DIC Corporation has reportedly inked a joint research development agreement with biotech startup Debut Biotechnology Inc. This move is in line with the efforts of DIC to produce organic pigments for cosmetics and food colorants.
There has been a significant rise in demand for naturally-derived, biodegradable colorants, especially in the cosmetics and food industry, amid growing concerns of climate change. These colorants will replace the existing ones derived from synthetic petroleum. Such growing consumer demand has encouraged key global brands to explore sustainable materials for manufacturing products.
However, the increasing endeavors of extracting useful pigments from organic materials like plants and flowers still face substantial challenges in commercialization. This includes undesirably low yields, environmental burdens like excessive water and land use, and excessive generation of post-extraction waste. In addition, agriculture-related issues like unstable climate along with quantitative and qualitative fluctuations are still restrictions on efficient production.
Several organizations are researching methods to culture yeast, algae, or bacteria efficiently using inter-cell biological reactions for producing necessary materials. However, these reactions generate by-products that continue to hamper attempts of performing the reaction processes under optimized conditions.
The proprietary next-gen continuous cell-free biomanufacturing tech of Debut overcomes these conventional biomanufacturing restraints. It retains enzymes and other cell parts, while eliminating restraining parts.
By working with crucial cell enzymes under optimized conditions, Debut Biotech develops optimized reactions, incorporates high-purity stable targets to manufacture biomaterials continuously and efficiently, along with other active ingredients that were previously disregarded owing to low yield of materials.
The Chief Executive Officer of Debut, Joshua Britton, supposedly commented that the company’s advanced platform for cell-free biomanufacturing platform has made it capable of producing color ingredients that could not be produced with conventional biomanufacturing methods based on fermentation.
He added that the colors made by Debut are derived from natural resources with significantly less inputs, less energy and waste, without using any petrochemicals. According to Britton, Debut has expressed its anticipation at collaborating with DIC, as it is an established organization in the color ingredients sector.
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