Phytolon, Ginkgo Bioworks continue collaborating to develop natural food colors
Phytolon’s “Beetroot Red” and “Prickly Pear Yellow” food colours are expected to be available in U.S. markets pending approval from the FDA.
ISRAEL – Phytolon, an Israel-based biotech-food tech startup that produces natural food colors through the fermentation of baker’s yeast, in partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, has successfully completed the second development milestone of their project aimed at developing natural food colors.
The partnership, which began in 2022, focuses on developing yeast strains to produce two natural colors aimed at providing the food industry with vibrant, fully functional alternatives to synthetic dyes amidst increasing regulatory pressure.
After achieving its first development milestone in early 2024, which unlocked the entire yellow-to-purple color spectrum, Ginkgo Bioworks utilized its strong AI modeling expertise and high-throughput screening platform to deliver strains with nearly three times higher production efficiency.
These enhanced strains have allowed Phytolon to create high-quality formulations that meet the desired coloring standards for various food categories, including baked goods, snacks, seasonings, toppings and icings, confections, dairy yogurts, and ice creams and frozen novelties.
Additionally, the improved production efficiency significantly reduces production costs and carbon footprint.
Phytolon’s fermentation-based manufacturing process requires less energy and capital investment to achieve high coloring efficiency compared to benchmark natural colors that depend on farming and extensive post-processing.
Upon reaching the second development milestone, Ginkgo will receive additional equity in Phytolon, further benefiting from the growing partnership and paving the way for future projects that enhance Phytolon’s sustainable and cost-efficient solutions for the food coloring sector and the wider food industry.
“This is an unprecedented opportunity. The vibrant colors Phytolon is now ready to deliver will allow the food industry to explore the full potential of natural and healthy beet and prickly pear pigments that have never before been available with such purity and quality,” said Wissam Mansour, Phytolon’s Chief Product Officer.
“Working alongside our partners at Phytolon to bring their colorful products to market has been a pleasure. We leveraged many of Ginkgo’s cell programming capabilities to create production strains and processes for ‘Beetroot Red’ and ‘Prickly Pear Yellow,’ enabling an entire palette of food colors. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Phytolon as they innovate in this market,” said Jennifer Wipf, Ginkgo’s General Manager of Discovery & Manufacturing Solutions.
The U.S. has increasingly favored natural food colors over synthetic ones. The FDA recently announced measures aimed at phasing out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply, as part of a broader commitment to promote healthier options.
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