A 10-ton production run is not just another scale-up milestone. It is the kind of test that shows whether an ingredient can move beyond development and into something manufacturers can actually work with. This week’s lead story offers a useful look at what happens when a stubborn production bottleneck is finally addressed.
Elsewhere, there is plenty of creativity around what goes into the next generation of foods. Apricot kernels are being turned into a high-protein cottage cheese alternative, giving a largely overlooked food stream a new purpose. At the same time, precision fermentation is taking an unconventional route into the US, with existing manufacturing infrastructure providing the foundation for expansion.
The commercial picture is taking shape in other ways, too. New funding is supporting larger fermentation capacity and broader ingredient development, while four food-tech startups are moving into production pilots in Chile. These are the less glamorous steps of food innovation, perhaps, but they are also the ones that reveal whether a promising technology can hold up outside the lab.
And then there is AI, where the conversation is becoming noticeably more grounded. Rather than asking whether GenAI can somehow run biomanufacturing on its own, the focus is turning to how it can help engineers work with real process data and validated models.
There’s plenty more to check out below, so have a scroll, and see which developments catch your eye. 👇
