-written and led by Rouyu Wu, director of investment and innovation at Dao Foods, the report explores the exceptional factors that make China a prime location for biomanufacturing microbial proteins. The review examines the historical progress of the biomanufacturing infrastructure and the recent regional government policies to promote its future development. It highlights the companies working in the industry and the opportunities and challenges facing large-scale fermentation of novel proteins. “By conducting this initial research, we hope to bridge the information gap between China and the rest of the world, inspire more entrepreneurs to engage in alternative protein …

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Solar Foods' protein Solein used in different dishes

© Solar Foods
Fermentation

Solar Foods and Ajinomoto Unite to Create Next-Gen Air-Based Protein Foods

Last week, Finland’s Solar Foods debuted its microbial protein Solein, made out of thin air, at a tasting event in Singapore. After this historic moment in food history, Solar Foods has announced a strategic alliance with Japanese food and biotechnology corporation Ajinomoto to develop products using the revolutionary Solein and introduce them to global markets.  The partnership—Solar Foods’ first collaboration with a major global food brand—will make Solein a reality. In the coming years, a new range of sustainable products will launch for the first time in Singapore. In Q4 2024, the companies will conduct a market feasibility study for product development in Singapore. Solar Foods is now ready to commercialize Solein. It received regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) last October, and the company will …

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Solar Foods' protein Solein used in different dishes

© Solar Foods
Fermentation

Solar Foods and Ajinomoto Unite to Create Next-Gen Air-Based Protein Foods

Last week, Finland’s Solar Foods debuted its microbial protein Solein, made out of thin air, at a tasting event in Singapore. After this historic moment in food history, Solar Foods has announced a strategic alliance with Japanese food and biotechnology corporation Ajinomoto to develop products using the revolutionary Solein and introduce them to global markets.  The partnership—Solar Foods’ first collaboration with a major global food brand—will make Solein a reality. In the coming years, a new range of sustainable products will launch for the first time in Singapore. In Q4 2024, the companies will conduct a market feasibility study for product development in Singapore. Solar Foods is now ready to commercialize Solein. It received regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) last October, and the company will …

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Changing Bio's parmesan cheese made with microbial protein

Image courtesy of GFI
Fermentation

Changing Bio Launches China’s First Range of Microbial Protein Dairy Alternatives

After winning the Sustainability Innovation Award at BEYOND Expo 2023 in Macau, Shanghai-based Changing Bio officially debuted the company’s first line of alt dairy products made with a microbial protein derived from yeast dubbed Kluvy at the 25th annual Bakery Expo in Shanghai.  At the event, the company’s new ChangingPRO line, including whipped cream and a low-fat parmesan powder high in protein and probiotics featured the novel protein Kluvy mixed with plant-based ingredients. Other products used the novel protein but mixed with conventional dairy. Kluvy, considered a complete source of protein with a PDCAAS score of 1, is a domesticated strain from a bacteria discovered in Shangri-La, a famous town at the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.  “There are 10,000 billion species of microorganisms that coexist …

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Paleo's animal-free heme proteins for plant-based foods

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Investments & Finance

Paleo Raises €12M to Produce Animal-Free Heme for “Real Taste” Plant-Based Foods

Brussels-based precision fermentation firm Paleo, which aims to be a functional ingredient supplier for the alt protein sector, has raised €12 million in a Series A funding round to scale up the production of animal-free heme proteins and help manufacturers bring the “real taste” of meat to plant-based foods. Paleo focuses on producing myoglobin, a heme protein found in animal muscles that, when added to plant-based alternatives as an ingredient, replicates meat’s colour, smell, taste, and aromatic experience, providing iron and thus an increased nutritional value.  DSM Venturing and Planet A Ventures led the investment round, joined by Gimv, SFPIM Relaunch, Beyond Impact, and Siddhi Capital. GM-free heme proteins The Belgian food tech claims to be the first company to produce bioidentical GMO-free heme proteins of …

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microbial protein Formo cheese gratin

© Formo

Science

Dutch Government Funds Project to Assess Characteristics of Microbial Proteins 

A Dutch public-private consortium is collaborating on a multi-year project to optimise the processing conditions for different microbial organisms, including microalgae, bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. The project’s aim is to assess which microbial proteins have the functional, economic, and sustainability characteristics needed to create protein-rich ingredients for food applications.  Rianne Ruijschop, Department Head of Health at NIZO and the consortium’s coordinator, explains that the project is divided into four experimental sections to address the challenges of producing microbial proteins. These are efficient culturing of organisms, growing industrial sidestreams, ensuring feasible biomass yields with high protein/low nucleic acid composition, and developing scalable processes. At the end of the project, food application trials will be performed on a selected set of proteins, focusing on dairy, meat, and …

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microbial protein Formo cheese gratin

© Formo
Algae, Microalgae & Seaweed

Dutch Government Funds Project to Assess Characteristics of Microbial Proteins 

A Dutch public-private consortium is collaborating on a multi-year project to optimise the processing conditions for different microbial organisms, including microalgae, bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. The project’s aim is to assess which microbial proteins have the functional, economic, and sustainability characteristics needed to create protein-rich ingredients for food applications.  Rianne Ruijschop, Department Head of Health at NIZO and the consortium’s coordinator, explains that the project is divided into four experimental sections to address the challenges of producing microbial proteins. These are efficient culturing of organisms, growing industrial sidestreams, ensuring feasible biomass yields with high protein/low nucleic acid composition, and developing scalable processes. At the end of the project, food application trials will be performed on a selected set of proteins, focusing on dairy, meat, and …

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ENOUGH's new plant

© ENOUGH
Company News

ENOUGH Inaugurates ‘World’s Largest’ Mycoprotein Facility

Food tech startup ENOUGH recently inaugurated what it claims to be the world’s largest mycoprotein facility, a game-changing supplier for the alternative protein market. The new factory will produce up to 60,000 tonnes of ENOUGH’s ABUNDA® protein by 2027, which is equivalent to growing a cow’s worth of protein every two minutes, explains the company. ENOUGH develops its mycoprotein by fermenting fungi using a technology that leverages renewable feedstocks, creating a unique zero-waste fermentation process for growing a complete food protein containing all essential amino acids also high in dietary fibre. Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) with its Plenitude project supported the production plant’s construction phase with €16.9M coming from European funds aimed at advancing competitive bio-based industries. Nicoló Giacomuzzi-Moore, CBE JU’s executive director, commented at …

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Natures Fynd patties

© Nature's Fynd
Studies & Numbers

Deforestation Could be Halved by Replacing 20% of Beef With Microbial Protein

Research conducted by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has found that deforestation could be halved if a fifth of beef is replaced with microbial protein by 2050. This type of protein is produced via fermentation, using microbes grown in cultures. The process is similar to producing bread or beer, and was first used to make protein products as long ago as the 1980s. For the new study, researchers used a computer simulation to predict what would happen if microbial protein was substituted for 20% of the beef currently consumed. The results showed that deforestation and carbon emissions from land-use change would both be cut in half, while methane and nitrous oxide emissions would also be reduced. Fermented proteins Several companies are exploring …

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