Melt&Marble Partners With Valio to Develop Plant-Based Foods Containing Fermented Fats
Melt&Marble, a Swedish startup producing fat ingredients using precision fermentation, has partnered with major Finnish food company Valio to develop plant-based foods made with fermented fats. The long-term research collaboration will involve studying the properties of new types of fat produced by Melt&Marble, before commercializing plant-based foods containing the fats. These should have improved mouthfeel, structure, and succulence compared to existing plant-based alternatives. The fermented fats will need to gain …
Fermented Fats Designer Melt&Marble Achieves 10,000-Liter Production Milestone
Precision fermentation startup Melt&Marble has achieved a milestone in biomanufacturing with the demo-scale production of over ten thousand liters of fermentation for fats. According to the Swedish startup, the target bioprocess performance was maintained throughout the scale-up, achieving a 10-fold increase in bioreactor volume while sustaining comparable strain and performance metrics. This achievement builds on a previous bioreactor trial and demonstrates the platform’s scalability and robustness, explains Melt&Marble. CEO Anastasia Krivoruchko …
Mycorena Acquired by Biomass Fermentation Firm Naplasol, Member of Animal Protein VEOS Group
After facing significant financial challenges, mycoprotein pioneer Mycorena filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, seeking new ownership to build upon its innovations and market presence. Today, Naplasol, a VEOS group member, announces the acquisition of the Swedish company. Naplasol specializes in biomass fermentation to produce mycoproteins and offers various ingredients for food applications. VEOS Group, founded in 1974 and headquartered in Belgium, is a global leader in the animal protein …
Melt&Marble Lands €2.76M in EU Grants for Market Launch of “Designer” Fats in 2025
Sweden’s Melt&Marble has been selected as one of 68 European deep tech startups chosen from 969 applicants to receive a €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator. The company also announces that it has secured an additional €260,000 grant from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme. Melt&Marble uses precision fermentation and microbial engineering to create sustainable and resource-efficient alternatives to animal fats, cocoa butter, palm oil, and other agriculturally …
Mycorena Files for Bankruptcy, Seeks New Ownership to Continue Pioneering Mycoprotein Ingredients
In a sad turn of events, Sweden’s Mycorena, a producer of mycoprotein, has filed for bankruptcy after facing significant financial challenges. The company says it made considerable efforts to overcome these difficulties, including pausing the construction of a large-scale facility and pivoting to a strategic business model. The mycoprotein pioneer also announced that it aims to restructure under new ownership to preserve and build upon its innovations and market presence. …
Mycorena Pauses Large-Scale Mycoprotein Facility: “Investors are Hesitant to Back Projects with Heavy Capital Requirements”
Pioneering mycelium-based solutions company Mycorena announces it is discontinuing its large-scale factory project in Sweden for Promyc, its flagship mycoprotein ingredient. Planned in 2022 and designed with Tetra Pak, the large-scale production factory aimed to supply the then “booming” plant-based market with volumes of mycoprotein: 5,000 tons by the end of 2023, with a total production volume of up to 100,000 tons in multiple stages. Despite significant growth and raising …
Checkerspot and AAK to Produce Novel, Climate Change-Resistent Oils from Microalgae & Precision Fermentation
California’s Checkerspot and the Swedish company AAK have announced a partnership to develop, scale, and commercially produce novel algae oils for meat alternatives, plant-based food, and personal care products. Checkerspot makes renewable oils using microalgae and precision fermentation for materials and food, and AKK specializes in value-adding vegetable oils for food, confectionery, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. With this initiative, both companies aim to provide a sustainable alternative source of structuring fats …
Melt&Marble Unlocks Commercial-Scale Production for Animal-Free Designer Fat, Sets Sights on US Market by 2025
Melt&Marble, a Swedish precision fermentation company that specializes in designer fats for food and other applications, has revealed new headquarters with expanded R&D and production capabilities. The facility features “state-of-the-art” molecular biology and microbiology labs, pilot-scale bioreactors, and a food application kitchen to test its “meat-like” fat in meat alternatives and other products. Melt&Marble says that it has already successfully scaled its production to one cubic meter. However, with the …
Chilean Biotech Fotortec Partners with Sustainable Firms to Introduce Food Waste Upcycling Technology in Sweden
Chilean biotech Fotortec announces a partnership with Swedish consultancy firms A Better Future AB and Xylo Sweden AB to introduce its innovative food waste upcycling technology and mushroom-based ingredients into the Swedish market. Fotortec aims to redefine waste by repurposing food waste or by-products into new and valuable items. The company has developed a scalable technology for cultivating mushrooms using food waste. These mushrooms can be transformed into beneficial ingredients, including flavor enhancers, protein isolates, …
EXCLUSIVE – Re:meat Emerges From Stealth to Build Scandinavia’s First Cultivated Beef Plant
Sweden’s pioneering cultivated meat startup Re:meat aims to redefine the production of meat by leveraging the sustainability potential of cellular agriculture instead of changing consumers’ meat-eating habits. Re:meat spoke exclusively to vegconomist about its plans and developments, in the only international media piece (outside of Sweden) since the company emerged from stealth mode. Founded in 2022 by Jacob Schaldemose Peterson, Marie Gibbons, and Gittan Schiöld; Re:meat says its team combines …