The beginning-up has developed a patented course of for producing non-animal caseins, and Babybel maker the Bel Group has an lively partnership with the Paris agency to provide superior cheese options.
Casein, a protein that’s a key part of milk, provides cheese its distinct stretch and soften properties and contributes to the dairy staple’s protein content material. However when produced by way of precision fermentation – a course of by which organisms similar to yeasts are genetically-programmed to create particular substances – casein is hoped to play a key function within the improvement of dairy options, serving to producers to realize near-equivalent purposeful and dietary properties in cheese analogs.
In 2022, Standing Ovation and Bel Group introduced a partnership that may support the Babybel maker’s quest of bettering its portfolio of plant-based and non-animal cheese and dairy options, with a specific concentrate on boosting protein content material. In flip, Standing Ovation obtained monetary backing from Bel, who additionally acquired an fairness stake within the start-up. The primary merchandise ensuing from the tie-up are hoped to reach in 2024, first within the US the place laws permit for the advertising of precision fermentation-derived dairy, and ultimately, in Europe relying on favorable regulatory developments.
Along with the circa €12m funding secured in 2022, Standing Ovation is about so as to add a complete of €3m further funding to industrialize the manufacturing of non-dairy casein. The corporate has been chosen to obtain €2m (of which €1.2m within the type of a grant) from a French authorities program designed to help agri-food resilience and reward technological innovation, itself a part of the state’s €54bn France 2030 funding plan aiming to decarbonize and future-proof key sectors of the financial system. The funding will help the start-up’s challenge over 20 months.
Standing Ovation has additionally been permitted to obtain a €1m mortgage from public funding financial institution BPI France, a sort of ‘inexperienced’ finance for the event of an ecological and power transition challenge. Among the many phrases listed by the financial institution to approve an applicant is the flexibility to ‘innovate to deliver to market services or products when it comes to environmental safety, round financial system and/or permitting a discount in useful resource consumption’.
Standing Ovations says its goal is to develop a purification line of proteins (caseins) obtained by precision fermentation, enabling the primary industrial manufacturing of substances for dairy merchandise. “This can be a key stage within the industrialization of the method wanted to market these extremely nutritious and purposeful substances,” the corporate mentioned.
The purification line will each enhance productiveness and streamline the manufacturing course of, permitting the start-up to maximise upstream manufacturing assets and scale back prices and downtime.
Romain Chayot, CEO and co-founder of Standing Ovation, commented: “Standing Ovation’s revolutionary strategy allows us to contribute to the meals transition whereas considerably decreasing the environmental influence of the dairy substances business. BPI France’s robust help helps us to drive the economic deployment of the distinctive course of developed by Standing Ovation, an essential step earlier than the upcoming commercialization of our substances. This financing additionally marks the dedication of public authorities to making ready the meals of the long run and making certain meals sovereignty.”
Precision fermentation – the way forward for dairy?
Analysts have repeatedly tipped precision fermentation to supply a real various to conventional dairy farming by eradicating the local weather influence of agriculture whereas delivering equivalency in vitamins and performance.
However the market stays comparatively small in the beginning of 2024, with simply a number of areas together with the US and Singapore capable of supply precision fermentation-derived dairy to finish shoppers.
However a distinct segment continues to exist for meals innovators seeking to fill the dietary hole that plant-based cheese options have to this point failed to handle. In response to Rabobank dairy analyst Richard Scheper, extra funding is being funnelled in the direction of precision fermentation protein manufacturing in latest occasions. Largely this is because of proteins, he instructed us, however one other main issue was carbon emission reductions. “I believe that is all nonetheless early phases, however we do see a variety of corporations are investing on this course,” he mentioned. “We may additionally see hybrid merchandise, for instance, plant-based merchandise that include dairy-identical proteins.”
Placing in perspective how a lot corporations can reduce down their local weather influence, the Good Meals Institute Europe’s managing director Alex Mayers mentioned throughout Fi Europe’s Way forward for Vitamin Summit: “The dairy sector accounts for a few of the heaviest local weather change impacts.
“However with precision fermentation, yeast fairly than cows can be utilized to create whey protein, for instance, resulting in a 97% reduce in GHG emissions.”
