🚀 Five Breakthrough Technologies Driving Down COGS in Fermentation-Based Biomanufacturing

Since E. coli was first used to produce human insulin, precision fermentation has become a cornerstone of biomanufacturing. By combining synthetic biology and fermentation, we’ve unlocked entirely new production capabilities—from alternative proteins to high-value ingredients.

But for precision fermentation to scale globally—especially for low-cost commodity products—we need to drive down manufacturing costs and increase yield.

Here are five companies developing game-changing technologies that could help make fermentation-based production more cost-effective in 2025 (and beyond):

🔥 Enduro (Denmark) – Engineered microbes that "addict" themselves to high production rates. Their genetic ‘plugin’ ensures microbes couple growth with high yields, boosting overall productivity.

🌱 Hyfé (USA) – Transforming sugary wastewater from food manufacturers (breweries, corn mills, etc.) into low-cost fermentation feedstock, replacing expensive purified sugars like dextrose.

🦠 Wild Microbes (USA) – Searching the one trillion microbial species on Earth to find high-yield, industrial microbes, building the world’s most diverse strain catalog.

🌾 Toray & Mitsui (Japan) – Using enzymes to convert inedible plant waste (e.g., sugarcane bagasse) into affordable fermentation feedstock, reducing reliance on traditional sugars.

🔄 Cauldron (Australia) – Developing continuous precision fermentation, replacing traditional batch and fed-batch systems. Their goal? Smaller, smarter, and more scalable biomanufacturing facilities.

💡 What did I miss? Which other breakthrough technologies are set to increase yields and slash costs for fermentation-based products?