Rainbow of opportunity: Gingko and Phytolon advance natural food coloring pact

In Boston, biotech-based food coloring company Phytolon and strain engineering firm Ginkgo Bioworks have successfully completed the first development milestone of their multi-product collaboration effort.

Ginkgo and Phytolon’s partnership, which began in February 2022, aims to produce vibrant betalain pigments spanning the entire yellow-to-purple spectrum using cell engineering. The successful completion of the project’s first milestone unlocks the commercial potential of Phytolon’s yellow-to-purple palette. By leveraging Ginkgo Natural Product Services, Phytolon has significantly improved the efficiency of its yeast strains to generate these vibrant, sustainable colors and offer cost-efficient replacements to artificial dyes.

“This achievement puts our colors at the forefront to efficiently replace artificial dyes in our food and create a healthy and sustainable world,” Tal Zeltzer, co-founder and CTO of Phytolon, said in a press statement. “Our clients are now able to explore high-performing natural colors in their brands, covering the full range from purple to pink, red, orange, and yellow shades.”