© Pureture

Company News

Pureture and Kangwon National University Launch Research Center to Innovate Non-GMO Yeast-Derived Proteins

New York startup Pureture, a developer of animal-free ingredients with a focus on alternative casein proteins and high-functionality yeast strains, has partnered with South Korea’s Kangwon National University to establish the “Alternative Protein Research Center.” The center aims to develop innovative solutions at scale for the global alternative protein market, explains the startup in an announcement this Wednesday. This new joint initiative will leverage the University’s expertise in fermentation science …

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Vegan cheese made with animal-free caseins

Image courtesy of Fermify

Company News

Fermify Secures US GRAS Status for Fermented Casein, Animal-Free Dairy Tastings on Horizon

Fermify, an Austrian precision fermentation company developing milk proteins, announces it has obtained self-affirmed Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for its precision-fermented casein after conducting a comprehensive safety study, as per FDA requirements. The GRAS milestone validates the quality and safety of Fermify’s casein and is crucial for introducing animal-free cheese and dairy products to the US market. It also positions Fermify as one of the few suppliers of …

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Those Vegan Cowboys announces a €15 million funding round to develop further and scale its precision fermentation platform for animal-free casein-

© Those Vegan Cowboys

Fermentation

Those Vegan Cowboys to Enter US Market with Microbial Casein That Outperforms Dairy

Belgian biotech company Those Vegan Cowboys announces it has developed a product using a new type of microbial casein. The startup will reveal the kind of cheese and its market entry at tomorrow’s Future Food-Tech summit in London. Casein proteins are essential for making great-tasting cheese that stretches and melts well. According to the startup, the new casein, under certain conditions, outperforms cow’s casein, especially in cheese production. It can …

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DairyX

© DairyX

Fermentation

DairyX Uses Yeast to Develop Smart Casein Proteins for Animal-Free Dairy

Israel’s DairyX Foods has announced a major development in its work to create authentic animal-free milk proteins using precision fermentation. The startup has created a new method that uses yeast to produce “smart casein proteins” that can self-assemble into micelles, the primary building blocks of dairy products. Additionally, it has refined a technology that enhances the gelation of the micelles, allowing for the development of firm, stretchy animal-free dairy products …

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Brie cheese i a wooden board by Standing Ovation

© Standing Ovation

Investments & Finance

Standing Ovation Raises €3.75M for Fermented Casein, Eyes 2025 USA Launch with New CEO

French biotech Standing Ovation, which specializes in precision-fermented casein for animal-free dairy, announces it has raised €3.75 million in Series A+ funding. The funds will accelerate the company’s growth and the distribution and sales of its flagship protein ingredient — Advanced Casein — in the USA in 2025. This new capital adds to the €12 million secured in the original round, led by Astanor Ventures in 2022. Peakbridge, Seventure, Good Startup, …

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A photo of a pizza slice

© Ergo Bioscience

Plant Cell Cultivation

Ergo Bioscience Creates “Animal Proteins, Without Animals” for the Next Generation of Plant-Based

Ergo Bioscience, recognized in 2022 by FoodBytes! from Rabobank as one of the 15 most disruptive food tech startups worldwide, specializes in developing complex animal proteins such as bovine myoglobin and casein through plant cell culture. Founded in May 2020 with pre-seed investment from CITES, the startup boasts a team of 12 scientists dedicated to innovation and biotechnology to create animal-free ingredients. With biotech research in Wilmington, Delaware, laboratories in …

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Raw potato on color background

©Pixel-Shot-stock.abobe.com

Ingredients

10 Molecular Farming Startups Transforming Everyday Plants into Protein Powerhouses

Today, we bring you a roundup of molecular farming startups transforming plants into biofactories to produce alternatives to animal proteins, pigments, next-gen sweeteners, and growth factors. Plant molecular farming, an additional production approach to plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation, promises unlimited and cost-effective ingredients for food and other industries. Since it doesn’t require expensive infrastructure and bioreactors — only the magic of plants and bioengineering —  existing greenhouses and fields can become ingredient factories, ensuring …

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The Israeli-based food-tech startup NewMoo has emerged from stealth mode, unveiling a plant molecular farming platform for producing caseins in agricultural plant seeds. 

Image courtesy of NewMoo

Protein

NewMoo Emerges from Stealth Using Plant Seeds as ‘Bioreactors’ to Grow Casein Proteins for Animal-Free Dairy

NewMoo has emerged from stealth mode, unveiling a plant molecular farming platform for producing caseins in agricultural plant seeds. “Our approach doesn’t require expensive bioreactor machinery to grow our proteins. The plant seeds themselves act as bioreactors,” explains the Israeli startup. Considered the “holy grail” of milk structure by the dairy industry, caseins are responsible for the taste and functional properties consumers love about cheese: melting, stretching, and bubbling. NewMoo …

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A pizza with animal-free mozzarella

© New Culture

Cheese

New Culture Partners with CJ CheilJedang to Streamline Costs of Animal-Free Mozzarella

Californian animal-free cheese producer New Culture announces a partnership with its previous investor, South Korean biotech giant CJ CheilJedang. New Culture develops casein from precision fermentation to make cow-free cheeses that melt, stretch, bubble, brown, and taste like conventional cheese without the lactose, cholesterol, hormones, and antibiotics found in milk.  The partnership will focus on reducing the production cost of New Culture’s casein to obtain a competitive price for its …

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Finally Foods utilize plants as "bioreactors," modifying them with cutting-edge technology to grow sustainable alternatives to animal-based proteins, starting with casein to make cheese.

© Finally Foods

Investments & Finance

Finally Foods Secures Funds for AI-Driven Plant Molecular Tech to Produce Casein for Cheese

Israeli startup Finally Foods Ltd., an AI-driven company focused on revolutionizing the alt-protein sector through plant molecular farming, has secured pre-seed funding from The Kitchen FoodTech Hub (TKH) and the Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA).  Finally Foods utilizes potatoes as “bioreactors,” modifying them with cutting-edge technology to grow sustainable alternatives to animal-based proteins. It will start by producing casein, the key protein to make “cheese that’s gentle on our planet and …

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