© AQUA Cultured Foods
AQUA Cultured Foods, a food tech company producing alternative seafood options using microbial fermentation, and Ginkgo Bioworks - a biotech company developing a platform for cell programming and biosecurity - have announced a new partnership.
Through the partnership, the companies hope to optimise AQUA’s innovative fermentation technology to elevate the quality of its fish-free seafood products, which aim to authentically replicate the look, feel, and taste of fresh-caught seafood. Leveraging Ginkgo's microbial characterisation and analytics, along with AQUA's proprietary strains and processes, the partners aim to transform the future of alt-seafood production.
“Today marks a significant step towards revolutionising alternative seafood production. AQUA's commitment to sustainable seafood aligns with Ginkgo's dedication to innovation. Our partnership aims to accelerate our technology, bringing our delicious products to market faster,” said Dr Stefan Baier, chief science officer of AQUA Cultured Foods, in a press release announcing the partnership.
“Beyond sequencing, we envision engineering our proprietary consortium for next-gen products, pushing alt-seafood boundaries with unique textures and building the nutrition beyond a good source of fibre. We look forward to how our sustainable approach can revolutionise the fishing industry and contribute to the regeneration of our oceans,” he added.
Amongst AQUA’s debut offerings are animal-free alternatives to tuna, and scallops, which maintain freshness and tenderness for six weeks, according to the food tech company. Powered by a patent-pending fermentation process, which can be scaled on a global level, AQUA's fish-free seafood is made from microbes and fibres combined with plant-derived flavours that replicate the buttery texture and umami notes found in fresh-caught seafood.
Whilst the AQUA team uses an array of microbes that work synergistically to make its innovative products, Ginkgo will leverage its high throughput next-generation sequencing and advanced analytics services to help optimise and tune AQUA's microbial strains to aid in the scale-up of their novel manufacturing process.
“This collaboration aligns beautifully with our commitment to work on projects that embody innovation and sustainability. AQUA's groundbreaking fermentation technology is reshaping the future of alt-seafood, and we at Ginkgo are thrilled to contribute to this transformative journey,” commented Mervyn de Souza, senior director of business development at Ginkgo Bioworks.
