The start-up Fitolon, established on the basis of technologies of Weizmann Institute of Science scientists, will try to move the global food industry to natural food colors
Flowers attract pollinating insects to them with their spectacular colors. Similarly, the food companies also tempt us with ice creams, drinks or even cheeses in appetizing colors. In recent years, public awareness has been increasing that artificial food colors may have unwanted health effects. In response, the food industry is gradually switching to the use of natural food colors. However, synthetic food colors still make up a significant part of the market - both due to the low production price and due to their properties that allow the food companies greater control over the products. Phytolon, a new start-up company established on the basis of technologies of Weizmann Institute of Science scientists, is developing an innovative solution that may greatly increase the use of natural food colors in the food industry through a cheap, reliable and safe solution for the production of vegetable pigments known as betalains.
Beets, cacti fruits as well as certain flowers, such as bougainvillea, produce betalain pigments in a wide range of colors ranging from dark purple to yellow. The betalains are relatively rare compared to other groups of plant pigments, and until recently very little was known about how they are formed. In the research group of Prof. Assaf Aharoni from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, which specializes in the metabolism and natural substances of plants, using advanced genomic technologies, they identified which genes are involved in the creation of betalains. Following this discovery, the scientists developed a technology for the production of the pigments using genetically engineered yeasts that secrete betalains into the substrate in which they grow.
The betalains are responsible for the appearance of some of nature's most beautiful plants. In addition, they are also healthy, soluble in water and more stable compared to other natural food colors - therefore good candidates for use in a wide variety of food products"
Based on these discoveries, Fitlon is developing an innovative technological solution for the economical and reliable production of natural food colors. The company operates within the Israeli incubators of the Trendlines group with the support of the Israel Innovation Authority. The Trendlines Group and the "Knowledge Research and Development" company, the applications arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science, recently signed a license agreement granted exclusively to Pitolon.
"The betalains are responsible for the appearance of some of the most beautiful plants in nature. In addition, they are also healthy, soluble in water and more stable compared to other natural food colors, so they are good candidates for use in a wide variety of food products," said the company's CEO, Dr. Halim Jubran, to a news website of the American food industry. "Betalines are currently used in the market in an indirect way, for example in beetroot extracts meant for coloring strawberry-flavored yogurt and other products. However, this method is limited and very 'dirty' - the color concentration in the extracts is low and includes accompanying flavorings that are not necessarily desirable, and the range of colors is very limited. The identification of the genes involved in the creation of betalains in Prof. Aharoni's laboratory allows us to offer a solution of a completely different order."
The global food coloring market is currently estimated at about 3 billion dollars and is divided equally between producers of synthetic and natural food colors. The growing demand of consumers for healthier food colors is expected to further increase the market share of natural food color manufacturers in the coming decades.
Trendlines Group is an investment company that locates, develops and nurtures innovative technological entrepreneurs in the fields of medicine and agriculture. The company, which is traded on the Singapore Stock Exchange, provides the portfolio companies operating within it with technological and business accompaniment and support throughout all stages of development. Trendlines operates a technological incubator in Israel with government support and an incubator in the medical field in Singapore.
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