ScaleUp Bio, a Singapore-based CDMO (contract development manufacturing organisation) provider of submerged microbial precision fermentation facilities, has recently announced an initial list of customers, underscoring strong global interest in the company’s unique value proposition.
Prospective customers include Australia’s Nourish Ingredients, US-based C16 Biosciences, Malaysia’s Ultimeat and local-based Allium Bio amongst others. Each of them seek to leverage on submerged microbial and precision fermentation to develop sustainably produced ingredients for novel or alternative foods.
ScaleUp Bio is aiding these companies to scale up to pilot-scale commercial production, breaking into Asian markets and beyond. Francisco Codoner, CEO of ScaleUp Bio said, “These companies recognise the significant growth opportunities for novel foods across Asia and understand the truly unique advantages ScaleUp Bio offers, enabling them to achieve their strategic business objectives and together, empowering the next food revolution.”
ScaleUp Bio, established in late-2022, is a joint-venture between ADM and Nurasa, a wholly owned company of Singapore’s global investment giant, Temasek. ScaleUp Bio delivers a unique mix of facilities, expertise, experience, and essential services through a clear, Contract Development Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) fee-for-service business model. Both aspiring start-ups and established companies seeking to develop novel food innovations from bench to market, can avail of ScaleUp Bio’s offerings.
ScaleUp Bio is collaborating with its first customer partner, Australia’s Nourish Ingredients, to bring sustainable fermentation-based speciality fats to an Asian audience. In October, Nourish Ingredients launched its breakthrough plant-based fat, Tastilux, that cooks, tastes and smells like traditional meat. Currently, most manufacturers relied on palm and coconut oils to provide fats, which fail to deliver the animalic taste consumers want.
Nourish Ingredients has chosen Singapore as a strategic Asia Pacific hub for scaling production of its animal-free breakthrough fats. The company’s partnership with ScaleUp Bio will support 10,000 litres of fermentation capacity as well as 100 litres of thermal processing, to successfully scale production of speciality fats and unlock flavour for the next generation of plant-based proteins.
According to Dr. James Petrie, CEO, Nourish Ingredients, “Fats are an essential element that give meat and dairy their unique taste and texture, however, many plant proteins are laden with overprocessed ingredients or plant oils that fail to deliver on taste. Nourish Ingredients recreates the most potent, animalic fats sourced in nature without the animal, to unlock the flavour and experience consumers want and expect from plant-based products. Working with ScaleUp Bio will give us invaluable access to technical expertise and food-grade facilities, to help scale our fats. We look forward to deepening and expanding our partnership in the coming months.”
Apart from Nourish, ScaleUp Bio has also received Letters of Intent (LOI) from several companies and they include:
- US-based C16 Biosciences which produces next-generation oils and fats to decarbonize the consumer products supply chain — starting with a sustainable alternative to palm oil and palm-derived ingredients
- Malaysia-based Ultimeat, which is creating plant-based meat alternatives that are just as juicy, flavourful and tender as actual meat
- Singapore-based Allium Bio, which uses a novel co-culture fermentation technology to create sustainable and functional ingredients from algae and mycelium
ScaleUp Bio is also in the final, pre-operational phase to open Singapore’s first, dedicated food-grade submerged microbial and precision fermentation facilities. Its 2 facilities are designed to support 2 distinct ScaleUp growth areas: research and development, and pilot-stage manufacturing.
