Agreement builds on success of Debut's proprietary technology in initial phase of work
SAN DIEGO, July 28, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Debut Biotechnology, Inc., a synthetic biology company at the forefront of advanced biomanufacturing technology, today announced the start of a second phase of a joint development agreement with DIC Corporation (TOKYO:4631). This two-year long, multimillion dollar phase of the agreement will be focused on creating natural colors — specifically bright, vibrant reds — for the food, nutrition, and cosmetic industries.
Consumer demand for nature-derived, sustainable ingredients is putting pressure on companies to find scalable solutions to delivering on-demand products. The food colors and cosmetic pigment industries are projected to grow into the future, at CAGRs of 4.7% and 8.3%, respectively. By 2026, the former is projected to reach a value of USD 5,386.8 million, and the latter USD 960 million. Through this agreement, Debut Biotech and DIC continue to deliver on their mission and vision of becoming leaders in this market segment.
The agreement between the companies will leverage Debut Biotech's biomanufacturing technology, harnessing a hybrid approach of fermentation and cell-free methods to create high performance natural colorings sustainably and efficiently. The on-demand delivery of these products allows manufacturers to simultaneously address emerging consumer demands and entrenched expectations for color quality. Debut Biotech and DIC are venturing into phase two after a successful collaboration in the past year, wherein Debut Biotech achieved titers 1000 times higher than traditional fermentation methods deliver.
"DIC's expertise in product development, commercialization, and sales — combined with Debut Biotech's platform technology and dedication to scaling novel biomanufacturing — has led to success in the first phase of our agreement. Their proprietary cell-free approach unlocks a critical step in the biomanufacturing process that others have not been able to achieve economically. This is a huge leap for biomanufacturing," said DIC Managing Executive Officer Kiyofumi Takano. "Our teams are uniquely positioned to scale the production of the bright red colorants used across growing industries in global markets."
Reds — perhaps more than any other color – are difficult to produce with traditional methods without the use of petroleum-based synthetic dyes, like Red 40. Nature-based, synthetic dye alternatives — like those found in plants and animals — have been difficult to extract sustainably and at the yield levels required for commercial use.
"DIC understands the complexities and demands of the food, nutrition, and cosmetic colors industries, so we're eager to move forward with them to address the gap in these markets," said Debut Biotech CEO Joshua Britton. "Companies need access to the types of ingredients — including red colorings — that consumers demand, and that's what we're enabling with this agreement. Synthetic biology is allowing access to incredible products that are only found in minute quantities in plants and animals."
When asked about delivering these colorants to market, Joshua said that "Debut Biotech is a product-centered company. We go beyond the R&D level, tackling the complexities of development and production with our incredible team. We are committed to our mission of scaling bioproduction for consumer markets in a sustainable and integrated manner."
Debut is currently commissioning pilot production in San Diego and has plans for increasing volumes in the near future to meet ever-growing consumer demand.
To learn more about Debut Biotech, visit https://debutbiotech.com/.
Debut Biotech
Debut Biotech is unlocking and delivering high performance ingredients through advanced, cell- free biomanufacturing. Our platform harnesses precision fermentation and cell-free bioconversions to overcome the bottlenecks associated with traditional biomanufacturing methods.
The cell-free approach delivers high value ingredients that cannot be made via fermentation alone. To overcome the limits of the cell, we eliminate the cell. This method leverages the most useful parts of the cell — such as enzymes — while those with limiting properties — like the cell wall — are removed. Our hybrid fermentation and cell-free approaches unlock latent markets, providing access to sustainably produced, natural ingredients with health benefits that no others can. We are committed to traversing the entire process, from ingredient discovery to the scaling of these products, for consumer markets.
DIC Corporation
DIC Corporation is one of the world's leading fine chemicals companies and the core of the DIC Group, a multinational organization comprising over 190 companies around the globe, including Sun Chemical Corporation, in more than 60 countries and territories. The DIC Group is recognized as a global leader in the markets for a variety of products essential to modern lifestyles, including packaging materials, display materials such as those used in television and computer displays, and high-performance materials for smartphones and other digital devices, as well as for automobiles. Through such products, the Group endeavors to deliver safety and peace of mind, and color and comfort, to people everywhere. The DIC Group also seeks to contribute to a sustainable society by developing innovative products that respond to social change and which help address social imperatives. With annual consolidated net sales exceeding ¥800 billion and 22,000-plus employees worldwide, we pledge to continue working in close cooperation with our customers wherever they are. Please visit our website for more details: https://www.dic-global.com/
Media Contact
Kadie Burton, Debut Biotechnology, 1 406-788-3147, [email protected]
SOURCE Debut Biotechnology
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