SpaceX rocket

© SpaceX

Fermentation

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 …

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Sergio Fabregat, director de F4F - Expo Foodtech © F4F - Expo Foodtech

Interviews

Food 4 Future: “We Believe That Progress Happens When All Stakeholders Sit at the Same Table”

Sergio Fabregat, with a background in Business Administration from the University of Barcelona and an Executive Master in Marketing and Sales from ESADE, is the driving force behind two of Spain’s food innovation events: F4F – Expo Foodtech in Bilbao and the newly launched Expo Agritech in Málaga. As the Event Director, Fabregat plays a pivotal role in shaping platforms that connect key stakeholders across the food tech value chain. …

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Paulo Teixeira Melt&Marble

Paulo Teixeira © Melt&Marble

Company News

Melt&Marble Strengthens Leadership to Scale Precision-Fermented Fat Production

Melt&Marble, a company specializing in precision-fermented fats, has announced two significant additions to its leadership team as it prepares for large-scale commercial production. Tue Hodal, a veteran of industrial biotech and pharma, has joined the company as its first Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Paulo Teixeira, previously the Chief Innovation Officer at Mycorena, has been appointed as the company’s new Product Manager. Focus on bioprocess optimization Hodal brings over 25 years …

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Cultivated grouper fillet

Cultivated grouper fillet © UMAMI Bioworks

Company News

UMAMI Bioworks to Bring Cultivated White Fish to the UK Amid New Regulatory Landscape

UMAMI Bioworks, a startup from Singapore developing cultivated seafood technologies, announces the launch of operations in the UK, marking its first European expansion. UMAMI Bioworks has developed a platform for cultivated seafood to address the overfishing crisis with sustainable alternatives, positioning itself as a leader in the blue bioeconomy. By introducing its technology in the UK, the company aims to deliver a high-quality pipeline of cultivated seafood products, starting with …

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Afonso-Gusmao and Diana Marques showing cultivated sea bass prototypes.

© Técnico Lisboa

Seafood

Researchers at Técnico Lisboa Unveil Cultivated Sea Bass Filets 3D Printed with Microalgae Inks

Researchers at Técnico Lisboa, the School of Engineering, Technology, and Science at the University of Lisbon, have successfully produced cultivated sea bass filets using 3D bioprinting. The researchers claim their development as a world first. The first attempts produced thin sashimi slices, though current progress has led to fillets up to six centimeters thick, featuring the characteristic texture of sea bass as well as its aroma due to the microalgae-based bioinks …

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Raw potato on color background

©Pixel-Shot-stock.abobe.com

Ingredients

10 Molecular Farming Startups Transforming Everyday Plants into Protein Powerhouses

Today, we bring you a roundup of molecular farming startups transforming plants into biofactories to produce alternatives to animal proteins, pigments, next-gen sweeteners, and growth factors. Plant molecular farming, an additional production approach to plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation, promises unlimited and cost-effective ingredients for food and other industries. Since it doesn’t require expensive infrastructure and bioreactors — only the magic of plants and bioengineering —  existing greenhouses and fields can become ingredient factories, ensuring …

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Investments & Finance

Singapore Grants University of Illinois ARCS $14.8M to Launch Precision Fermentation Center

The team led by Professor Yong-Su Jin at the Illinois Advanced Research Center at Singapore (ARCS), an affiliated center of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has received a five-year, $14.8 million grant from Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF) to establish the Centre for Precision Fermentation and Sustainability (PreFerS). According to the announcement, the research at the new center will focus on microbial cell engineering or precision fermentation to convert readily …

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Prolific Machines' co-founders.

(L) Max Huisman (CTO), Deniz Kent (CEO), and Declan Jones (CDO) - Image courtesy of Prolific Machines

Manufacturing & Technology

Prolific Machines Raises $55M to Offer “Never Before Possible Biosolutions” Including Cultivated Meat Whole Cuts

Emeryville-based Prolific Machines, a US company pioneering the use of light as a tool to grow and control cells in biomanufacturing, has announced it has closed a $55 million Series B1 funding round. The new capital will help Prolific Machines scale and commercialize its photo molecular biology platform, which it claims can significantly improve the production and lower the costs of bioproducts, including cultivated meat, nutritional and therapeutic proteins, pharmaceuticals, …

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fermentation

© nordroden - stock.adobe.com

Market & Trends

Report Identifies 5 Disruptive Technologies to Shake Up Fermentation Industry

Following a comprehensive review of the fermentation sector, Lever VC, a leading venture capital firm specializing in alternative protein investments, announces the release of its latest report highlighting the top technologies that could advance the production of fermented food and ingredients. Lever VC argues that despite notable advancements in CRISPR gene editing, AI and machine learning for bioinformatics systems, and high-throughput screening technologies, challenges remain in scaling up biological processes and …

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The Cultivated B. facility in Germany

© The Cultivated B.

Company News

The Cultivated B. Achieves ISO Certification for Quality Management and Efficiency

German bioengineering company The Cultivated B. (TCB) announces the achievement of a significant milestone: obtaining the ISO 9001:2015 certification.  This globally recognized standard for quality management aims to demonstrate a company’s commitment to efficiently and effectively meeting the needs of its customers and stakeholders.  Valid for three years, this ISO certification underscores TCB’s commitment to quality management, operational efficiency, innovation, and customer satisfaction. According to the company, the certification process involved a …

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