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By Agroempresario.com
As the food and beverage industry undergoes a seismic shift toward clean-label ingredients, a Canadian startup is emerging as a category-defining innovator. Chinova Bioworks, based in Canada and co-founded by CEO Natasha Dhayagude and COO David Brown, is transforming discarded mushroom stalks into high-performing, natural preservatives that meet the modern consumer’s demand for health, sustainability, and transparency.
The company’s flagship ingredient, Chiber, is a natural preservative made from upcycled white button mushroom fibers. It consists of 96% chitosan and up to 5% beta-glucans, offering broad-spectrum protection against spoilage organisms like mold, yeast, and pathogenic bacteria including Listeria, E. coli, and Salmonella. Chiber can effectively replace synthetic preservatives like sorbate and benzoate, maintaining product quality without compromising food safety.
Even before the rise of the MAHA ("Make America Healthy Again") movement, demand for natural preservatives was gaining ground. Now, with increased regulatory scrutiny and public debate led by figures such as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr., the pace has quickened.
“Consumer demand was already driving us forward,” says Brown. “But the MAHA movement has accelerated the shift. We're now in conversations with brands we never expected to work with—companies that had no incentive to drop synthetic preservatives before, but are now under pressure from their customers.”
Chiber is designed to meet the requirements of modern food and beverage manufacturers. It’s pH stable (2–6.5), heat resistant, and has been granted “no questions” GRAS status by the FDA. Its hypothesized mode of action? The positively charged chitosan likely disrupts negatively charged microbial membranes, leading to cell death.
One area where Chiber is making a noticeable impact is non-alcoholic beer, a category that has exploded in popularity in recent years. “Once you remove alcohol from beer, you're essentially left with barley juice—very susceptible to spoilage,” explains Brown. “Craft breweries, which often operate in less-than-sterile environments, are especially vulnerable.”
The usual solution is tunnel pasteurization, which increases shelf life but mutes flavor and decreases carbonation. Chiber offers a better alternative: it delivers comparable shelf stability without degrading taste or mouthfeel.
The story is similar in premium sodas, energy drinks, and sports beverages, where pasteurization can affect not just flavor but also nutrient content. “With Chiber, brands can eliminate pasteurization, cut costs, and offer a better-tasting, more functional beverage,” says Brown.
Since its founding in 2016, Chinova has experienced exponential growth. The team has grown from 35 employees to 60 in two years. The company is active across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of South America, with regulatory approval in the EU expected by early next year.
Three years ago, Chinova reached profitability. It hasn’t needed new investment since then, despite doubling its revenues annually. “We’ve turned the corner,” says Brown. “We’re now serving larger clients, and I wouldn't be surprised if we tripled our revenue this year.”
Chinova is currently expanding its main production facility in Prince Edward Island and working with Giorgio, a top U.S. mushroom grower, to source mushroom stalks. Additionally, the company is exploring smaller satellite plants in Australia and Brazil to decentralize operations and reduce shipping needs.
Beyond preservatives, Chinova is also making strides with MycoKleer, a vegan fining agent used to clarify beverages such as beer, juice, and cold brew coffee. MycoKleer binds to unwanted particles—yeasts, tannins, proteins—and can replace animal- and synthetic-based agents like gelatin, bentonite, PVPP, and isinglass.
This natural agent also reduces or eliminates mechanical filtration in some processes. “Many breweries spend hundreds of thousands annually on filters,” Brown explains. “MycoKleer simplifies and speeds up clarification at a much lower cost.”
The product is gaining traction especially in the craft brewing sector and among manufacturers of plant-based beverages looking to align their production methods with consumer values.
A major pillar of Chinova’s value proposition is sustainability. By upcycling mushroom stalks—a byproduct often discarded by mushroom producers—Chinova promotes a circular economy model. This reduces food waste while creating value-added products with clear environmental and economic benefits.
Chinova’s approach positions it not just as an ingredient supplier, but as a partner in sustainable innovation, attracting clients who want their products to be as eco-conscious as they are healthy.
With global conversations around food additives intensifying, Chinova Bioworks finds itself in a favorable position. Its natural solutions align with the future of food—transparent, functional, and sustainable.
“Consumers don’t want ingredients they can’t pronounce. They want safe, effective, and natural solutions,” Brown emphasizes. “Chiber and MycoKleer deliver all of that—powered by the humble mushroom.”
From a niche startup to a global player, Chinova Bioworks is proof that science, sustainability, and business can grow together—one mushroom stalk at a time.
