Tetra Pak has partnered with Danish biotechnology company Swan Neck Bio to simplify and expand scaling opportunities for companies developing biomass or precision fermentation-derived food products. The collaboration will provide producers with the option of seed as an ingredient, creating a turnkey solution for commercial fermentation processes.
Through the partnership, companies will gain access to Swan Neck Bio’s DIRINOC™ technology, which is described as a storable, concentrated, viable, and quality-certified starter culture for direct inoculation. Using the technology, producers can support the growth of their organisms without the need to propagate their own cultures.
DIRINOC™ reportedly helps to reduce contamination risk while providing predictability in output. It is claimed to reduce waste, lower the total cost of ownership for equipment solutions, and increase profitability.
“This collaboration reinforces our commitment to supporting the growth of sustainable food innovation,” said Troels Prahl, co-founder and CEO at Swan Neck Bio. “By combining Swan Neck Bio’s pioneering inoculum capabilities with Tetra Pak’s industrial engineering and food manufacturing expertise, we are helping customers de-risk development, reduce time to market, and manufacture at scale with confidence.”
Unlocking new efficiencies in fermentation
DIRINOC™ has been incorporated into Tetra Pak’s process development ecosystem, meaning that producers can outsource the seed train if they want to avoid a multi-stage bioreactor process. This enables them to begin trials without the need to propagate cultures on site.
The technology will be available alongside other seed train and equipment solutions at the Tetra Pak® New Food Technology Development Centre, which recently opened in Karlshamn, Sweden. It removes the need to invest time and resources in designing a base ingredient, and eliminates the risk of failure at this stage of the process.
Using DIRINOC™ at pilot scale also enables producers to determine an optimum equipment setup before committing to a full production line. Tetra Pak says it aims to help customers avoid the risks associated with the pharmaceutical methods used by some fermentation companies.
“Speed, risk management, and flexibility are critical for New Food producers,” said Rafael Barros, Director of New Food at Tetra Pak. “Our collaboration with Swan Neck Bio unlocks new efficiencies in fermentation by removing one of the key barriers to scale: seed preparation. This gives producers more time to focus on process optimisation, product quality and, ultimately, getting to market faster.”
