Barry Callebaut Explores Cocoa Cell Culture Technology in Partnership With Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Leading chocolate producer Barry Callebaut has partnered with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) to explore the potential of cocoa cell culture technology. Cocoa cell culture involves the cultivation of cocoa cells in a controlled environment, and has significant potential to improve the sustainability of the industry. It could also help to increase the resilience of cocoa supply chains, which have been affected by climate change and extreme weather. …
Danish Scientists Achieve Phosphorylation of Animal-Free Casein, Paving the Way for Better Dairy Alternatives
While several companies and research teams have now developed animal-free caseins using precision fermentation, an important part of the process has previously been missing. To be used in products such as cheese alternatives, caseins need to undergo a process called phosphorylation, where phosphate groups are added to them. This allows the caseins to bind to calcium compounds, forming particles called micelles. Previous attempts to achieve the phosphorylation of animal-free caseins …
Cell AgriTech to Open Cellular Agriculture Pilot Plant in Singapore With Contract Manufacturing Model
Biotech startup Cell AgriTech has announced that it is opening a pilot plant in Singapore, which it describes as a “launchpad for cellular agriculture production”. The facility will be operational by next month, offering an affordable contract manufacturing model where startups and cultivated meat companies can scale or validate their concepts without any upfront CAPEX or OPEX costs. On LinkedIn, Cell AgriTech lists a variety of advantages to the service, …
Gourmey Partners With DeepLife to Optimize Cultivated Meat Production Using “Avian Digital Twin” Model
French cultivated meat producer Gourmey has partnered with DeepLife, a specialist in AI-driven cellular digital twin technology, to optimize cultivated meat production at scale. As documented in a new paper, the companies have developed what is claimed to be the world’s first “avian digital twin”, a virtual replica of poultry cells engineered to optimize growth conditions, nutrient density, and flavor expression in cultivated meat. The collaboration combines DeepLife’s biology simulation …
Tetra Pak® Opens New Food Technology Development Centre for Producers of Fermentation-Derived Foods
Food packaging and processing company Tetra Pak® has announced the opening of its New Food Technology Development Centre in Karlshamn, Sweden. The centre will help producers of biomass and precision fermentation-derived food products accelerate their time to market and reduce investment risk through pilot plant trials. Companies will receive tailored support from experts, allowing them to develop their technical processes and take their products from prototype to commercial-scale production. The …
Korean Scientists Develop Marbled Cultivated Meat Using Self-Healing Scaffolding Technology
Researchers in Korea have developed a scaffolding technology for achieving precise marbling patterns in cultivated meat at scale. In a new paper, they describe the use of self-healing hydrogels containing boronic acid-conjugated chitosan. This achieves robust reversible bonding at a neutral pH, unlike conventional hydrogels which require nonphysiological conditions for strong, reversible bonding. Each hydrogel variant optimizes mechanotransduction (the conversion of a mechanical stimulus into chemical activity) for the differing …
Self-Renewing Pig Fat Cell Line from Roslin Institute Could Resolve Key Bottleneck in Cultivated Meat Sector
Researchers at the Roslin Institute, part of the University of Edinburgh, have developed a line of self-renewing pig fat cells that could support large-scale cultivated meat production by enabling consistent, efficient generation of fat tissue without genetic modification. The cells, designated as FaTTy, are derived from early-stage pig stem cells and exhibit the rare ability to both proliferate indefinitely and reliably differentiate into fat cells. This capacity addresses a long-standing …
Cultivate at Scale Joins Forces with Biopharma Experts to Scale Cellular Agriculture in the Food Sector
Cultivate at Scale, a facility designed to support the scaling of cellular agriculture, has entered into a collaboration with Sartorius, a global provider of life sciences and biopharmaceutical technologies, to enhance the development and scalability of cultivated meat, fish, dairy, and other alternative proteins. Sartorius, known for its expertise in bioprocessing, will provide Cultivate at Scale with access to its technologies, training, and scientific resources. The collaboration is intended to …
EFISHient Protein Develops Plant-Based Grouper Fillet Prototype Ahead of Cultivated Product
EFISHient Protein has introduced its first prototype of a plant-based grouper fillet, replicating the texture and structure of the widely consumed white fish. The product is formulated from plant-derived ingredients, designed for commercial preparation and distribution, offering an alternative to traditional seafood without impacting marine ecosystems. Bridging the gap The company’s development of the plant-based fillet serves as an interim step in its research and development pipeline while progressing toward …
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 …