Fermentation technology is rapidly expanding globally to create novel and sustainable sources of food, nutraceuticals, natural alternatives to synthetic products and pharmaceuticals.

Our deep expertise in bench to pilot scale submerged liquid fermentation, including precision fermentation, offers scalable solutions to innovators developing alternative proteins, novel probiotics and crop, animal and human health products.  

We are the only end-to-end facility in New Zealand with the upstream development, pilot scale fermentation capability and downstream processing for accelerating bioprocessing. 

When this is helpful

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You want to develop and scale alternatives to animal ingredients
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You need access to upstream and downstream processing for end-to-end development – from 1 L to 1,000 L
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You want to leverage our synthetic biology platform for microbial engineering for making metabolites, enzymes or proteins of interest
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You want to de-risk and validate your product in a pilot-scale system
biomass fermentation   R&D Fermentation 2

Fermentation for whole cell products

Maximise microbial biomass as a natural ingredient.

We have extensive experience in scaling up biomass fermentation as a submerged fermentation process, using a range of microoganisms; bacteria, yeast, and filamentous fungi.  

When this is helpful

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You want to scaleup a probiotic, natural health or agritech product
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You need to access expertise in fermentation process development towards high biomass yields
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You want to convert the growth of your filamentous fungus to submerged liquid culture
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You need to access expertise in harvesting, drying and packaging your whole cell product to boost live cell numbers

Capabilities

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Breadth of experience in growing a range of bacteria, yeast, and filamentous fungi in submerged liquid culture
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Upstream process design and downstream integration up to 1,000 L
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PC2 facilities from 1 L to 1,000 L
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Aerobic and anaerobic culturing expertise
Biological Containment Facilities PC1PC2

Precision Fermentation

Exploit the cellular machinery to make functional natural ingredients.

Use microorganisms to produce high value proteins, enzymes, lipids, bioactives and more. 

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You want to produce an animal, human or plant free alternative to a natural product ingredient
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You need synthetic biology expertise to engineer microbes to produce your product or enhance the production of your product of interest
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You need access to a scale up facility to get your precision fermentation process ready for manufacturing
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You want to produce a highly pure naturally derived pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, animal health or crop health ingredient

Capabilities

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Fermentation of GMO microorganisms up to 1,000 L
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PC2 facilities from 1 L to 1,000 L
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Upstream process design and downstream integration up to 1,000 L
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Synthetic biology expertise for a range of bacteria, yeast, and filamentous fungi platforms
Microorganisms in a petri dish - photo by Wassily Kandark

Optimising growth conditions of microorganisms

Optimise your fermentation conditions for maximum yield and purity.

We design media and growth environments tailored to your specific microbial strain. Ensuring an efficient, cost-effective and maximised yields of your target compound.

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You are looking to improve fermentation performance and consistency
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Regulatory or market-specific compliance is important
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You want to optimise media to remove specific ingredients, such as animal products
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You want to make media that can be tested from flasks to 1,000 L, ready for larger scale production
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You want to de-risk your project by considering all elements of your bioprocessing
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You want to troubleshoot a product defect
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You need to reduce the cost of your feedstock ingredients or fermentation process

Capabilities

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Screening of nitrogen sources, carbon sources, and additives
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Screening fermentation parameters e.g. pH, temperature, oxygen, agitation
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Design of experiment (DOE) approach
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Upstream and downstream process development towards higher product yields
Fermentation   technology transfer   photo by Donovan Kelly

Technology transfer

Get ready for manufacturing with a complete, transferable process package.

When you are ready to produce your product, we can provide a complete technical package to provide to a commercial manufacturer.  

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You are looking to accelerate your time to commercialisation
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De-risking your scale up is top of mind
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You need a smooth handover from lab to production

Capabilities

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Complete fermentation process documentation
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Validation of process up to 1,000 L scale
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Guidance on local manufacturing partnerships

Meet our experts

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Abishek Muralidhar
Abishek Muralidhar Senior Scientist Commercial product development from biotech research

As a Senior Scientist in the Proteins and Enzymes team, my main focus is the development of extraction and purification strategies and analysis of high value proteins and enzymes.

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Abishek Muralidhar Senior Scientist
Craig van Dolleweerd
Craig van Dolleweerd Senior Scientist Using synthetic biology to generate innovative applications

I am a Senior Scientist in the Protein Science & Engineering (PSE) team within the Biotechnologies group. As a molecular biologist, I have worked on bacterial, plant and mammalian recombinant protein expression systems.

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Craig van Dolleweerd Senior Scientist
Rebecca Edgar
Rebecca Edgar Team Leader Bioprocessing & Fermentation (acting) Huge biotechnology potential from microbiology

I’m a Team Leader Bioprocessing & Fermentation (acting) working in the Fermentation and Microbiology group. My background is in Biochemistry and I’m skilled in a variety of molecular biology and microbiology techniques, as well as small scale fermentation.

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Rebecca Edgar Team Leader Bioprocessing & Fermentation (acting)
Stephanie Harvey
Stephanie Harvey Principal Fermentation Scientist Fermented food products and process optimisation

I work as a Principal Fermentation Scientist within the Bioprocessing & Fermentation team. My expertise lies in developing new products and technologies, supporting commercialisation and providing ongoing business support for a wide range of fermented products.

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Stephanie Harvey Principal Fermentation Scientist
Shuguang Zhang
Shuguang Zhang Principal Research Scientist Manipulating microorganisms for product commercialisation

I am Shuguang Zhang, a Principal Research Scientist specialising in Bioprocessing and Fermentation in the field of Biotechnologies. My training is in microbiology and I work manipulating microorganisms, including bacteria, filamentous fungi, and yeasts, at both molecular and flask/agar plate scales.

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Shuguang Zhang Principal Research Scientist
Callum Lambert
Callum Lambert Senior Scientist Design of complex cultures for commercialisation

I am a Senior Scientist specialising in Bioprocessing and Fermentation where my expertise lies in the culture of fastidious microorganisms and pathogens, cloning and microbiome research.

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Callum Lambert Senior Scientist
CTA TeMuka

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