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 …
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 …
US Legislators Revive FAIR Labels Act With Tighter Restrictions on Alt Protein Labeling
A bipartisan group of US House and Senate members has reintroduced legislation that would impose federal labeling requirements on plant-based and cell-cultivated protein products, building on an earlier version of the same bill that circulated in 2024. The Fair and Accurate Ingredient Representation on Labels Act, known as the FAIR Labels Act of 2026, was introduced in the House on April 30 by Representatives Mark Alford, Mike Flood, and Buddy …
California Startup Fermeate Closes $2M Seed Round for Light-Based Fermentation Control Technology
California-based startup Fermeate has raised $2 million in seed funding to scale its optogenetics platform, which uses light signals to control gene expression inside microbial cells during fermentation. The round was led by Newfund Capital, with participation from SOSV and Ajinomoto Group Ventures. The technology inserts light-sensitive proteins into microbial strains, enabling manufacturers to activate or deactivate specific genes in real time. A targeted promoter directs which enzyme or protein …
Standing Ovation Secures $34.2M to Bring Fermentation-Derived Casein to US Market
Paris-based Standing Ovation has closed a $34.2 million Series B round as it prepares to bring its precision fermentation-produced casein to commercial scale, with North America as its first target market. The round comprises $28.5 million in equity, co-led by Bpifrance’s Ecotechnologies 2 fund under the French government’s France 2030 initiative, and Crédit Mutuel Innovation, with participation from returning and new investors including Danone Ventures. A further $5.7 million in …