Amyris and Minerva Foods complete JV to scale low carbon protein production platform

In California, Amyris, Inc. completed a previously announced joint venture agreement with MF 92 VENTURES LLC, a Minerva Foods subsidiary, to develop molecules for the sustainable production and distribution of animal protein. Minerva and Amyris will collaborate on the development, scale-up and production of new target molecules, which Minerva will fund and bring to market commercially.

The Joint Venture between Amyris and Minerva will be focused on enhancing the sustainability of the Brazilian meat exporting market, which is the largest in the world.

Minerva and Amyris will collaborate on the development, scale-up and production of new target molecules, which Minerva will fund and bring to market commercially. The new molecules will target several sustainability objectives, including improving and lowering the carbon intensity of producing animal protein; sustainable packaging; and fermentation-based, natural preservatives that facilitate the transport of meat around the world. Additionally, the parties expect to work on the production of fermentation-based protein as an alternative to animal-based protein.

Relevant regulatory approvals have been attained for the development and scale-up of a vertical technology and commercialization platform that aims to transform the way protein is produced. The Joint Venture is expected to generate first license revenue for Amyris before the end of 2021 and deliver first commercial production of its initial targets in 2022.