Cultimate Foods GmbH Files for Bankruptcy
The Berlin-based startup Cultimate Foods GmbH, a specialist in cell-cultured fat, has filed for bankruptcy with the Charlottenburg Local Court. By order dated April 30, 2026, a provisional bankruptcy administrator was appointed to assess the company’s financial situation and prospects for continued operations. It remains to be seen whether a restructuring is possible. Founded in 2022, the company specializes in the cultivation of animal fat. The fat is intended to …
Clean Food Group Raises £4.5M to Bring “World’s Largest” Yeast-Oil Facility to Full Capacity
UK biotech manufacturer Clean Food Group (CFG) has raised £4.5 million in a funding round led by Clean Growth Fund and new investor New Agrarian, with the capital earmarked for scaling its fermentation facility in Knowsley, Liverpool. The company has also received a £700,000 non-dilutive grant from Innovate UK. The Knowsley site, which CFG acquired in September 2025, holds one million litres of fermentation capacity and is positioned as what …
ÄIO to Develop Novel Fat Ingredient from Industrial Side-Streams Under €2.3M Project
Estonian biotechnology firm ÄIO has secured €1.2 million in public funding from Enterprise Estonia to scale production of its yeast-based Flavoured Fat ingredient through a new three-year project titled FERM-OIL. The total project budget is €2.3 million. The funding will support the transition of ÄIO’s fermentation-based fat from lab-scale development to industrial manufacturing. The company’s Flavoured Fat, a lipid-rich yeast biomass, is intended as a replacement for animal fats and …
Melt&Marble Secures €7.3M to Scale Designer Fats Made Using Precision Fermentation
Swedish biotech company Melt&Marble has raised €7.3 million in Series A funding to scale the production of its designer fats made using precision fermentation and bring its first ingredients to market. The round was led by Swedish deeptech investor Industrifonden, with participation from the European Commission’s European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Beiersdorf, Valio, Chalmers Ventures, and Catalyze Capital. The EIC Accelerator previously awarded Melt&Marble a €2.5 million grant in 2024, …
Checkerspot and Huvepharma Develop Algal Oil Simulating Human Milk Fat for Infant Formula
Checkerspot, a biotechnology firm focused on renewable oils and fats, has entered into a partnership with Huvepharma, a global leader in fermentation technology, to scale production of a novel nutritional oil derived from microalgae. This high sn-2 palmitate algal oil is designed as a direct alternative to palm oil, particularly for use in infant formula, where it mimics the triglyceride structures found in human milk fat. The collaboration follows successful …
Singapore’s ImpacFat Launches Cultivated Fish Fat R&D Center in Tokyo
ImpacFat, a biotechnology company from Singapore, has announced its expansion into Japan with the opening of a new research and development hub in Tokyo. Backed by strategic investments from major Japanese firms, this reinforces the company’s role in advancing sustainable food technologies. The announcement was made at a press event held in the Takanawa Gateway City, a leading innovation district in Tokyo. ImpacFat’s first international move The new facility in …
Estonia’s ÄIO Produces First Tonne of Its Yeast-Based Alternative to Traditional Oils
Estonian biotech company ÄIO has completed the first full-scale production run of its yeast-based encapsulated oil product, reaching a volume of one tonne. This represents a 300-fold increase from the company’s laboratory capabilities. ÄIO uses biomass and precision fermentation to turn industrial side streams into non-animal fats and non-vegetable oils. The company’s encapsulated oil is said to be high in proteins, fibres, and functional lipids; it provides an environmentally friendly …
Mission Barns Gains USDA Approval for Cultivated Fat, Announces Restaurant & Retail Launches
Mission Barns has received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its cultivated pork fat, allowing the ingredient to enter the US market. The approval includes a grant of USDA inspection for the company’s San Francisco pilot facility and a label sign-off for its cultivated fat ingredient, which previously gained FDA approval earlier this year. Mission Barns is now preparing for limited, high-impact launches, including targeted product releases …
SMEY Launches AI-Driven ‘Neobank of Yeasts’ to Speed Up Creation of Cultivated Oils
SMEY, a biotech company based in France and Germany, has launched NOY (Neobank of Yeasts), a digital databank of yeast fatty acid profiles designed to streamline the development of sustainable cultivated oils. The platform enables manufacturers to quickly identify yeast strains that naturally produce specific oils, drastically reducing the research and development time for creating tailored oils for use in food, cosmetics, and industrial applications. Traditionally, producing a new oil …
Hoxton Farms and Mitsui Chemicals Collaborate to Expand Biomanufacturing Infrastructure Across Asia-Pacific
UK-based cultivated fat producer Hoxton Farms and Japanese chemical manufacturer Mitsui Chemicals have entered a strategic partnership to advance biomanufacturing infrastructure in Japan and across the Asia-Pacific region. The collaboration combines Hoxton Farms’ proprietary cell culture technology with Mitsui Chemicals’ materials science and production expertise. The agreement includes joint efforts to scale and commercialise modular bioreactor systems developed by Hoxton Farms, which are engineered for large-scale, cost-efficient cell cultivation. Mitsui …