Formo’s Precision-Fermented Casein Enters Active FDA GRAS Review
Food technology company Formo has announced that its recombinant casein, co-developed with Belgian biotech firm Those Vegan Cowboys, is now under active FDA GRAS review. The company claims it is the first precision-fermented casein to reach this stage in the United States, with a no-questions letter expected later this year. Alongside the announcement, Formo has launched a US subsidiary, Formo Foods Inc., and appointed Rx Food Ingredients, LLC as its …
Sun Bear Biofuture Completes £25,000 Pilot Plant for Yeast-Derived Cocoa Butter Alternative
Oxford-based biotech startup Sun Bear Biofuture has completed its first production run using a custom-built pilot plant designed to manufacture a cocoa butter alternative via yeast fermentation, at a setup cost of £25,000 — a fraction of the £350,000 to £1 million typically required for conventional precision fermentation facilities. A low-cost route to scale The pilot plant, which is automated and end-to-end, has production capacity for dozens of kilograms per …
Utah Startup Melazyme Raises $2M Seed Round to Produce Fermentation-Derived Melanin and Brazzein
Melazyme, a precision fermentation startup based in Utah, has closed a $2 million seed round led by SeaX Ventures, with additional participation from Stellaris Venture Partners and Plug and Play Ventures. The capital will go toward platform development, production scale-up, and early commercial deployment. The company was founded in 2025 by Perumal Gandhi, co-founder of Berkeley, California-based Perfect Day, and Bonney Oommen, formerly of Perfect Day, where he served as …
EU Opens Public Consultation on Biotech Act II, Targeting Industrial Fermentation and Biomanufacturing
The European Commission’s call for evidence on its proposed Biotech Act II has drawn responses from across the alternative protein and industrial biotech sectors, with companies urging clearer regulatory pathways for fermentation-derived ingredients, cultivated biomass, and precision fermentation ahead of the June 10 deadline. The regulation, expected as a legislative proposal in Q4 2026, would extend the EU’s biotech framework beyond health biotechnology to cover industrial biotechnology and biomanufacturing. The …
StrainX Bioworks Raises $13M to Scale Precision Fermentation Food Ingredients in India
Indian synthetic biology company StrainX Bioworks has raised $13 million as it exits stealth and moves into commercialization, with plans to supply high-value food and nutritional ingredients to global markets through precision fermentation. The round was led by Prime Venture Partners and Leo Capital, with participation from Good Startup, Sparrow Capital, Sun Icon Ventures, Dholakia Ventures, and WindT (IIT Delhi) Angels. Good Startup, a fund focused exclusively on biology-first deep-tech …
Swedish Biotech and AI Firm Join Forces to Drive Down Precision Fermentation Costs
Two Swedish companies, biotech firm Curve (formerly Re:meat AB) and software company Digital Tvilling AB, have announced a partnership to develop an integrated biomanufacturing platform that uses AI and digital twin technology to reduce the cost of precision fermentation over time. The collaboration targets one of the core obstacles in alternative protein and ingredient production: unit economics. Precision fermentation holds considerable promise for producing proteins, functional food ingredients, and additives …
Biospringer Adds Bacterial Fermentation Capabilities with PTX Food Corp IP Deal
Biospringer by Lesaffre has acquired selected intellectual property and technology from PTX Food Corp, a US-based food ingredient manufacturer focused on bacteria fermentation. The deal extends Biospringer’s capabilities beyond its established yeast fermentation portfolio into non-yeast fermented solutions. The acquisition includes selected assets related to PTX Food Corp’s Bioenhance product line. Biospringer plans to transfer the acquired technology and equipment into its existing global plant network. “At Biospringer, we are …
ÄIO’s Fermentation-Derived Cosmetic Ingredients Earn COSMOS Certification
Estonian biotech company ÄIO has obtained COSMOS certification from Cosmécert for three of its fermentation-derived cosmetic ingredients: RedOil (INCI: Rhodotorula Oil), ZymaLipid Complex (INCI: Linoleic/Oleic/Palmitic Acid), and Encapsulated Oil (INCI: Rhodotorula Ferment). COSMOS, or COSMetic Organic and Natural Standard, was established in 2010 by several major European certification bodies to harmonise natural and organic cosmetics requirements across the industry. It is recognised by brands, formulators, retailers, and consumers as a …
MicroHarvest Expands European Pet Food Presence With 15 Products Due by Mid-2026
Hamburg-based MicroHarvest has confirmed more than 15 new pet food product launches scheduled for Q2 2026, as its fermentation-derived protein ingredient gains commercial traction across Germany and the UK. The company produces protein through biomass fermentation, feeding microbes on regional agri-food side streams in a 24-hour production cycle. The resulting ingredient is positioned as a low-carbon, hypoallergenic alternative to conventional meat proteins for cats and dogs, and is already on …
Solar Foods Secures €350,000 in EU Hydrogen Valley Project to Expand Solein Output
Finnish food technology company Solar Foods has joined BalticSeaH2, a large-scale EU-funded hydrogen initiative, receiving €350,000 to increase production capacity of Solein at its Factory 01 facility in Finland. BalticSeaH2 is a five-year project launched in June 2023 with a total budget of €33 million, of which €25 million comes from the EU’s Clean Hydrogen Partnership under RePowerEU. The consortium spans 40 partners across nine Baltic Sea countries and is …