Startup company Finally Foods Secures $1.2 Million Investment, Agrees Terms with CBC Group for Molecular Farming Project
Molecular farming startup Finally Foods is making strides in the production of animal-free casein proteins, using genetically engineered potatoes as bioreactors. The company's downstream processing and purification process for extracting and purifying protein from potatoes is simpler compared to soybeans, offering a more streamlined approach.
Finally Foods' innovative method allows for the production of more than one protein in the same plant, a significant advantage over traditional methods. The company has already successfully produced pairs of casein subunits and is currently testing their functionality.
In a recent development, Finally Foods has struck a commercial agreement with the Israeli beverage and dairy producer CBC Group. This partnership will undoubtedly accelerate the company's progress in the field of animal-free proteins.
To optimize agronomic conditions and cultivate all the protein formulations they have developed, Finally Foods plans to conduct trials on a global scale. The first field trial demonstrated that Finally Foods' potatoes grow just like any other potato in open fields, generating the large quantities of potatoes needed to move the extraction process from the lab to an industrial scale.
Regulatory pathways for molecular farming can be more burdensome, with approvals needed both to grow the GM plants and to market the ingredients they produce. However, Finally Foods argues that the unit economics of growing proteins in genetically engineered plants are more favorable compared to precision fermentation.
The company is also mindful of the potential allergens associated with animal-derived proteins. US regulators have warned startups expressing animal proteins such as egg and dairy proteins in genetically engineered crops will require strict allergen management. Finally Foods is committed to ensuring the safety of their products, and their protein are produced in a way that results in a clean, pure product, free of any DNA from the genetically engineered host.
Finally Foods aims to commercialize the by-products of its extraction process, further maximizing the efficiency of their operations. The company is also developing varieties specifically with downstream processing in mind, with the help of computational biology company Evogene.
Dairy and CPG companies are increasingly interested in buying proteins produced in plants or bioreactors due to climate and sustainability reasons, concerns about meeting demand, and disease outbreaks affecting livestock. With the investment of $1.2 million, Finally Foods will complete field trials and scale operations towards commercial production, potentially revolutionizing the dairy industry.
Molecular farming companies like Finally Foods use plants as bioreactors to produce specific high-value ingredients, such as dairy proteins. The company Motif FoodWorks is known for its molecular farming endeavors, including producing proteins in plants such as potatoes alongside other activities in cellular agriculture. As the demand for sustainable, animal-free proteins continues to grow, molecular farming startups like Finally Foods are poised to make a significant impact.
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