The beginning-up has developed a patented course of for producing non-animal caseins, and Babybel maker the Bel Group has an energetic partnership with the Paris agency to provide superior cheese alternate options.
Casein, a protein that’s a key part of milk, offers cheese its distinct stretch and soften properties and contributes to the dairy staple’s protein content material. However when produced by means of precision fermentation – a course of wherein organisms similar to yeasts are genetically-programmed to create particular elements – casein is hoped to play a key position within the growth of dairy alternate options, serving to producers to realize near-equivalent practical and dietary properties in cheese analogs.
In 2022, Standing Ovation and Bel Group introduced a partnership that may help the Babybel maker’s quest of enhancing its portfolio of plant-based and non-animal cheese and dairy alternate options, with a specific deal with boosting protein content material. In flip, Standing Ovation acquired 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 rules permit for the advertising and marketing 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 ready so as to add a complete of €3m extra 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 economic system. The funding will help the start-up’s venture over 20 months.
Standing Ovation has additionally been authorized to obtain a €1m mortgage from public funding financial institution BPI France, a sort of ‘inexperienced’ finance for the event of an ecological and vitality transition venture. Among the many phrases listed by the financial institution to approve an applicant is the power to ‘innovate to deliver to market services or products when it comes to environmental safety, round economic 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 elements for dairy merchandise. “It is a key stage within the industrialization of the method wanted to market these extremely nutritious and practical elements,” the corporate stated.
The purification line will each enhance productiveness and streamline the manufacturing course of, permitting the start-up to maximise upstream manufacturing assets and cut back prices and downtime.
Romain Chayot, CEO and co-founder of Standing Ovation, commented: “Standing Ovation’s progressive strategy permits us to contribute to the meals transition whereas considerably decreasing the environmental affect of the dairy elements trade. BPI France’s robust help helps us to drive the economic deployment of the distinctive course of developed by Standing Ovation, an vital step earlier than the upcoming commercialization of our elements. This financing additionally marks the dedication of public authorities to making ready the meals of the longer term and guaranteeing meals sovereignty.”
Precision fermentation – the way forward for dairy?
Analysts have repeatedly tipped precision fermentation to supply a real different to conventional dairy farming by eradicating the local weather affect of agriculture whereas delivering equivalency in vitamins and performance.
However the market stays comparatively small initially of 2024, with simply a number of areas together with the US and Singapore capable of provide precision fermentation-derived dairy to finish shoppers.
However a distinct segment continues to exist for meals innovators trying to fill the dietary hole that plant-based cheese alternate options have up to now failed to handle. In line with Rabobank dairy analyst Richard Scheper, extra funding is being funnelled in direction of precision fermentation protein manufacturing in current instances. Largely this is because of proteins, he instructed us, however one other main issue was carbon emission reductions. “I feel that is all nonetheless early phases, however we do see quite a lot of firms are investing on this course,” he stated. “We might additionally see hybrid merchandise, for instance, plant-based merchandise that comprise dairy-identical proteins.”
Placing in perspective how a lot firms can lower down their local weather affect, the Good Meals Institute Europe’s managing director Alex Mayers stated throughout Fi Europe’s Way forward for Vitamin Summit: “The dairy sector accounts for among 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% lower in GHG emissions.”
