Author Archive: Rebecca Gendron

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Mermade Seafoods raises $3.3 million for lab-grown scallops

Mermade Seafoods raises $3.3 million for lab-grown scallops

September 5, 2022 |

In Israel, cultivated seafood startup Mermade Seafoods says it has closed a $3.3-million seed funding to commercialize lab-grown scallops.  Founded in 2021 by navy veteran Daniel Einhorn and venture capitalists Dr. Rotem Kadir and Dr. Tomer Halevy—company CEO, CTO, and COO, respectively—Mermade’s cellular agricultural process is somewhat unique in that it is also circular. Water, […]

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Crab shell electrolyte could yield greener batteries

Crab shell electrolyte could yield greener batteries

September 5, 2022 |

In Maryland and Texas, researchers have found that an electrolyte extracted from crab shells can be used to produce batteries.  In a recent study published in the journal Matter, the group from the Universities of Maryland and Houston say the chitosan-Zn electrolyte enables high-rate and durable Zn-metal batteries.  The material also biodegrades in just five […]

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Technip Energies buys DSM’s biobased succinic acid technology

Technip Energies buys DSM’s biobased succinic acid technology

September 5, 2022 |

In France, Technip Energies has acquired DSM’s Biosuccinium® technology for producing biobased succinic acid, which can in turn be used manufacture biodegradable polymer polybutylene succinate.  The purchase includes a wide range of patent families and proprietary yeast strains, which have been demonstrated, at scale, in licensees’ production facilities.  “This addition to our growing sustainable chemicals […]

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Bioplastics producer sells New Jersey deli

Bioplastics producer sells New Jersey deli

August 29, 2022 |

In New Jersey, hemp bioplastics producer Makamer Holdings has sold a small-town deli once valued at $100 million for $15,000, plus another $700 in inventory.  Paulsboro’s Your Hometown Deli, once the sole asset of Hometown International, went viral in 2021 when hedgie David Einhorn used it as an example of public market chicanery.  “The pastrami […]

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Furniture you feed: Algae bench concept purifies air

Furniture you feed: Algae bench concept purifies air

August 29, 2022 |

In the Netherlands, biodesigner Bob Hendrikx has created a bench from algae that helps purify the air, but needs to be regularly fed with phosphate fertilizer.  On display currently at Soestdijk Palace as part of the Voorlopers exhibition, the Living Bench is an inflatable bioplastic structure filled with 31 gallons of algae water collected from […]

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Edible cups from Red Bull target plastic waste and better digestion

Edible cups from Red Bull target plastic waste and better digestion

August 29, 2022 |

In the United Kingdom, skincare brand Haeckels has partnered with Red Bull to develop edible cups in an effort to reduce plastic waste at festivals and improve health.  In line with both brands’ focus on vitality, the cups are infused with spirulina, ginger, and blueberry to boost energy and digestion. The cups also break down […]

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Cruelty-free kebabs: Future Meat adds lamb to portfolio

Cruelty-free kebabs: Future Meat adds lamb to portfolio

August 29, 2022 |

In Israel, cultivated meat pioneer Future Meat Technologies has produced lab-grown lamb that looks, cooks and tastes like conventional ground lamb meat.  The company uses animal fibroblasts to replicate real lamb meat in a lab. The result is a non-GMO product that is cost-effective, sustainable, scalable, and does not require fetal bovine serum.  “In passing […]

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Art fair pavilion imagines “healthier” future for architecture

Art fair pavilion imagines “healthier” future for architecture

August 29, 2022 |

In Denmark, a pavilion at the recent Chart Art Fair showcased the potential for natural materials in architecture.  Dubbed A Music Box, the installation by Softspace Digital used gelatin-based bioplastic and larch wood and aims to be a space for performances as well as relaxation. Jute was also used to create a roof structure.  The […]

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Dairy co-op and DSM to launch precision fermentation startup

Dairy co-op and DSM to launch precision fermentation startup

August 29, 2022 |

In New Zealand and the Netherlands, dairy coop Fonterra and nutrition and health company DSM have partnered to commercialize dairy proteins produced using precision fermentation.  The two companies, which began collaborating on the concept in 2021, will launch a startup to commercialize the resulting technology.  Komal Mistry-Mehta, chief innovation and brand officer at Fonterra, tells […]

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A pig deal: Steakholder Foods adds cultured pork

A pig deal: Steakholder Foods adds cultured pork

August 29, 2022 |

In Israel, Steakholder Foods Ltd., formerly MeaTech 3D, has announced it will begin developing cultured pork products from a new line of iPS porcine cells.  The new stem cell line was derived from sampled cells that were reprogrammed back into an embryonic-like pluripotent state. This enables one cell bank to become an unlimited and highly […]

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