SAN MATEO, CALIF. — Calysseo, a joint venture between animal nutrition company Adisseo and protein manufacturer Calysta, announced it has officially begun operations in its new facility located in Chongqing, China. According to Calysseo, the facility is the world’s first industrial-scale facility to produce non-animal- or plant-based protein ingredients.

Calysseo announced the completion of its facility in June 2022, revealing the facility would produce an innovative protein ingredient called FeedKind® for use in aquaculture. With operations underway, first deliveries of FeedKind will be “made to customers soon,” according to Calysseo.

To produce FeedKind, Calysseo uses a novel high-capacity u-loop reactor patented and developed by Calysta, which ferments microorganisms.  Since the ingredient does not rely on any animal- or plant-based materials, FeedKind offers sustainability and food security benefits.

“Today is an incredibly proud moment,” said Alan Shaw, co-founder, chief executive officer and president of Calysta. “We have spent the last 10 years perfecting our technology and it is exciting to have successfully switched on the world’s first industrial-scale alternative protein fermenter. This is a huge step as we aim to help make the world more food secure.

“Cellular agriculture, where protein is grown in a controlled environment, is key to helping the world meet its future food needs and we are proud to be taking the first steps on our journey to hyper-scaling this technology with Adisseo, who we look forward to working with for many years to come,” Shaw added. “This is an exciting time for Calysta as a whole, as we continue to work on bringing a host of additional protein ingredients for food and feed applications to market.”

The new facility will specifically produce FeedKind Aqua, designed for use in fish farming, offering farmers an alternative to standard fishmeal and soy. Initially the facility will serve the Chinese market, one of the world’s largest aquaculture markets.

The company also shared its protein platform is approved for use in livestock feed and pet food applications.

“Food security has increasingly come under the spotlight in recent months, but we are now entering a new era of sustainable food production,” said Jean-Marc Dublanc, chief executive officer of Adisseo. “Calysseo brings to the market a new way of making high-quality protein — and does so using a naturally-occurring microbe that makes the resulting protein non-GMO, something that is increasingly demanded through the supply chain.

“We have a long-running commitment to improving the security and sustainability of the feed ingredient market and Calysseo fulfils a significant part of that pledge,” Dublanc said. “We will provide Chinese customers with a reliable, domestically available supply of protein that meets their specific needs; produced in China for China. We are looking forward to working with our customers as they begin to integrate this product into their supply chains.”

Calysseo partnered with JV Partners to support the construction of its new facility, which overcame several significant challenges caused by COVID-19.

“We are doing something that has never been achieved before at scale, so I’m incredibly proud of our team to have completed the build on-schedule and move so smoothly to successfully switching the fermenter on,” said Pierre Casamatta, co-manging director of Calysseo.“To reach this milestone in such a short time during the enormously challenging implications of COVID-19 is incredibly rewarding and testament to the skill and commitment of the Calysseo team, and that of our JV partners.”

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