Fonterra and Superbrewed Food partner to advance biomass protein technology

13 Aug 2024 --- Dairy cooperative Fonterra has joined forces with natural ingredient manufacturer Superbrewed Food to advance sustainable food production. The partnership will combine Superbrewed’s biomass protein platform with Fonterra’s expertise in dairy processing, ingredients and applications to develop additional nutrient-rich, functional biomass protein. 

The companies note that their collaboration addresses the growing demand for protein and reflects their commitment to delivering sustainably sourced, functional proteins. The partnership will build on Supberbrewed’s commercially launched patented biomass protein — Postbiotic Cultured Protein. The protein is a non-GMO, allergen-free, nutrient-dense bacteria biomass protein. 

Chris Ireland, GM of innovation partnerships at Fonterra, comments: “Partnering with Superbrewed Foods is a fantastic opportunity. Their cutting-edge technology aligns with our mission to provide sustainable nutritional solutions to the world and respond to the global demand for protein solutions, thereby creating more value from milk for our farmers.”

Fermented protein 

Fonterra determined through ingredient evaluations that Superbrewed’s Postbiotic Cultured Protein complements dairy ingredients in food ingredients with growing consumer demand. Moreover, Superbrewed notes that its fermentation platform could be adapted to ferment other inputs. 

Bryan Tracy, CEO of Superbrewed Food, comments: “We are excited to be partnering with a company of Fonterra’s stature, as it recognizes the value in bringing Postbiotic Cultured Protein to market and is a pivotal step toward expanding our offerings of biomass ingredients that further contribute to sustainable food production.”

In the multi-year effort, the partners seek to develop new biomass protein solutions based on fermenting multi-feedstocks, including Fonterra’s lactose permeate, produced during dairy processing. The companies aim to add value to this lactose by converting it into high-quality, sustainable protein with Superbrewed’s technology. 

Postbiotic market access 

Superbrewed Food has been expanding in the US market. Earlier this year, the US FDA granted its postbiotic cultured protein the generally recognized as safe status, enabling it to be adopted by US F&B brands in dairy and alternative dairy applications. 

Superbrewed Foods also obtained a US patent for its postbiotic protein, granting it 18 years of market exclusivity for the production, use and commercialization of all forms of bacterial-biomass proteins. 

Meanwhile, the company partnered with Döhler to scale its postbiotic protein ingredient production, aiming to expand its commercial offerings across North America throughout 2024, specifically in dairy and alternative dairy. 

At the same time, at the beginning of this year, Nutrition Insight talked to Fonterra regarding its strategy to diversify and move into popular health and wellness categories, such as gut health and functional foods.