This Paris-based company manufactures casein with precise fermentation to produce cheese that is virtually indistinguishable from the real thing, without environmental or animal welfare concerns.
Led by Astanor Ventures, with participation from PeakBridge, Seventure Partners, Big Idea Ventures and Good Startup, the €12 million funding round will fund the next phase of the company’s development and expand it to meet industry demand. Used to scale technology.
Completed within two years of creation, the round will also be used to finalize processed products and begin the regulatory process. Frederic Paques, CEO of Standing Ovation, told FoodNavigator that the company is looking to “capture food companies around the world and rapidly roll out commercialization to leverage existing distribution and sales channels.” said that it is developing a B2B model for “We position ourselves as a product provider, not a technology provider.”he explained. “The first product in our pipeline is casein, with B2B, ingredient branding and models aimed at commercialization in 2024. We plan to expand and move down the value chain.”na
The company wants to explore casein to get a true replica of its cheese products, with a focus on fresh and soft cheeses. It says it has developed a protein production process that enables the development of alternatives to dairy and dairy products.
The company described a “simple but innovative process,” explaining that casein can be produced through microbial fermentation in fermenters without the use of any animal products. “Casein is not only the main protein, accounting for more than 80% of milk, but it is also what coagulates milk into cheese, gives it its melting properties and produces string.” Paques said. “These caseins can be used together with other products of vegetable and mineral origin to obtain a true replica of traditional cheese. We can get as close to conventional products as possible… Initially we focused on fresh and soft cheeses, but we would like to target all types of cheese. We are already working on product replacements.”na
The process is IP protected in both the upstream (casein production) and downstream (cheese alternative production) parts. “Standing Ovation’s technology has great potential. But getting the product to market quickly took a lot of resources and required a lot of money.”Paques said.
Romain Chayot, Scientific Director of Standing Ovation, added: “In just two years, we have developed our own highly technical process. We are now in a strong position to build on this momentum and move into a more logistics-intensive phase, especially scale-up.”na
Fast growing precision fermentation sectorna
The search for more environmentally sustainable production methods is a major draw for the precision fermentation sector. However, little is known about the potential environmental/energy impacts of industrial-scale precision fermentation production.
“Our technology is designed to minimize water use, land use, and carbon footprint, which was initially observed in other proteins produced by precision fermentation. Like anything else, it shows significant improvement.”Paques said. “We are currently adjusting the numbers.”na
Meanwhile, more and more companies are using precision fermentation to produce alternatives to cheese and milk. Paques said he is confident the company will be able to produce casein on a large scale thanks to his unique process.
“Today our casein production is in the industrial pilot stage (kg scale) where the first ‘cheese’ was produced. We plan to upgrade to tonne scale soon in 2023. “he clarified.
“Several companies are focusing on beta-lactoglobulin, which is actually a whey protein. Thanks to our proprietary formula, we are one of the few companies producing casein on this scale.na
“And cheese is made from the coagulation of casein. By definition, whey protein becomes whey, which is the part of the milk that doesn’t coagulate. If you want to make it, we produce casein.”na
Precision fermentation start-ups recognize that achieving scale is a hurdle to commercialization. Additionally, the European Commission has yet to approve the first product made this way.
“Our products fall under European Novel Food regulations. In the US, GRAS status is what we must get from the FDA.”Paquez explained. “The application is expected to be approved next year, in the US in 2024 and in Europe in 2025, which will take time.na
“Casein is the milk protein of cows and other livestock and has been consumed by humans for thousands of years.na
Meanwhile, Astanor Ventures has 40 companies worldwide, including French insect farming unicorn Ynsect, US food waste unicorn Apeel, German vertical farming company Infarm, US advanced biomaterials company Modern Meadow, and Australian plant-based protein company v2food. has invested in more than agrifood tech companies.
Astanor Ventures co-founder Eric Archambeau said: “Standing Ovation’s technology represents a paradigm shift in the animal-free dairy market. It remains notoriously difficult to create. The founders’ experience in biotechnology has allowed them to find the key to developing casein, which puts them a step ahead of many companies.Products of the past year We have been very impressed with the team’s progress in both development and process development and look forward to supporting them in the next steps in their journey.”na