21st.BIO Engineers Safer Fungal Strain for Protein Production, Calls for EU Regulatory Reform
Biotech firm 21st.BIO has developed a new strain of Aspergillus oryzae, a filamentous fungus commonly used in fermentation, that has been engineered to remove all known pathways for producing mycotoxins — potentially harmful compounds sometimes found in fungi. The new strain, described in a peer-reviewed study published in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, was designed to avoid producing substances such as aflatoxins and other unwanted byproducts. It also eliminates the genes …
New Whitepaper Explores How Lean Startup Principles Could Accelerate Food Tech Innovation
New Wave Biotech and Nurasa have partnered to publish a new whitepaper exploring how lean startup principles — originally designed for fast-moving software companies — could be used by food tech innovators. Titled The Lean Startup Meets Food Tech: Does It Work?, the report reinterprets the five Lean Startup principles originally written by entrepreneur and author Eric Ries, outlining how they could apply to food tech and biomanufacturing. The resulting …
Meatable Collaborates with Major NGOs to Address Global Food Challenges
Meatable, a company specializing in cultivated meat technology, announced its collaboration with three global organizations dedicated to advancing sustainable food systems: Food Tank, The United Nations Global Compact, and The Hunger Project. This partnership is part of Meatable’s ongoing efforts to address the environmental and societal challenges of global food production. The world’s population is projected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, which will significantly increase the demand for …
Moolec Science Merges with Bioceres Group to Scale Molecular Farming Platform
Moolec Science, a producer of animal proteins through molecular farming, has entered into an all-stock business combination with Bioceres Group Limited and related entities. The deal, finalized on April 17, 2025, will position Moolec as the parent company of Bioceres Group, Nutrecon LLC, and Gentle Technologies Corp., creating a larger entity focused on innovation in food production and sustainability. Moolec uses molecular farming to produce animal proteins and nutritional oils …
Space Mission Explores Microbe-Based Precision Fermentation to Solve Astronaut Food Challenges
A team of researchers from Imperial College London, Cranfield University, and space technology companies Frontier Space and ATMOS Space Cargo have launched a miniature laboratory into Earth’s orbit. This lab contains genetically engineered microbes designed to produce proteins and other materials such as pharmaceuticals, fuel, and bioplastics in space. The mission, which began on April 21, 2025, aboard Europe’s first commercial returnable spacecraft, Phoenix, via SpaceX, aims to explore the …
Investment Climate Podcast: Massimo Portincaso of Arsenale BioYards, How to Get Funded in 2025
In this podcast series, Alex Shandrovsky interviews investors about benchmarks for funding Alt Proteins in 2025 and uncovers the investment playbooks of successful Climate Tech CEOs and Leading VCs. Podcast Host Alex Shandrovksy is a strategic advisor to numerous global food tech accelerators and companies, including alternative proteins and cellular agriculture leaders. His focus is on investor relations and post-raise scale for agrifood tech companies. This podcast is syndicated through …
Researchers Develop Hollow Fiber Bioreactor to Improve Cultivated Meat Texture and Scale
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a bioreactor that mimics a circulatory system, improving the production of cultivated meat by ensuring even nutrient and oxygen delivery to tissues. This new approach, published in Trends in Biotechnology, allows the creation of over 10 grams of chicken muscle tissue, addressing key challenges in scaling up cultivated meat production. Hollow fibers for nutrient delivery “We’re using semipermeable hollow fibers, which mimic …
How Can Cellular Agriculture Startups Stand Out When Seeking Early-Stage Capital?
A new peer-reviewed study has examined what venture capitalists prioritize when investing in cellular agriculture startups. The study was conducted by Fabian Baumann, Senior Strategy Associate at precision fermentation startup Formo, and Prof. Dr. Marc Mehlhorn of TH Köln. It is published in the journal Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review. The aim of the research was to discover what makes cellular agriculture startups stand out during the initial venture capital …
Cellva Shifts Focus to Microencapsulation Technology with Launch of Cocoa Substitute
Cellva has recently undergone a strategic pivot, refocusing its efforts on microencapsulation technology, which it sees as central to its future growth. This shift is accompanied by the consolidation of its research and development and administrative operations, all aimed at streamlining its processes and reinforcing its commitment to sustainable food solutions. The future of cocoa The company’s new direction is highlighted by the launch of CoffeeCoa™, a cocoa substitute developed …
Japan’s Integriculture Develops Products Made From Cultivated Duck Liver
Japanese cultivated meat company Integriculture has announced the successful development of prototype products made from cultivated duck liver. The products were recently showcased at a sensory evaluation held at the company’s research base, with the aim of evaluating their market potential. Seven prototypes were presented; of these, four were aimed at restaurants and the other three were processed foods. The restaurant prototypes included a citrus dessert with cultivated duck and …