The Live Green Co. Unveils Yeast-Derived Breast Milk Fat and Gut Health Postbiotic – vegconomist
The Live Green Co. (TLGC), a US food tech company headquartered in Boston since 2022, unveils two active functional ingredients developed with precision fermentation: GreenTAGs — an analog of human breast milk fat known as OPO — and GutRevyv, a postbiotic for gut health.
Human milk fat, mainly containing Triacylglycerols or OPO, plays a crucial role in infant development and health: It benefits nutrient absorption, supports neurodevelopment, boosts immunity, favors gut health, and promotes infant well-being.
“Our human milk fat (Triacylglycerols ) innovation is a significant stride in infant nutrition”
Yeast-derived, GreenTAGs is said to closely mimic the nutritional profile of this human milk fat providing essential nutrients for infants. The functional ingredient is described as a game-changing alternative to the commonly used vegetable oils in infant formulas, capable of bridging the nutritional gap between breast milk and formula feeding.
CEO and co-founder Sasikanth Chemalamudi explains that the company’s technology prevents fat degradation through gene deletion and increases Triacylglycerol molecules and overall fat production, addressing quality, scalability, and commercial viability issues.
He shared: “Our human milk fat (Triacylglycerols ) innovation is a significant stride in infant nutrition. This innovative solution not only provides infants with essential nutrients that are crucial for their development but also addresses the shortcomings of traditional formulas by mimicking the unique composition of human milk fat.”
Gut health revolution
GutRevyv Postbiotics is an active functional ingredient (AFI) that supports gut health made with postbiotic strains developed in-house. The Live Green Co. claims its strains create more beneficial compounds than current solutions in a single and cost-efficient co-fermentation process. The company’s current capabilities reach 100 L.
According to the company, postbiotics are a safer alternative to probiotics as they are not live microbes. They have standardized usage, are easier to produce and store, and have a longer shelf life. With stability in high pH, heat, and alcohol, they can be used in multiple products, from ready-to-drink beverages to confectionery, as well as in nutraceutical and personal care products.
Dr. Kavish Kumar, Director of Precision Fermentation at The Live Green Co., commented: “Our process demonstrates a high level of standardization, repeatability, ease of scalability and commercially viable yields in existing food fermentation facilities.”
The greater good
TLGC leverages Charaka, a technology and data science platform developed by the company’s team to discover plant-based alternatives to animal, artificial, or ultra-processed ingredients for the food and health care industries.
Its approach to precision fermentation and plant-based alternatives aims to address concerns about wildlife decline, carbon footprint, and biodiversity conservation in ingredients production. According to the company, there are 10 million natural compounds and 450,000 plant species, making the AI platform a powerful analyzing tool for innovation. Charaka features plant, protein, gene, and microbial strain databases.
Last year, the Malaysian pharmaceutical giant Duopharma Biotech Berhad invested $1 million in TLGC to develop plant-powered pharmaceutical products and functional foods.
Chemalamudi states, “Our mission at Live Green is to leverage deep tech/science for the greater good. In light of the pandemic’s spotlight on health and immune systems, we’ve been rapidly evolving our scientific vision and deliverables.”
Based in the US, the company operates a test pilot market in and a precision fermentation division in Chile and headquarters in Singapore. Additionally, it has a Charaka team in Bangalore, India. The Live Green Co. offers licenses and/or sells its active functional ingredients to ingredient, food, and consumer healthcare companies.
