Pow.Bio Joins WEF Technology Pioneers Cohort for AI-Enabled Fermentation Work
Alameda, California-based biomanufacturing company Pow.Bio has been named a 2026 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, joining a cohort of 100 companies from 23 countries selected for their work in areas including artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and the bioeconomy. The Technology Pioneers program, launched in 2000, brings together early-stage companies judged to have potential for broad industry impact. This year’s cohort spans sectors from health and energy to space …
Coefficient Giving Opens $10M Funding Call for Alternative Protein Taste Research
San Francisco-based philanthropic funder Coefficient Giving has launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) through its Farm Animal Welfare Fund, offering up to $10 million for research and development projects targeting the sensory shortcomings of alternative proteins. Applications are open until August 10, 2026, with awards to be announced on a rolling basis and no later than November 30. The fund has identified taste as the central barrier to mainstream adoption …
Ayana Bio and Brevel Win BIRD Grant to Test Light-Enhanced Plant Cell Culture
US biotech Ayana Bio and Israeli fermentation company Brevel have received a $1.25 million grant from Israel’s BIRD Foundation to investigate whether Brevel’s light-integrated fermentation technology can improve output in plant cell culture systems. Ayana Bio, a Boston-based spinoff from Ginkgo Bioworks, grows plant cell lines in bioreactors to produce high-value botanical ingredients, with current development focused on sage for rosmarinic acid, saffron for crocins, and marigold for zeaxanthin and …
Solar Foods’ Solein Enters US Consumer Market in Sports Nutrition Partnership
Finnish food technology company Solar Foods has reached its first US consumer product placement, with sports nutrition brand Ambrosia Collective introducing a Solein-based protein powder under its Planta line for test marketing, ahead of a planned nationwide rollout this summer. The ready-to-mix powder, available in a salted caramel coldbrew flavour, delivers 20g of protein per serving with no sugar. It is currently sold through Ambrosia Collective’s website and on Amazon. …
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 …
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 …
Tate & Lyle Expands BioHarvest Deal to Develop Plant Cell-Cultivated Sweetener Range
Ingredient solutions company Tate & Lyle and Canadian biotech firm BioHarvest Sciences have expanded their joint development program to cover a broader range of plant-based sweetener molecules, building on an initial agreement signed in 2024. The enlarged program draws on BioHarvest’s Botanical Synthesis platform, a non-GMO industrial plant cell culture technology that produces plant-derived compounds without cultivating the whole plant, reducing dependence on conventional agricultural extraction for botanicals that are …
FDA Clears Precision Fermentation Lamb Protein for Dog Food in First for Pet Nutrition Sector
Bond Pet Foods and Hill’s Pet Nutrition have secured a Letter of No Objection from the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine for Lamb Protein Yeast, a fermentation-derived animal protein ingredient developed for use in dog food. The clearance is the first FDA GRAS notice completion for a precision fermentation protein ingredient targeting the pet food market. The ingredient was developed through a collaboration between Boulder, Colorado-based …
California Cultured and UC Davis Team Up to Bring Lab-Grown Cocoa Closer to Market
Sacramento-based food-tech company California Cultured is collaborating with researchers at the University of California, Davis, to develop commercially viable cocoa produced via plant cell culture, with commercial powder production targeted for early 2027. The project, funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and BioMADE, focuses on reducing the cost of growing cacao cells in bioreactors. UC Davis scientists will work alongside California Cultured to optimize bioreactor design, improve cleaning …
Ovalbumin Patent Battle Narrows to Delaware as Wisconsin Court Drops Onego Bio Claim
A federal judge in Wisconsin has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Finnish precision fermentation company Onego Bio against The EVERY Company, ruling that the court lacks personal jurisdiction over the California-based defendant, AgFunderNews first reported. Parallel litigation in Delaware remains active. Background to the dispute The case originated in September 2025 and centers on a patent held by The EVERY Company covering ovalbumin production across a range of microbial hosts. …