The Protein Digest

KKR explores sale of Flora Food Group at up to $10bn valuation. The private equity firm is reportedly seeking up to $10bn for the portfolio, which includes Flora, Becel, Violife, and Bertolli, after revenues fell 8.7% in 2024. (foodnavigator.com)

Beyond Meat shares surge as U.S. Army explores plant protein rations. The U.S. Army's DEVCOM Soldier Center issued a Sources Sought notice for research into plant protein food products aimed at strengthening supply chain resilience, sending Beyond Meat shares up roughly 22%. (benzinga.com)

Green Boy Group leads early-stage investment in alfalfa-derived RuBisCO protein startup Fudi Protein. The deal backs Fudi Protein's proprietary alfalfa extraction method for producing RuBisCO protein, which offers broad functionality across dairy, beverage, and baking applications. (prnewswire.com)

3D printing and robotics expand additive manufacturing in food production. Revo Foods has scaled its plant-based seafood production to 2,500 units per day, while byFlow, Chef Robotics, and KUKA are applying 3D printing and robotic assembly to chocolate, meals, and pizza. (foodengineeringmag.com)

Systematic review backs Ahiflower oil as efficient plant-based omega-3 source. A systematic review of more than 120 papers found that stearidonic acid from Ahiflower oil raises EPA levels in human blood up to four times more effectively than standard plant omega-3 sources, potentially reducing reliance on marine-derived supplements. (nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com)

University of Queensland launches food innovation hub for start-ups. The FaBA MakerSpace, part of Australia's AUD 370 million Trailblazer Universities Program, offers low-cost prototyping, food-grade processing, and packaging technologies aimed at reducing the cost and risk of early-stage food innovation for small businesses. (foodingredientsfirst.com)

McWin sees food-tech capital shifting to infrastructure and ingredient innovation. Martin Davalos, partner and head of food-tech at the growth-stage firm, said capital is flowing toward functional ingredients, AI-driven discovery, microbial fermentation, and supply-chain resilience tools rather than consumer-facing disruption. (foodbev.com)

Solar Foods secures EU funding to showcase hydrogen-based protein production. The Finnish company received EUR 350,000 through the BalticSeaH2 initiative to expand Solein manufacturing at its Factory 01 facility, demonstrating hydrogen's role in microbial fermentation-based food ingredient production. (inderes.fi)

AgrofoodBIC invests in Argentine bioinputs startup Nunatak. The Italian open innovation hub's first international portfolio move targets an Eatable Adventures–backed company developing extremophile-derived microbiological inputs to combat soil degradation and climate stress. (Protein Report)

Fermeate raises $2m seed round for optogenetics-based fermentation platform. The California startup uses light-sensitive proteins to control gene expression during microbial fermentation, claiming up to 200% increases in protein production and the ability to retrofit existing industrial fermenters at a fraction of the cost of new bioreactors. (agfundernews.com)

Orf Genetics uses barley to cut cell-culture growth factor costs. The Icelandic company produces growth factors in barley seeds rather than E. coli, supplying around 150 firms including Mosa Meat and Vow at significantly lower cost. (foodnavigator.com)

Ajinomoto develops hinokitiol-based technology to cut cell-cultured meat costs. The proprietary compound is designed to replace transferrin in culture media, targeting serum-free, large-scale production at lower cost. Ajinomoto shares have surged roughly 67% over the past year, with analysts debating whether further upside remains. (simplywall.st)

Ammonia from pig farms boosts soil nitrous oxide emissions, study finds. Researchers measured nitrous oxide levels at distances of 50 to 500 meters from an intensive pig operation in central China, finding that ammonia deposition stimulated soil microbes to produce the potent greenhouse gas at rates slightly above standard international emission factors. (thepigsite.com)

Baldwin bill targets wildlife disease coordination after avian flu kills millions of birds in Wisconsin. The Wildlife Health Coordination and Zoonotic Disease Prevention Act would create six federal coordinator roles to improve interagency communication on outbreaks affecting wildlife, livestock, and humans, following the loss of 11.6 million birds in Wisconsin since 2022. (baldwin.senate.gov)

USDA proposals to raise meat processing line speeds draw widespread opposition. The agency proposed raising chicken slaughter rates to 175 birds per minute and eliminating the cap on swine line speeds, drawing more than 40,000 opposing public comments citing risks to worker safety, public health, and the environment. (grist.org)

U.S. Congress weighs sweeping meat labeling and processing reforms. Bills address beef country-of-origin labeling, interstate sales of state-inspected products, small-processor support, labeling requirements for plant-based and cell-cultured products, and tribal processing authority. (provisioneronline.com)

Study exposes Brazil's antimicrobial monitoring gaps in livestock sector. A comparative study published in Science in One Health finds that the world's largest animal protein exporter lacks a unified system for tracking veterinary antibiotic use, unlike the UK and the Netherlands, and outlines concrete steps to close the gap. (eurekalert.org)

Canadian salmon genomics lab gutted by DFO budget cuts. Roughly half the team at DFO's Molecular Genetics Laboratory in Nanaimo has been removed, and remaining staff are being reassigned as the agency dissolves a program that pioneered genomic tools used in more than 200 salmon health studies. (thetyee.ca)

Florida restricts livestock imports from South Texas over screwworm threat. An emergency rule requires veterinary inspections for livestock from six Rio Grande Valley counties after a screwworm case was confirmed in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, about 60 miles from the Texas border. (houstonpublicmedia.org)

Moolec Science hits industrialization milestone with high-GLA safflower platform. The company's 2025 GLASO1 safflower campaign exceeded all internal forecasts, delivering industrial-scale volumes of high-purity gamma-linolenic acid oil now ready for commercial delivery, with expansion planned into human nutrition and renewable energy feedstocks. (morningstar.com)