Sweden’s Melt & Marble has created non-animal fat with properties of beef fat for the plant-based food sector; raises 5 million euros
Gothenburg, Sweden-based Melted & Marble (formerly Biopetrolia), a company that works with fermentation-based production of animal fats, announced on Thursday that they have collected 5 million euros in their financing round for seeds.
Prior to that, the company had raised € 750K in August 2021, led by Nordic FoodTech VC. Other investors were also Paulig’s risk arm PINC, Purple Orange Ventures and Chalmers Ventures.
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Melt & Marble has created a non-animal fat with the properties of beef fat. Since the technology can also be used to produce other animal fats, it can become a real game changer in sustainable food production.
“Designer greases via precision fermentation”
Melt & Marble’s precision fermentation platform, founded in 2015 by Anastasia Krivoruchko, Florian David and Jens Nielsen, enables it to create bespoke fats with molecular properties that reflect those of animal fats, enabling ingredients that give the taste, melt and mouthfeel of real animal fat.
The company claims that its ingredients will enable a major step forward in closing the taste gap between conventional animal-based foods and plant-based alternatives.
Anastasia Krivoruchko says, “While most people accept that we need to minimize our consumption of animal foods, plant-based alternatives face a major obstacle. The plant-based fats currently in use simply do not feel, function and taste like animal fats. “does not taste as good, making it less attractive to consumers. As far as we are aware, this is the first beef-like fat prototype produced via precision fermentation. It is a pioneering step towards making plant-based meat tastier.”
Melt & Marble’s technology platform has been developed from research work carried out over the past decade by the co-founders at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.
Capital utilization
Melt & Marble says the funds will help the company accelerate toward commercialization by expanding R&D efforts, scaling up production, conducting extensive application testing and expanding the team. The company also actively recruits bioprocess and microbial engineers in addition to a head of food science to grow its food technology team.
Tests performed on the company’s latest prototype show that it exhibits the gradual melting behavior of beef fat, an important property for achieving slow flavor release and lingering juiciness. “So much is happening in this area, and we are extremely proud to help with the transition to more environmentally friendly food production,” added Dr. Krivoruchko.
Investors in this round
The round was led by Lever VC, an early-stage venture capital company focused on innovative technologies and brands in the alternative protein area. The investment was also attended by new investors Be8 Ventures and Good Startup, as well as existing investors Nordic Foodtech VC, PINC (Paulig Incubator) and Chalmers Ventures.
James Caffyn, partner at Lever VC, says: “Melt & Marble’s fermented beef fat will facilitate the gradual change in product quality that companies in the space have strived for, increase the size of their addressable markets and accelerate consumer engagement. We have been impressed by the progress made by Drs. Krivoruchko and her team have done and are happy to support them in their growth. “
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