Symbio is fermentation at work
At Symbio, we develop solutions for the future of food, helping people reduce waste and unlock flavor through fermentation.
We use engineered microbes to create value-added food products and additives out of waste from food and agricultural production — giving firms a return on resources they cannot otherwise utilize.
Producing food at-scale creates waste, traditionally seen as an unavoidable cost of business and lost value. At Symbio, we see food surplus and waste as untapped potential. We design microbial systems that use engineered fungi, bacteria and yeast to create value-added food additives.
These custom products and additives, ranging from emulsifiers to sugars and amino acids, can be upcycled back into manufacturing or sold as a value-added product. It’s a win-win, reducing waste and creating value.
In 2022, farms generated $12 billion of surplus food, while manufacturing generated ~$40.3 billion.
Viewed as a sunk cost, and underreported, waste is as much an environmental issue as it is an economic one. In 2023, the average cost for solid waste disposal was around $56 per ton in 2023.
In agricultural and food manufacturing sectors, organic surplus weighs in the millions of tons, resulting in billions of dollars in losses.
Whether this surplus is discarded or processed externally, the resources expended in its creation result in a negative return on investment.
The Symbio Difference
Symbio applies modern fermentation bioprocessing technologies to transform waste into products and beneficial additives:
For over three years, Symbio Bioculinary has successfully guided firms across the food sector in making value out of waste: empowering them to use proactive approaches in addressing these net losses—tackling waste earlier in the supply chain and internalizing their solutions.
Value-added products-Novel fermented foods including beverages, condiments, and flavorings.
At Smith-Hobson, volatiles were extracted from lemon peels to flavor fermented pepper sauce. Peel biomass was further degraded by Acetobacter spp. to produce phenols and flavonoids (organic flavor compounds).
Modified sugars-Complex and rare sugars from difficult-to-degrade starches.
Cocoa husk from Honeymoon Chocolate is saccharified through A.oryzae enzymatic and polymicrobial acidification to produce methylxanthine and fiber rich beverages with less added sugar.
Enzyme solutions- Functional fungal enzyme mixtures to improve product stability and functional attributes.
Companion Bakery bread waste is valorized to maltogenic enzymes for improved flavor and longer shelf life.
