APAC's March 2024: 10 Noteworthy Food Biotech Advancements
Big merger, biomanufacturing capacity boosts, and regulatory updates
🇸🇬 Umami Bioworks and Shiok Meats plans to merge
Umami Bioworks' CEO Mihir Pershad is set to lead the new entity, with Shiok Meats CEO Sandhya Sriram exiting the company. This merger positions the combined company as a global leader in cultivated seafood.
The combined efforts of the two Singaporean startups will continue Shiok Meats' focus on crustaceans, including lobster, shrimp, and crab. It aligns with Umami Bioworks' strategy on endangered, threatened, and protected species.
The merger has been in planning for about eight to nine months. It aims to expedite commercialization, enhance go-to-market efficiencies, and accelerate regulatory approvals and market entry.
Source: Green Queen
🇮🇳 India is working on establishing a regulatory framework for cultivated meat and seafood
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is in the process of formulating regulations for these products, with efforts including collaboration with a local startup on cultivated seafood.
The regulations aim to ensure safe consumption based on rigorous scientific inquiry and a comprehensive understanding of the technology behind cultivated meat.
The Good Food Institute India emphasises the importance of adapting regulations to scientific advancements and innovations in the sector, such as low-cost serum-free media, to achieve scalability and price parity in India.
Source: Green Queen
🇦🇺 Cauldron raised AUD 9.5M in Series A funding to scale up precision fermentation manufacturing platform
The funding will allow the Australian startup to finalise arrangements with partners and plans for a 500,000 L facility. Over the long term, it aims to build a network of "smaller, smarter" precision fermentation facilities operating as a CDMO.
Cauldron's technology has shown a 30-50% cost reduction compared to traditional batch fermentation at a 25,000 L capacity. Using a continuous (rather than a batch) fermentation process, Cauldron keeps microbes in a productive state for extended periods.
It has successfully run over 8 months of operation without contamination or genetic drift (two key challenges in running long-term fermentation) in a 10,000 L system. This approach reduces both variable and fixed costs and improves output relative to CAPEX.
Source: AgFunder
🇸🇬 ScaleUp Bio announces partnerships with Allozymes and Algrow Biosciences, plus LOIs with Terra Bioindustries and Argento Labs
The Singapore-based contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) offers up to 10,000 L of fermentation capacity at its pilot-scale manufacturing facility. It’s one of the few globally that supports pilot-stage manufacturing with comprehensive services, including Asian market entry support.
The partnerships aim to use microbial and precision fermentation for food sustainability. Allozymes focuses on enzymatic solutions, and Algrow Biosciences is working on producing protein pigment from microalgae on a pre-commercial scale.
Letters of Intent (LOI) with Canada’s Terra Bioindustries and the UK’s Argento Labs are extending ScaleUp Bio's global reach by focusing on upcycling agri-food by-products and using biotechnology for product creation, respectively.
Source: Food Ingredients First
🇰🇷 Koralo scaled its co-fermentation biomass process to 5,000 L in South Korea to increase production of its mycelium-based fish fillet
The German startup's fermentation process uses microalgae to feed mycelium, emulating the natural diet of fish. This results in a fish-like taste and nutrient-rich alternatives that are more sustainable.
The mycelium-based fish fillet, ‘New F!sh’, is a clean-label product. It offers a range of nutrients such as omega-3, complete protein, probiotics, and vitamins B2 and B12. New F!sh is said to have a texture that mimics real fish when cooked.
While Koralo is building a pilot facility in Germany, its current focus is on the South Korean market, where it launched its flagship fish fillet. With this scaling milestone, Koralo can supply its product to more restaurants and food service distributors.
Source: vegconomist
🇮🇳 Biokraft Foods partnered with ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research to produce cultivated snow and rainbow trout
ICAR-DCFR will develop the necessary fish cell lines, while Mumbai-based Biokraft Foods will use its 3D bioprinting and custom bioinks to create the final seafood products.
This collaboration aims to conserve the snow trout, a species facing extinction and listed on the IUCN red list. It also seeks to exploit the commercial potential of the rainbow trout, known for its taste and nutritional value.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is establishing a regulatory framework for cell-based foods, including cultivated meat and seafood.
Source: vegconomist
🇳🇿 Opo bio introduces porcine cell range sourced from New Zealand's high-health status” livestock
Opo Bio has launched Opo-Oink, a range of porcine cells for cultivated pork production, including primary cells like satellite cells, pre-adipocytes, and fibroblasts from pigs with “high-health” status.
The startup identified a gap in the market due to the short supply of commercially available cell lines for cultivated meat production. Opo Bio aims to fill this gap with their cell line products, starting with bovine and porcine cells.
Besides offering a range of cell lines for purchase and licencing, Opo Bio provides services to support research and production. This includes protocols, access to experts, and resources for cell culture to support companies in scaling and developing efficiently.
Source: vegconomist
🇨🇳 BSF Enterprise partnered with Ivy Farm Technologies to support fundraising, launch, and scale cultivated meat production in China
BSF recently established BSF Enterprise Hong Kong to build a distribution and partner network in the Greater China market. Using its presence and investor network in Asia, BSF will support Ivy Farm's ongoing funding round.
Ivy Farm aims to produce 12,000 tonnes of cultivated meat from a single facility powered by renewable energy. This would lead to a 92% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 90% decrease in land use compared to industrial farming.
The partnership focuses on scaling up to larger production-sized bioreactors and entering the Chinese market through securing investment and collaborations with key manufacturers.
Source: Cell Base
🇸🇬 The Protein Brewery has received approval from the Singapore Food Agency for its mycelium-derived ingredient, Fermotein
This allows the Dutch fermentation specialist to import, manufacture, and sell Fermotien or products containing it while expanding its operations in the country. Fermotein has also achieved GRAS status in the US.
Fermotein is produced through biomass fermentation of edible fungal species, transforming sugars into a complete protein. The product is said to offer a neutral flavour and authentic texture in products ranging from baked goods to alternative meat and dairy
Fermotein can be produced globally on a local scale using non-allergenic crops like corn, potatoes, cassava, and sugar beet as feedstock.
Source: vegconomist
🇦🇺 AUD 3.9M project to upgrade QUT Pilot Plant to boost Australia's novel food ingredient production through precision fermentation
The upgrade, co-invested by QUT and Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA), will transform the facility into a leading large-scale food-grade research translation facility. This project is part of an overall $16 million upgrade.
This development will allow for faster and more cost-effective product development in the F&B sector by providing early-stage scale-up capabilities. It addresses the global lack of scale-up infrastructure for precision fermentation, particularly in the APAC region.
The project supports the goal of doubling the value of Australia’s F&B manufacturing sector by 2030. It receives significant contributions from QUT and partners under the FaBA program, with support from the Australian Government’s Department of Education through the Trailblazer Universities Program.
Source: Queensland University of Technology
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