Pitch: a startup using molecular farming to produce animal proteins and lipids in crops such as soy, pea and safflower.

Source: Moolec Science

ID card

• HQ: Luxembourg (but with offices in the UK the US, and Argentina)
• Founded: 2020
• Funding: $71M (including post-IPO financing)
• Last Funding: $30M (10/2023)
• Partnerships: Bioceres group
• Innovations: Molecular farming to produce animal proteins (e.g. myoglobin) in crops
• Competitors: no direct equivalent, but adjacent molecular farming players focus on dairy or egg proteins (Alpine Bio, Finally Foods, etc.).
• Regulation:
  • USDA-APHIS approval in the US to plant genetically engineered soy (Piggy Soo), pea (PEEA1) and safflower (GLASO).
  • regulatory approval in Argentina for GLASO.
  • ‘no questions letter’ from the FDA for the gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)-rich oil derived from GLASO.

More insights

• In 2025, Moolec merged with Bioceres Group, precision fermentation player Nutrecon and farm equipment manufacturer Gentle Tech, positioning itself as a broader agrifood platform.
• Moolec’s molecular farming is deployed across three main crops:
  • Soy (Piggy Sooy) and pea (PEEA1): expressing porcine and bovine myoglobin, respectively.
    • It reported up to ~26% of total soluble protein in soy seeds, suggesting high protein yields at the field scale.
    • It recently demonstrated stable expression of bovine myoglobin in pea seeds (PEEA1) across generations.
  • Safflower (GLASO): producing GLA-rich oil for nutrition and specialty ingredients.
• Moolec plans to commercialise proteins directly within the crop matrix (no extraction/purification).

For Symrise

Why did we select the startup?

Moolec is the most visible player in molecular farming, and its approach is relevant for Symrise as it enables the production of animal-like proteins directly in crops, with a focus on enriching the taste and texture of alternatives to meat products.

Why now?

The recent announcement about myoglobin, an ingredient key to making plant-based meat products tastier, makes a discussion between Moolec and Symrise even more relevant. Indeed, this could be a solution to resolve some of the taste challenges that Symrise’s clients face.

Beyond seeing how these hybrid ingredients (Poork+, Beef+) perform in real formulations, notably in terms of flavour delivery, would also be interesting.