Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) has announced to invest NIS50 million (about 14 million dollars) In a fermentation facility providing research, development and manufacturing services to local and foreign food technology companies.
Last January, the IIA announced plans to build a fermentation plant to support and strengthen the country’s alt protein ecosystem, considered a national priority, and called for proposals. After an extensive evaluation, the IIA selected Israeli fermentation company YDLabs to lead the construction of the facility.
“We are pleased to confirm the selection of YDLabs and look forward to seeing the Israeli ecosystem benefit from the infrastructure and services provided to enable economic feasibility assessment, regulatory preparation and more,” said Israel Innovation Authority CEO Dor Bin. .
Fermentation facilities for Israel
YDLabs will set up new plants and hire specialized professionals and staff. Founded in 2022 by Ariel Blumovich, YDLabs and its CTO, Dr. Moti Revun (one of Israel’s renowned fermentation experts and CEO of the Israeli Fermentation Society), provides fermentation process development and optimization services for food technology companies.
The IIA facility will provide fermentation services — ranging from 10 to 20,000 liters — for companies that need to move from the development stage to production. Additionally, the plant will allow for batch testing, R&D, conducting economic feasibility studies, consumer testing, and support in food regulations to advance and launch ALT protein products.
“Yesterday we received great news Israel Innovation Authority – We were chosen to establish # Fermentation Benefits for Israelis Food Technology industry, with an investment of ~$14M. This is the greatest proof of necessity YDLabs to the Israelis Food Technology industry, and a notch in our belt for what our team has built so far,” shared YDLabs on LinkedIn.
Food technology is a priority
Precision fermentation, sometimes called synthetic biology, uses microorganisms through fermentation bioprocesses to produce proteins, Food colors, animal fats, oils, food processing enzymes, flavors, aroma compounds and more. Alt proteins such as plant-based meats and dairy products, animal-free dairy products, or cultured meats may benefit from these ingredients.
Recently, A Global Innovation Needs Assessment (GINA) Report It highlights the critical importance of investing in sustainable proteins such as plant-based and farmed meats to reduce methane emissions and grow the global economy at large.
“Israel has identified the foodtech sector as one of its priority areas. Currently, due to lack of infrastructure and manpower, many enterprises turn to service providers abroad, leading to initial knowledge leakage and advances in regulatory frameworks tailored to other countries. With this initiative, we aim to change that as quickly as possible,” Bin added.