{"id":11620,"date":"2023-12-17T15:10:24","date_gmt":"2023-12-17T14:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/?p=11620"},"modified":"2023-12-17T15:10:24","modified_gmt":"2023-12-17T14:10:24","slug":"biobetter-opens-pilot-facility-to-produce-plant-based-growth-factors-for-the-cultivated-meat-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/biobetter-opens-pilot-facility-to-produce-plant-based-growth-factors-for-the-cultivated-meat-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"BioBetter opens pilot facility  to produce plant-based  growth factors for the  cultivated meat industry"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='av_section_1'  class='avia-section main_color avia-section-default avia-no-border-styling  avia-bg-style-scroll  avia-builder-el-0  avia-builder-el-no-sibling   container_wrap fullsize' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><main  role=\"main\" itemprop=\"mainContentOfPage\"  class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-11620'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-1  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center\"><div id=\"ads-slider-28\" class=\"custom-slider ads-slider-424999058 ads-slider\"><ul><li><!--Begin ClixTrac.com Banner Code -->\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/clixtrac.com\/goto\/?308404\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/clixtrac.com\/banner\/308404.jpg\" alt=\"Free from food\" title=\"Free from food\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a>\r\n<!--End ClixTrac.com Banner Code --><\/li><li><!--Begin ClixTrac.com Banner Code -->\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/clixtrac.com\/banner\/click.php?banner=302805\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/clixtrac.com\/banner\/302805.jpg\" alt=\"LUBRIPLATE\" title=\"LUBRIPLATE\" border=\"0\" width=\"120\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a>\r\n<!--End ClixTrac.com Banner Code --><\/li><li><div style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"ads-1968303624\"><!--Begin ClixTrac.com Banner Code -->\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/clixtrac.com\/banner\/click.php?banner=297426\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/clixtrac.com\/banner\/297426.jpg\" alt=\"Click here for more information!\" title=\"Click here for more information!\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a>\r\n<!--End ClixTrac.com Banner Code --><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><script>( window.advanced_ads_ready || jQuery( document ).ready ).call( null, function() {var $adsslider424999058 = jQuery( \".ads-slider-424999058\" );$adsslider424999058.on( \"unslider.ready\", function() { jQuery( \"div.custom-slider ul li\" ).css( \"display\", \"block\" ); });$adsslider424999058.unslider({ delay:5000, autoplay:true, nav:false, arrows:false, infinite:true });$adsslider424999058.on(\"mouseover\", function(){$adsslider424999058.unslider(\"stop\");}).on(\"mouseout\", function() {$adsslider424999058.unslider(\"start\");});});<\/script><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h1 class=\"post-title entry-title\" itemprop=\"headline\">BioBetter opens pilot facility  to produce plant-based  growth factors for the  cultivated meat industry<\/h1><span class=\"post-meta-infos\">\/ <span class=\"blog-categories minor-meta\">in <a href=\"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/category\/featured-articles\/\" rel=\"tag\">Featured Articles<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/header>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>Israel-based FoodTech start-up BioBetter has opened its first food-grade pilot facility to accelerate the production of key growth factors for the cultivated meat industry. The company has pioneered a unique protein manufacturing platform for producing growth factors (GFs) using tobacco plants as self-sustained, animal-free bioreactors.<\/h3>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h4>Solving bottleneck challenges<\/h4>\n<p>Helping cultivated meat companies offer affordable and accessible products to consumers, BioBetter is revolutionizing the future of cellular agriculture with its innovative molecular farming-based production platform. Currently, cultivated meat production processes are relatively expensive, making it a challenge to<br \/>\nscale up and reach price parity with animal-based counterparts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCultivated meat is still very expensive in comparison to conventional meat and the key is to reduce the growth medium costs to a minimum,\u201d explained Amit Yaari, Ph.D., CEO of BioBetter. \u201cOur target is to reduce the production cost of growth factors, including insulin, a key part of the growth medium, to $1 per gram which is a 100-fold less than the going rate today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The start-up already has achieved five impressive milestones\u00a0 in the past year:<\/p>\n<p>1. Production scale-up\/building pilot plan<br \/>\n2. Commercial scale cultivation of insulin- and FGF-expressing tobacco plants<br \/>\n3. Reaching GF expression levels that enable a significant reduction of production costs<br \/>\n4. Significant regulatory progresses and advances with the Israel Ministry of Health<br \/>\n5. Collaboration with leading cultivated meat companies<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div   class='hr hr-default   avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_image '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_hr  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img class='avia_image' src='https:\/\/fei-online.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/12\/BioBetter5.jpg' alt='' title='BioBetter5' height=\"1228\" width=\"1840\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<div   class='hr hr-default   avia-builder-el-9  el_after_av_image  el_before_av_textblock '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h4>Plant bioreactor technology<\/h4>\n<p>BioBetter discovered a new purpose for the traditionally shunned tobacco plants, transforming them into bioreactors for the production of GFs. These GFs play a key role in the proliferation and differentiation of cultured meat cells, allowing for the formation of authentic and well-structured muscle tissue.<\/p>\n<p>Designed for both environmental safety and efficiency, these bioreactors will be grown in a large-scale, net house cultivation system. The plants are carefully engineered to prevent the escape of any transgenic material. They are induced to express growth factors only when chemically triggered, and the company exclusively uses non-food, non-feed tobacco plants to eliminate any risk of inadvertent consumption or cross-contamination of food crops.<\/p>\n<h4>Sustainability at the core<\/h4>\n<p>\u201cOur holistic approach not only underscores our commitment to safety and environmental responsibility but also streamlines regulatory processes,\u201d said Dana Yarden, M.D., co-founder of BioBetter. \u201cOur commitment to sustainability shines through in every facet of our operations. We plan to use recycled and low-quality water for irrigation, minimize nitrogen fertilizer use, and reduce emissions and environmental impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The newly established pilot plant has the capacity to process 100kg of tobacco plant-derived GFs daily. Constructed in adherence to the highest quality standards, the facility meets all regulatory requirements for production of food-grade growth factors, including FGF2 and insulin. It currently is progressing through essential stages of securing approval from the Ministry of Health for food manufacturing licensing. The company is committed to scalability, adhering to ISO2200 and HACCP standards.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe more than doubled our workforce from 23 to 50 workers to advance all aspects of production, cultivation, and R&amp;D,\u201d said Yaari. \u201cWe stimulate the commercial aspirations of cultivated meat start-ups and the pilot plant signifies a substantial step toward the company\u2019s next growth stage in 2025: the capacity for processing 25 tonnes of leaves daily, reaching commercial production of five tonnes annually by the end of 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div   class='hr hr-default   avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_image '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-12  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_hr  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img class='avia_image' src='https:\/\/fei-online.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/12\/BioBetter2-scaled.jpg' alt='' title='BioBetter2' height=\"1708\" width=\"2560\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<div   class='hr hr-default   avia-builder-el-13  el_after_av_image  el_before_av_textblock '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h4>A growing future<\/h4>\n<p>BioBetter also made breakthroughs in the cultivation of bovine insulin-expressing plants. Several thousand square metres of FGF2-expressing tobacco plants are already thriving in northern Israel. It\u2019s the first time growth factor sources have been successfully planted in large net-houses, in four locations, and with a fruitful harvest obtained in its first season. Plans are underway to cultivate more FGF2 and insulin-expressing plants, wit commercial roll-out projected for 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver the past year, our outreach and collaborations expanded considerably,\u201d said Yarden. \u201cWe\u2019ve shared GF samples with numerous cultivated meat companies and cell media producers worldwide and received promising proof-of-concept results for both our FGF2 and insulin from several companies and academic laboratories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The $250 million global cultivated meat sector is poised for substantial growth, yet its realization hinges upon a significant supply of growth factors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe most significant challenge of the cultivated meat industry is to produce and scale up at the right cost,\u201d said Aviv Oren, Director of Business Engagement and Innovation, the Good Food Institute, Israel. \u201cBiobetter\u2019s technology, which is based on molecular farming of food-grade growth factors in the required quantities and costs for industrial production, is a pivotal addition that has the potential to accelerate this industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, BioBetter secured US$10 million in A-round investment led by Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP). The company also is an active member of the Israeli Cultivated Meat Consortium, which unites academic institutions, large companies, and start-ups to collaboratively advance the field of cultivated meat.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.biobetter.bio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.biobetter.bio<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='av-social-sharing-box  avia-builder-el-15  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last  av-social-sharing-box-minimal '><div class='av-share-box'><h5 class='av-share-link-description av-no-toc '>Share this<\/h5><ul class='av-share-box-list noLightbox'><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-facebook' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" href='https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/fei-online.com\/biobetter-opens-pilot-facility-to-produce-plant-based-growth-factors-for-the-cultivated-meat-industry\/&#038;t=BioBetter%20opens%20pilot%20facility%20%20to%20produce%20plant-based%20%20growth%20factors%20for%20the%20%20cultivated%20meat%20industry' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8f3' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Facebook' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-twitter' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Twitter\" href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=BioBetter%20opens%20pilot%20facility%20%20to%20produce%20plant-based%20%20growth%20factors%20for%20the%20%20cultivated%20meat%20industry&#038;url=https:\/\/fei-online.com\/?p=11620' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8f1' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Twitter' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-whatsapp' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on WhatsApp\" href='https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=https:\/\/fei-online.com\/biobetter-opens-pilot-facility-to-produce-plant-based-growth-factors-for-the-cultivated-meat-industry\/' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\uf232' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on WhatsApp' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on WhatsApp<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-linkedin' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" href='https:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;title=BioBetter%20opens%20pilot%20facility%20%20to%20produce%20plant-based%20%20growth%20factors%20for%20the%20%20cultivated%20meat%20industry&#038;url=https:\/\/fei-online.com\/biobetter-opens-pilot-facility-to-produce-plant-based-growth-factors-for-the-cultivated-meat-industry\/' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8fc' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on LinkedIn' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-mail' ><a  aria-label=\"Share by Mail\" href='mailto:?subject=BioBetter%20opens%20pilot%20facility%20%20to%20produce%20plant-based%20%20growth%20factors%20for%20the%20%20cultivated%20meat%20industry&#038;body=https:\/\/fei-online.com\/biobetter-opens-pilot-facility-to-produce-plant-based-growth-factors-for-the-cultivated-meat-industry\/' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue805' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share by Mail'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share by Mail<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-16  el_after_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; 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The company has pioneered a unique protein manufacturing platform for producing growth factors (GFs) using tobacco plants as self-sustained, animal-free bioreactors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11621,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11620"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11620"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11623,"href":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11620\/revisions\/11623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}