Veclin produces so-called heme through natural fermentation. But for the FoodTech startup to make the journey from the lab to the market, it needs more than just a good idea.

Fermentation for more flavor

Plant-based meat alternatives should not only be sustainable but also taste great. The Osnabrück-based biotechnology startup Veclin is developing a naturally fermented heme for this purpose. This molecule is responsible, among other things, for the typical taste and color of meat. Veclin produces it without animal products and without the use of genetically modified organisms.

In this episode we'll be talking about...

• how the idea for Veclin came about,

• what heme has to do with the taste of plant-based foods,

• why biotechnological processes cannot simply be transferred from the laboratory to industrial scale,

• what role upstream and downstream processes play,

• why novel food processes pose a particular challenge for startups,

• how the bioprocess database from Niedersachsen.next facilitates access to facilities and know-how,

• the significance of funding programs, incubators and networks for DeepTech and FoodTech startups,

• and what contribution biotechnology can make to more sustainable food production in the future.

Guest

• Niklas Wolfering, co-founder of Veclin LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/niklas-wolfering-b11697218/ 

• Anna Loraine Hartmann, Topic Manager Agriculture, Food & Forestry at Niedersachsen.next LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-loraine-hartmann-40b839bb/ 

Moderation

• Dr. Katja Kulke, DVM, EIP Agri and Bioeconomy Topic Manager at Niedersachsen.next. Profile and LinkedIn link:  https://www.eip-nds.de/ansprechpartner.html   https://www.linkedin.com/in/katja-kulke-7b2560333/ 

Companies and networks

• Veclin:  https://www.veclin.com/ 

• Veclin on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/veclin/ 

• Veclin in the Seedhouse portfolio:  https://www.seedhouse.de/de/growing-startups/veclin 

• Niedersachsen.next:  https://niedersachsen-next.de/ 

• Bioprocess database:  https://innomatch.nds.de/m/bioprozesstechnik  And further information:  https://niedersachsen-next.de/bioprozess-datenbank/ 

• Seedhouse Osnabrück:  https://www.seedhouse.de/ 

• German Institute of Food Technologies, DIL:  https://www.dil-ev.de/ 

• EIP Agri Lower Saxony:  https://www.eip-nds.de/ 

Funding and programs

• High-tech incubators in Lower Saxony:  https://startup.nds.de/ 

• NBank, Investment and Development Bank of Lower Saxony:  https://www.nbank.de/ 

• Innovation funding in Lower Saxony:  https://www.nbank.de/Förderprogramme/ 

• European Regional Development Fund (ERDF):  https://www.europa-fuer-niedersachsen.niedersachsen.de/ 

• High-tech Agenda Germany:  https://www.bmbf.de/ 

• Information on novel foods from the European Commission:  https://food.ec.europa.eu/food-safety/novel-food_en 

• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA):  https://www.efsa.europa.eu/ 

Listen to the podcast

"Harvesting the Future – Fields, Forests, and Animals" is a podcast from Niedersachsen.next in the "next insight" series, covering topics from the fields of agriculture, food, and forestry.  https://niedersachsen-next.de/next-insight/