Corn-based biomanufacturing of brazzein, a natural high-intensity sweetener for low-ph food applications
GreenLab offers a scalable plant-based production platform that expresses the natural sweet protein brazzein in corn, enabling low-pH food and beverage applications without the capacity limits of precision fermentation. The approach leverages existing agricultural infrastructure to deliver sustainable, high-volume manufacturing of next-generation protein ingredients.
Overview
GreenLab has developed a proprietary corn-based expression platform, known as GreenLab Vector Technology (GVT), that transforms traditional cornfields into scalable manufacturing sites for recombinant proteins. The first commercial target is brazzein, a naturally occurring high-intensity sweet protein well suited for low-pH food and beverage formulations where many conventional sweeteners lose performance. By producing brazzein directly in corn rather than through precision fermentation, GreenLab aims to remove the production bottlenecks that have limited the availability of natural high-intensity sweeteners and to enable cost-effective, large-scale supply for CPG and ingredient markets.
Technical specifications
- Host system: Corn, used as a high-yield, scalable expression platform for recombinant proteins and enzymes
- Core product: Brazzein, a naturally occurring high-intensity sweet protein targeted at low-pH applications
- Production approach: Plant-based biomanufacturing that uses traditional agricultural practices, requiring no agronomic or mechanical changes
- Scalability: Designed for near-infinite scale-up by expanding corn acreage rather than adding fermentation capacity
- Sustainability profile: Reduced inputs and environmental impact compared with precision fermentation-based protein production
- Regulatory status: Brazzein is currently being submitted for FDA GRAS approval
- Platform extensibility: Applicable to additional high-value proteins and enzymes across food, energy, industrial, and pharmaceutical sectors
Technology readiness level
Brazzein has already been produced in corn at GreenLab, and the crop is currently growing in a field as part of ongoing validation. The next steps include completing the regulatory phase for brazzein and scaling up biomanufacturing by increasing planted corn acreage. The platform is positioned at an advanced development stage with active regulatory engagement and a clear path to commercial-scale production.
About GreenLab
GreenLab is a biotechnology company that has developed a proprietary platform, known as the GreenLab Vector Technology (GVT) platform, which utilizes corn as a high-yield, scalable system for the expression of recombinant proteins and enzymes. By leveraging traditional agricultural farming practices without requiring agronomic or mechanical changes, the company transforms cornfields into efficient manufacturing sites for next-generation proteins. This approach offers a sustainable alternative to traditional biomanufacturing methods like precision fermentation, enabling the production of high-value proteins—such as brazzein, a high-intensity sweetener—at a commercial scale with reduced inputs and significant scalability.
The platform addresses critical production bottlenecks in protein design and enzyme engineering, offering partners a path to market for sustainable ingredients in the food, energy, industrial, and pharmaceutical sectors. By integrating proprietary protein expression systems into corn, GreenLab helps companies optimize production costs and environmental impact, providing an end-to-end manufacturing solution. The company actively collaborates with industry partners, such as AI-driven ingredient discovery firms, to scale the production of novel functional proteins for CPG markets and beyond, demonstrating the commercial viability of its plant-based expression system.
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