Precision fermentation platform for cost-effective production of sweet proteins brazzein and thaumatin

Overview

This solution addresses the growing demand for natural, high-intensity sweeteners by using precision fermentation to produce the sweet proteins Brazzein and Thaumatin in a non-conventional yeast host. Brazzein and Thaumatin are proteins that are orders of magnitude sweeter than sucrose and are approved or under review for food use. Current production methods are expensive, limiting widespread adoption. This platform aims to lower production costs to be competitive with existing sweeteners on the market, enabling broader use in food and beverage formulations.

The value proposition centers on three pillars: sustainability, cost efficiency, and scalability. By using a yeast capable of rapid, high-density growth in bioreactors and feeding it on inexpensive substrates, including plant waste streams, the process reduces both environmental impact and raw material costs. A powerful secretory system simplifies downstream purification, further reducing overall production expenses.

Technical specifications

Key features and capabilities:

• Non-conventional yeast chassis optimized for high-density fermentation and rapid growth in bioreactors
• Robust native secretory pathway enabling extracellular release of target proteins, which simplifies purification and reduces processing costs
• Flexible feedstock utilization, including low-cost substrates derived from plant waste streams
• Established genetic toolbox for strain engineering, enabling yield optimization and product diversification
• Optimized strains already created, harboring expression and secretion cassettes for both Brazzein and Thaumatin
• Ongoing high-throughput secretome study to further enhance the cell factory for cost-efficient protein production
• Compatibility with industrial processing conditions, as Brazzein and Thaumatin are water-soluble and exhibit high stability at low pH and elevated temperatures
• Planned application of cutting-edge synthetic biology methods to improve yields and productivities
• Roadmap toward pilot-scale production using various feedstocks once viable yields are achieved

Technology readiness level

The platform is currently at a mid-stage development level. Optimized yeast strains with expression and secretion cassettes for Brazzein and Thaumatin have already been constructed. The team has secured dedicated funding for a comprehensive high-throughput exploration of the yeast secretome to further improve the cell factory. Future validation steps include verifying the stability of the recombinant proteins under industrial processing conditions, establishing partnerships for formulation work to evaluate mouthfeel and taste, streamlining purification based on secretome data, applying synthetic biology tools to boost yields, and scaling production to pilot scale using diverse feedstocks. The technology is not yet commercially deployed and requires further yield improvements and scale-up validation before market readiness.