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Disruptive Biotechnology Startups in the Food Industry
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Biotechnology has recently seen its application in the food industry, which is beneficial in erasing hunger, malnutrition, and diseases from developing countries. Modern biotechnology helps enhance taste, yield, shelf-life, and nutritive values. Advancements in the food industry encouraged startups to solve limitations related to product reduction and reformulation, nutrition and wellness, and sustainable value networks.
Biotechnology helps increase food production, provides enhanced harvesting index, nutritional and storage value, and increases raw materials production, enriched flavors, and food production with edible vaccines.
Demand for biotechnology in the food industry
Advanced biotechnology in the food industry encouraged startups to limit production and processing challenges. The startups are focusing on resolving the incessantly increasing demand for natural resources and protein consumption. Proteins are fundamental to our diets, but the way we currently produce and eat them depletes natural resources, and overconsumption impacts human health.
The alternative protein innovation feeds the growing global population with healthy, sustainable, and affordable protein sources. Emerging startups are gaining momentum by focusing on the application of biotechnology for the development of natural, functional, nutritional food and beverage products.
Notable disruptive startups
Notable five disruptive startups in the food industry are listed below for developing reformulated, nutritional, and sustainable products.
TurtleTree
- Cell-based technology to recreate the human-optimized protein utilizing the blueprint of human breast milk
- Develops nutritionally, healthy, and valuable compound
- Eliminates unsustainable animal agriculture from the supply chain
The company is ready to commercialize human lactoferrin as the first product in Singapore, replacing cow milk with its technology. The company can identify early commercial ingredient targets due to the frequent conversations with superior performance nutrition and infant formula companies. The company says lactoferrin has gained significant traction recently in studies showing its value in boosting resistance to infections from blocking the COVID-19 virus to fight off harmful bacteria in the gut and viral infections.
Hoxton Farms
- Dedicated to growing cell-based, sustainable animal fat
- Combines cell biology and mathematical modeling for better fats
The company takes a harmless biopsy from an animal and establishes a culture or cell line based on stem cells. With different nutrients or culture conditions, stem cells can mature into any cell type, including fat cells.
GeneusBiotech
GeneusBiotech, in collaboration with Berlin Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), has introduced a traceability solution for sturgeon and its caviar, sold in European countries.
- Introduced traceability solution for sturgeon and caviar products
- Fully traceable product supply chain
GeneusBiotech, a “genomics specialist company,” uses DNA-based identifier with conventional next-generation passive transponder technology applied to the packaging of the product sold in Europe in a three-year collaboration with the Berlin Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB).
Magic Valley
Magic Valley launched cell-based lamb with cellular agriculture
- First Australian food tech cultivating lamb meat
- Offers slaughter-free cultured lamb mince, chops, strips, and even lamb steaks, grown directly from cells
- Does not use a fetal bovine serum (FBS)
The company uses commercially available FBS-accessible culture medium and is developing their animal-free serums to develop their bovine cell lines. Magic Valley is developing cell-cultured lamb products, including mince, strips, steaks, and chops using induced pluripotent stem cells and FBS-free media.
National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (Academia)
- Developed a composite non-toxic, edible coating by extracting the polysaccharides from wheat straw and oat bran
- The emulsion was made from the blend and coated on apple, peach, and banana
- Filed an Indian patent for the formulation
- Signed an NDA with RG Industries, Delhi, for its commercialization
The coating helps to extend the shelf life, delay ripening, maintain sensorial properties. The formulation continued the shelf life post-harvest apple for more than 30 days, peach 6-8 days, and banana nine days under ambient storage condition.
References
- Singapore/ US-based TurtleTree ready to commercialize Human Lactoferrin as the first major product
- Is Tissue Engineering The Future of Cruelty-Free Fashion?
- Hoxton Farms grows animal fat for meat substitutes
- Magic Valley Launches As Australia’s First Cultured Lamb Food Tech
- FutureBridge Internal Database
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