🌱 Botanicals

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PhytoFoundry targets high-value cosmetic bioactives through plant cell culture

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• PhytoFoundry, a UK startup, emerged from stealth to produce high-value bioactives through plant cell culture.
• It initially targets bakuchiol, a plant-derived retinol alternative for cosmetics, aiming to minimise unwanted compounds and simplify purification, and secured a letter of intent from an ingredient manufacturer.
• It is seeking pre-seed funding, alongside grants and industry collaborations.

Comment: this is quite representative of the ecosystem, with players initially focused on food ingredients, now increasingly moving towards cosmetics (as it was the case for Melazyme which we covered in the previous watch, founded by the creators of Perfect Day).

AgFunderNews

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Ayana Bio acquired 300,000 L of fermentation capacity to scale plant cell culture bioactives production

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• US plant cell culture startup Ayana Bio and Indian specialty chemicals manufacturer Zenfold Sustainable Technologies acquired 300,000 L of fermentation capacity (12 × 25,000 L) from defunct mycelium meat alternative startup Meati for $75,000.
• The equipment will be relocated to India for Ayana Bio’s pilot and future production, expected from H1 2027, with pilot access also available to other plant cell culture companies.
• Ayana Bio initially targets high-value bioactives including rosmarinic acid (natural preservative alternative), crocins, zeaxanthin and lutein.

AgFunderNews

🦠 Preservatives & shelf-life extension

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N&E Innovations raised $1.73M to commercialise its natural antimicrobial ingredient for food preservation

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• N&E Innovations, a Singaporean startup, raised A$2.4M (~$1.73M) to commercialise its food-grade antimicrobial ingredient made by extracting natural active compounds from upcycled agricultural by-products such as cashew nut husks.
• The ingredient can be applied directly to fresh produce or incorporated into food packaging and is said to extend produce shelf life by up to 4x.

FoodBevMedia