The companies will utilise Brevel’s illuminated fermentation platform to accelerate production of plant-cell culture ingredients
Key Takeaways
● Brevel is partnering with The Wave group to set large scale facility in India based on Brevel’s proprietary technology
● The companies will use light as a key factor in promoting the growth of plant-cell culture ingredients
● The manufacturing facility will produce clean-label chlorella at first stage
● The business model is to make the platform accessible to innovators working with light- driven ingredients
Climate biotech innovator Brevel, Ltd. signed a 50/50 joint-venture agreement with India-based conglomerate The Wave Group. The collaboration will open a full-production biomanufacturing facility, funded by The Wave Group, based on Brevel’s illuminated fermentation technology. The signing took place at an official ceremony in New Delhi attended by the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Israel and representatives of the Economic and Trade Mission of Israel, together with India government officials from Invest India.
New production facility
The planned new manufacturing site in Uttar Pradesh, North India, represents a major scale- up from Brevel’s existing 5,000 liter capacity bioreactor in its current commercial facility in
Israel. The new plant is designed to produce a total capacity of 300,000 liters to meet growing market demand for Brevel’s microalgae products, as well as to serve the needs of
the emerging market of plant-cell culture. Construction will begin later this year, with full- scale production set to commence in 18 months. Total investment in the JV facility is estimated at USD10-15 million.
The new plant will initially manufacture Purallis™, a clean-label chlorella, significantly expanding Brevel’s production capacity. The plant is designed as a comprehensive illuminated-fermentation manufacturing platform, and will be capable of producing additional products and organisms that benefit from light.
From biological innovation to industrial scale
Brevel’s illuminated fermentation technology, protected by four patents, combines controlled fermentation with light in a closed system. By successfully taking fermentation out of the dark, Brevel created a platform for manufacturing bioactives that rely on light-driven metabolism for growth. Sugar provides the energy and nutrients needed for efficient fermentation, while light enables photosynthetic microorganisms such as chlorella to produce valuable compounds, including chlorophyll and carotenoids.
Strategic partnership for global markets
“We’re excited to partner with The Wave Group to bring illuminated fermentation to industrial scale,” enthuses Yonatan Golan, CEO and co-founder of Brevel. “This partnership marks a major step forward in our ability to serve global markets, opening new opportunities across microalgae, plant cell culture and beyond. Our work with partners such as Ayana Bio, a U.S. leader in plant cell technology, already demonstrates the broad potential of our platform. Together with The Wave Group, we can turn that potential into commercial-scale manufacturing.”
“This collaboration expands our portfolio of food processing and product innovation businesses,” declares Manpreet Singh Chadha, chairman of The Wave Group. “Brevel’s Illuminated fermentation, combined with our deep expertise in sugar manufacturing, defines a new era in biomanufacturing. We look forward to playing a pioneering role in the future of food ingredients and nutraceuticals in a world of limited resources. This strategic alliance with Brevel also positions The Wave Group as an important production hub serving the global food and supplement markets.”
A new purpose for sugar waste
With sugar serving as a core input in fermentation processes, Brevel will utilize sugar production side streams from Wave’s sugar mills, activating a circular economy model as part of a zero-waste strategy. In addition, the proximity of the new manufacturing facility to the sugar mills will cut transportation expenses, and minimize the associated environmental footprint.
Initial trials with various byproducts from Wave’s sugar mills have already yielded excellent results in Brevel’s bioreactors, and teams from both companies are currently working to
further optimize the system’s performance. The utilization of sugar processing side streams will not only bring new purpose to sugar waste and reduce emissions, but will also further
reduce the cost of producing.
Innovations in Food (& Beverage) Processing & Packaging is a bi-monthly magazine distributed globally in Digital format. www.innovationsfood.com. X: @Innovfoodtech. Instagram: @innovationsinfoodtechnology. Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/terry-prior52
