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 …
Cellulose Scaffolds Cut Growth Factor Costs Tenfold in Cultivated Whole-Cut Research
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a cellulose-based scaffold that reduces the quantity of growth factors needed to produce cultivated meat tissue by up to tenfold, according to a study published in Current Research in Food Science. Growth factors, the proteins that direct stem cells to proliferate and differentiate into muscle tissue, account for more than 95% of media costs in cultivated meat production and remain one …
Agronomics Backs SuperMeat With $5M as Cultivated Chicken Push Targets Switzerland
London-listed investment company Agronomics has led a US$6 million initial closing of a Series A-4 round in Israeli cultivated meat company SuperMeat, contributing US$5 million of that total through the issue of new Agronomics shares rather than cash. Affiliated entity New Agrarian Company provided the remaining US$1 million in cash, with Milk & Honey Ventures and existing investors also participating. The round is targeting a total of US$10 million. The …
Celleste Bio Uses Single Cocoa Bean to Make Chocolate Bars via Cell Culture Technology
Israeli food technology company Celleste Bio has produced what it describes as the world’s first chocolate bars made with cell-cultured cocoa butter, developed in partnership with Mondelez International. The bars, nearly a dozen in total, were formulated by Mondelez using cocoa butter produced through Celleste’s proprietary cell suspension culture technology. According to the company, the cultured cocoa butter is bio-identical to conventionally sourced material, matching the same texture, melt profile, …
Aleph Farms and Roslin Technologies Demonstrate Cross-Platform Compatibility for Cell Cultivation
Aleph Farms, a cellular agriculture company developing a scalable biomanufacturing platform for the food and broader bio-based industries, announced the successful completion of the first phase of a collaboration with UK-based biotechnology company Roslin Technologies, a leading developer of advanced animal cell lines for cellular agriculture applications. “This milestone demonstrates, for the first time, that cells developed by an external organization can grow successfully using Aleph Farms’ proprietary growth medium, …
Investment Climate Podcast: Ori Cohavi and Yochai Maytal of Remilk Share How They Created Real Dairy Without Cows
In this podcast series, Alex Shandrovsky interviews investors about benchmarks for funding Alt Proteins in 2025 and uncovers the investment playbooks of successful Climate Tech CEOs and Leading VCs. Podcast Host Alex Shandrovksy is a strategic advisor to numerous global food tech accelerators and companies, including alternative proteins and cellular agriculture leaders. His focus is on investor relations and post-raise scale for agrifood tech companies. This podcast is syndicated through …
Remilk and Gad Dairies Launch “The New Milk” Made with Dairy-Identical Proteins
Remilk, an Israeli company producing dairy-identical proteins without cows, has launched “The New Milk” in collaboration with Gad Dairies, a leading Israeli dairy brand. This product, which mirrors the taste, texture, and nutritional benefits of traditional cow’s milk, is produced using a unique fermentation process that does not involve animals. It is now available in select cafés and restaurants across Israel, with plans to expand into retail chains next month. …
Celleste Bio Develops First Chocolate-Grade Cocoa Butter with Plant Cell Technology
Celleste Bio, a cocoa technology company, has announced the successful production of the first chocolate-grade cocoa butter made through plant cell culture technology, supporting its effort to build a more resilient and sustainable cocoa supply chain. Real cocoa butter, without the beans At the EIT Food‘s Next Bite Summit in Brussels, Belgium, Celleste introduced the innovative cocoa butter, which is chemically and functionally identical to cocoa butter derived from traditional …
Asterix Foods Raises $4.2M to Disrupt Protein Production with Affordable Plant Cell Technology
Asterix Foods, a food-tech startup based in Tel Aviv, has raised $4.2 million in a Seed funding round led by CPT Capital, with additional backing from ReGen Ventures, SOSV, Grok Ventures, and the Israeli Innovation Authority. The company, which emerged from stealth mode today, is focused on transforming the production of bioactive proteins, which are integral to the food and biotechnology sectors. Traditional protein production faces high costs The challenge …
Strauss Group Launches CowFree: Dairy Alternatives Crafted from Animal-Free BLG Protein
Strauss Group has introduced a new product line, CowFree, featuring dairy alternatives made with animal-free BLG protein, a protein identical in structure to one found in cow’s milk but produced through precision fermentation technology. This new range includes the Symphony cream cheese and Yotvata CowFree drink, both of which will be available in retail stores across Israel within the next few weeks. First of its kind in Israel Since the …