Michroma scales stable natural pigments from fungi

Michroma, a biotechnology startup operating between Argentina and the United States, is developing natural food colorants produced through fermentation using filamentous fungi, with the goal of replacing synthetic dyes with more stable and scalable alternatives. The company focuses on addressing two of the main challenges in the natural color industry: performance stability during food processing and reliable large-scale supply.

The approach was detailed in an interview with AgFunderNews, where cofounder and CEO Ricky Cassini explained that the company is working to create natural dyes that can match or outperform synthetic colorants in industrial applications. According to Cassini in AgFunderNews, fungal-derived pigments offer higher pH stability and thermal resistance compared to plant-based options such as beetroot, allowing them to maintain color through processes like baking, pasteurization, and extrusion.

One of the company’s key developments is Red+, a fungal-derived pigment designed to replace conventional red food colorants. Michroma claims that Red+ has greater coloring efficiency than beetroot powder, meaning less product is required to achieve the same intensity. The company is also expanding its pipeline to include orange and yellow pigments, which represent the largest share of the food color market, as well as blue and magenta proof-of-concept colors and white pigments intended as an alternative to titanium dioxide.

To improve production capacity and performance, Michroma uses CRISPR gene-editing tools to enhance fungal strains, increasing pigment yield and enabling the development of new color molecules. Cassini told AgFunderNews that the objective is not only to replicate natural dyes but to design molecules with superior functional properties.

A major challenge in replacing synthetic dyes is scalability. Cassini explained in AgFunderNews that natural alternatives often require significantly more raw material than synthetic dyes, in some cases between 20 and 50 times more biomass, making plant- or insect-based systems difficult to scale for global food manufacturing demand. Fermentation is presented as a solution that decouples production from agriculture and enables industrial consistency.

The company has also established a strategic partnership with CJ CheilJedang, one of the largest fermentation and food companies in the world, to support industrial-scale manufacturing. The collaboration aims to reduce the capital burden of scaling production and accelerate commercialization, helping bridge the gap between laboratory development and industrial deployment.

On the regulatory side, Michroma has completed toxicology studies required for color additive submissions in the United States. Cassini noted in AgFunderNews that regulatory approvals for food colorants are accelerating, with agencies such as the FDA increasing the pace of approvals compared to previous years.

The company sees precision fermentation as a key enabling technology for high-value ingredients such as colors, flavors, and fragrances, which are expected to reach commercial scale before lower-margin categories like proteins. Michroma is also exploring continuous fermentation systems that could improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and increase yield, particularly using filamentous fungi that secrete products directly into the medium.

Despite their advantages, filamentous fungi also present technical challenges, including complex morphology control and rheology management during fermentation. However, according to Cassini in AgFunderNews, these organisms can achieve higher production titers than other microbial systems such as yeast, offering strong potential for industrial applications.

The company’s vision aligns with a broader shift in the food industry toward reducing synthetic additives, driven by regulatory pressure, consumer demand for clean-label products, and large-scale commitments from food manufacturers to phase out artificial dyes. Michroma positions itself as part of a new generation of biomanufacturing companies aiming to reshape the global food ingredient supply chain through scalable fermentation technology.