Better Bioeconomy

🧬 Ohalo launched the ‘world’s first’ self-fertile Nonpareil almond, eliminating the need for pollenizer trees and simplifying almond farming The FruitionOne variant addresses challenges in almond farming, including the costs and complexities associated with pollenizer trees and the dependency on commercial bees for pollination. The breakthrough could cut pollination costs by over 50% and ensure higher yield consistency. With FruitionOne’s self-fertile feature, farmers can expect improved profitability with up to a 30% increase in per-acre profit. This increase comes from more efficient land use (fewer pollenizer trees), lower labour costs due to streamlined harvests, and decreased reliance on costly bee hives. FruitionOne’s adoption supports more sustainable almond production. By increasing yield per acre, it can reduce water, land, and energy requirements per almond, lowering carbon emissions and dust production associated with traditional almond farming methods. Source: https://lnkd.in/g5UhezhC

Catch up on the latest updates on biotech-enabled agrifood businesses and breakthroughs in issue #80 of the Better Bioeconomy newsletter: BIO BUZZ: 🇸🇬 VITAL MEAT held a public tasting event in Singapore, where it expects regulatory approval “very soon” | Etienne Duthoit, Claude Rescan 🐾 Friends & Family Pet Food Company partners with Novel Farms, Inc. to develop cultivated meat for pets | Joshua Errett, Michelle Lu, PhD 🍣 AQUA Cultured Foods' fermentation-based raw seafood alternatives are now available in foodservice | Brittany Chibe 🇪🇺 The EU Commission rejects the evidence provided by Hungary to justify banning cultivated meat, calling it unnecessary and premature 🥛 All G plans to launch high-value precision-fermented dairy proteins starting with bovine lactoferrin, followed by human lactoferrin | Jan Pacas, Jared Raynes 🤝 Vestaron Crop Protection announced a long-term strategic agreement with ADM to produce its peptide-based crop protection solutions | Juan Estupinan, Leticia Gonçalves 🌱 90% of farmers plan to maintain or increase spending on bio-based crop protection says McKinsey & Company | David Fiocco, Vasanth Ganesan 🤝 AgroSpheres and BASF formed a strategic partnership to develop a novel bioinsecticide to improve sustainable crop protection | Payam Pourtaheri, Ameer Shakeel 🦠 BioArmix’s novel crop protection solution targets bacterial pathogens using predatory, non-GMO bacteria | Tzvi Zvirin BIO BUCKS: 🍯 MeliBio secured pre-Series A funding to accelerate its vegan honey while advancing its precision-fermented honey line | Darko Mandich, Aaron M. Schaller, PhD 🇫🇮 Business Finland allocated €10M to two Finnish R&D projects, FoodID and FinBioFAB, to develop alt proteins and materials | Timo Metsä-Tokila 🤖 New Wave Biotech won the €20,000 EIT Food Accelerator Network Tech Validation Award | Zoe Yu Tung Law GEEK ZONE:  🥩 Quercetin-enriched animal-free scaffolds promote cell proliferation and differentiation in cultivated beef production 🧬 Engineered dsRNA–protein nanoparticles show effective systemic gene silencing in plants 🔬 Biofabricating cultivated fat using dynamically cultured, differentiated bovine adipose-derived stem cell spheroids | Jannis Wollschlaeger, Petra Kluger 🍊 Application of Streptomyces bacteria reduced mold infection in postharvest navel oranges by more than 50% 🐤 Pre-plated chicken embryo fibroblasts for cultivated meat production can be cultured up to 15 passages POST & POD: 💚 Humanity’s survival depends on a sustainable planet with access to safe food, clean water, and healthy ecosystems—not AI | Magi Richani 🎧 Parendi Birdie on her journey building alt protein startups and using plants to enhance meat at Asentia | Alex Shirazi Check out this week’s issue to learn more:  https://shorturl.at/AhQpf

☢️ Cultivated seafood pioneer Umami Bioworks introduced a pathogen detection tool targeting safety and quality in the seafood industry The Arbiter tool’s nucleic-acid-based technology allows it to identify pathogens across 800 targets in a single run, producing reliable and precise results in less than 6 hours. The streamlined process needs only 15 minutes of preparation time to analyze up to 50 samples. By keeping the cost below $1 per test target, Arbiter offers a cost-effective solution, making pathogen diagnostics more accessible for smaller-scale and larger seafood businesses. This affordability, combined with reduced labour requirements, has the potential to “democratise” pathogen detection. Beyond food safety, Arbiter can help protect ecosystems by identifying harmful pathogens in aquaculture. This could save fish populations like salmon, shrimp, and tilapia from disease outbreaks and reduce economic losses due to infections. Mihir Pershad ✉️ Hungry for more updates on biotech-enabled agrifood businesses and breakthroughs? Devour the free subscription: betterbioeconomy.com

🐤 Pre-plated chicken embryo fibroblasts for cultivated meat production can be cultured up to 15 passages The study found that Chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) isolated via pre-plating can be cultured up to 15 passages. However, proliferation declines after passage 11, limiting their effective use for consistent cultivated meat production. Early-passage CEFs effectively trans-differentiate into adipocytes with large lipid droplets using oleic acid and rosiglitazone. However, differentiation efficiency significantly drops by passage 9. Oleic acid triggers lipid accumulation, while rosiglitazone promotes full adipogenic differentiation. This combination induces the desired adipocyte morphology primarily in low-passage CEFs. The senescence of primary fibroblasts affects adipogenesis, suggesting that alternative methods, like growth factor supplementation, could enhance yield and reduce production costs. ✉️ Hungry for more updates on biotech-enabled agrifood businesses and breakthroughs? Devour the free subscription: betterbioeconomy.com

🍊 Application of Streptomyces bacteria reduced mold infection in postharvest navel oranges by more than 50% The study explored the biocontrol potential of Streptomyces sp. N2 as an alternative to chemical fungicides in managing citrus postharvest decay, addressing resistance issues in Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum. Streptomyces sp.N2 bacteria boost the orange's defences, reducing ROS levels and increasing the production of protective enzymes and pathogenesis-related proteins. The bacterium produces bioactive substances that inhibit mold growth, damage fungal structures, and impair their metabolic functions. In vivo tests on navel oranges showed a 53.8% decrease in disease incidence. ✉️ Hungry for more updates on biotech-enabled agrifood businesses and breakthroughs? Devour the free subscription: betterbioeconomy.com

🧬 Engineered dsRNA–protein nanoparticles show effective systemic gene silencing in plants Researchers created cationized bovine serum albumin (cBSA) bound with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to form nanocomplexes for efficient, systemic gene silencing in plants. These nanocomplexes effectively silenced both inducible and constitutive genes in Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) and Populus (poplar), achieving gene silencing in tissues distant from the application site. Unlike previous RNA delivery methods requiring external force, cBSA/dsRNA can be applied simply through plant petioles or shoots, allowing non-invasive, wide-spread delivery without tissue culture. ✉️ Hungry for more updates on biotech-enabled agrifood businesses and breakthroughs? Devour the free subscription: betterbioeconomy.com

🦠 BioArmix’s novel crop protection solution targets bacterial pathogens using predatory, non-GMO bacteria The Israeli startup’s predatory bacteria target gram-negative pathogens that affect crops like potatoes, sugar beet, apples, and cassava. By preying on harmful bacteria while sparing beneficial ones, the bacteria offer an alternative to antibiotics. The bacteria are encapsulated in a carrageenan-trehalose mix, giving them a long shelf-life (up to two years) as a dry powder that’s activated when hydrated. This allows multiple delivery methods, from seed coatings to irrigation. According to CEO Dr. Tzvi Zvirin, the predatory bacteria self-limit by consuming each other when no pathogens remain, balancing naturally with soil microorganisms and ensuring no lasting impact on the soil microbiome. ✉️ Hungry for more updates on biotech-enabled agrifood businesses and breakthroughs? Devour the free subscription: betterbioeconomy.com

🇫🇮 Business Finland allocated €10M to two Finnish R&D projects, FoodID and FinBioFAB, to develop alt proteins and materials The projects joined the NSF-led Global Centers program, a six-country initiative focusing on biofoundries and biodiversity to tackle global challenges in the bioeconomy. Coordinated by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the FoodID project aims to innovate in alternative proteins and lipids using digital tools, fermentation, and plant-based processes for sustainable and healthy food ingredients. Finnish organizations like Enifer, Onego Bio, Fazer, MeEat, and Valio are collaborating to enhance food systems by developing sustainable protein sources and alternative ingredients and using circular economy practices. Timo Metsä-Tokila ✉️ Hungry for more updates on biotech-enabled agrifood businesses and breakthroughs? Devour the free subscription: betterbioeconomy.com

🍣 AQUA Cultured Foods' fermentation-based raw seafood alternatives are now available in foodservice Mama Delia, a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant in Chicago, introduced AQUA’s cultured tuna in a new "Atún Crudo" dish by Chef Marcos Campos Sanchez. The dish features tuna, potato strings, and fried eggs, and a vegan option is available. The tuna and scallop alternatives are made from water, cellulose fibre, and plant-based ingredients through fermentation, using beet-derived colour for tuna. They are vegan, allergen-free, pregnancy-safe, and free from microplastics, mercury, cholesterol, and saturated fats. Chef Campos praised AQUA’s Tuna for its authentic taste and appearance, noting that it resembles traditional tuna so closely that diners may not notice a difference. Brittany Chibe ✉️ Hungry for more updates on biotech-enabled agrifood businesses and breakthroughs? Devour the free subscription: betterbioeconomy.com

🇪🇺 The EU Commission rejects the evidence provided by Hungary to justify banning cultivated meat, calling it unnecessary and premature Hungary’s proposed ban aimed to “protect” traditional European food practices, with support from countries like Italy, Austria, and France, which previously pushed similar measures within the EU Agrifish Council. The EU stated that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is responsible for thoroughly vetting all novel foods before they can be sold across the EU, ensuring consumer safety. The Commission noted that cultivated meat is not yet available in Europe, deeming national bans unnecessary and potentially disruptive to the EU's standardized authorization process. ✉️ Hungry for more updates on biotech-enabled agrifood businesses and breakthroughs? Devour the free subscription: betterbioeconomy.com