PARIS — Agricultural biotechnology company Arbiom announced that its SYLPLANT project has recently received a €14 million ($15.1 million USD) grant from the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU). The project will involve constructing a facility in France to offer sustainable ingredients for use in food, aqua feed and pet food.

The SYLPLANT project consists of a consortium of 17 partners spanning the entire gamut of food and feed value chains, from feed processors to retailers. Co-founded by the CBE JU, the project seeks to help Arbiom ramp up production of its flagship ingredient: SylPro®.

“We are convinced that collaborating with strong market partners of the feed and food sectors will enable to accelerate the development of next generation ingredients,” said Amélie Drouault, vice president of business development, Arbiom.

The new project builds upon Arbiom’s Sylfeed project, through which the company was able to scale up its technology and validate the performance of SylPro. The ingredient is a single-cell protein that offers both health and environmental benefits. SylPro boasts a balanced essential amino acid profile, contains functional fibers and offers high digestibility to support gut and microbiome health. Alongside its health benefits, the ingredient also boasts a low carbon footprint, high flexibility in a variety of feedstock, and can serve as a replacement for traditional proteins.

According to Arbiom, SylPro can be used in a variety of animal nutrition applications and has been tested in both cat and dog diets. It can be used in both wet and dry formulas, as well as pet treats and snacks.

As part of the SYLPLANT project, Arbiom will construct its first plant in France.

“This factory paves the way to Arbiom’s industrial deployment,” said Marc Chevrel, chief executive officer, Arbiom. “It will bring 10,000 tons per year of alternative, highly nutritional and sustainable protein to the market to answer the future food needs.”

The project will also help Arbiom further validate the use of SylPro in feed applications and gather consumer insights. It will also allow the consortium to develop the “next generation” of food products and specialized nutritional products using Arbiom’s ingredient.

“CBE JU is very proud to co-fund this pioneering project,” said Nicoló Giacomuzzi-Moore, executive director of CBE JU. “SYLPLANT is the perfect answer to ensure European food security and sovereignty and so contributes to the viability of the food system.”

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