The opening of its new pilot plant in Lisbon will not only bring MicroHarvest closer to its goal of commercializing its innovative technology, but it will also make the large-scale production of single-cell protein ingredients one step closer for everyone. The day when the sustainable production of high-quality protein ingredients from fermented bacteria will be an industrial reality beyond the laboratory is approaching.
"Our ingredients are produced through biomass fermentation, which means that we grow specifically selected, natural strains of microorganisms highly efficiently in a bioreactor," Katelijne Bekers, CEO of MicroHarvest explains to WeAreAquaculture. "The production process allows for exponential growth of the microorganisms, producing biomass at scale in a short time. Cells are then harvested, and for our first product we selectively break down the biomass. As a final step, we remove water to increase shelf stability. The results are nutritious ingredients that can be used in food, pet food, and feed."
Thanks to MicroHarvest's patented technology, this sustainable production of high-quality protein ingredients with more than 60% crude protein is achieved in just 24 hours, significantly reducing resource consumption compared to conventional methods. Speed is almost a trademark of the company.
In just six months, MicroHarvest transformed a portion of its offices into a fully equipped laboratory and pilot plant. Now, with the ability to operate beyond labscale in-house, the new facility will accelerate the startup's journey to commercialization and market availability. The plant will produce protein samples for customers, which, in turn, will allow the company to refine its technology and test production runs before taking them to commercial scale.
"This pilot plant serves as tangible evidence of the scalability of our process," Luísa Cruz, CTO of MicroHarvest, explained. "With a lower investment when compared to alternative technologies, and within a mere 200 square meters, we can achieve a daily production of 25 kg."
"The speed at which we accomplished this demonstrates that we have the right team and the right technology to make sustainable protein readily available at scale," added COO Jonathan Roberz. "This is of crucial importance as our food systems' ecological footprint must be minimized to remain within our planetary boundaries."
Simultaneously, after successfully transferring the technology and scaling up production to reach daily outputs in tons, the team engaged a commercial production partner. Thanks to this collaboration, the German company will be able to scale up its production to 1 ton/day at record speed.
Its offer of highly competitive, scalable, and consistent protein solutions can be applied to various sectors, such as animal feed, pet food, and human food. It has, the startup says, "the potential to reshape the industry," and it seems that they have set out to start with aquafeed since their first single-cell product, called HILIX, is, precisely, a specialized product for aquaculture.
"HILIX is a feed material, produced from extracted bacterial cells," Katelijne Bekers told WeAreAquaculture. "The material contains a mix of amino acids, protein, free nucleotides, as well as vitamins and minerals. At the same time, we keep on working on the development of protein ingredients to fuel the innovation pipeline for the aquaculture sector."
MicroHarvest's CEO explained to us their ingredients have multiple advantages. For example, compared to animal or plant-based protein ingredients, their production system needs thousands of times less space and a fraction of the water to obtain the same results, with remarkable potential for scalability and lower emissions. "We select the best micro-organisms and minimally process our ingredients to deliver nutritious, highly consistent products – containing over 60% raw protein, minerals, and vitamins," she said.
MicroHarvest is the only European company to receive the prestigious Bloomberg NEF Pioneers award for its innovative biomass fermentation technology. An example of its revolutionary approach to sustainable protein production that has established it as an industry leader with a more sustainable vision for the future.
According to the startup, the launch now of its pilot plant in Lisbon is a transformative moment on the road to meeting the global challenge of feeding a growing population while minimizing environmental impact. Its next phase will be the commercial launch of its first product in early 2024.
"Within just six months of opening our Lisbon office, our team has doubled in size, and we've achieved an impressive feat by constructing the pilot plant in record time – a truly remarkable journey. Within the next three months, we are on track to introduce our first product to the market," summarized CEO Katelijne Bekers. "These milestones underscore our commitment to driving real impact by bringing commercially competitive, consistent, and sustainable ingredients to market fast."
Founded in April 2021, MicroHarvest is a biotechnology company that produces sustainable protein ingredients through microbial fermentation, using agricultural byproducts as feedstock. Their proprietary technology allows them to produce their ingredients much faster using a fraction of the resources needed for conventional protein sources. Their products have applications across multiple industries, from aquaculture to pet and human food. Their ambition is to push the technological boundaries in the ingredients industry to drive impact across the entire protein value chain.
