Noumi and Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) are working together on a project to produce and scale recombinant bovine lactoferrin using yeast.
Noumi is a major supplier of Bovine lactoferrin (bLf) through its brand PUREnFERRIN. Currently, Noumi extracts bLf from cow’s milk, which requires a lot of milk and involves complex and expensive processing.
This project aims to create a new process to manufacture bLf using precision fermentation, where engineered microbes produce bLf in a more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable way.
An earlier R&D project with Monash University confirmed the process worked and the collaboration with FaBA is aimed at scaling production.
Noumi said the research means it has found a way to produce “this valuable, multifunctional protein in a sustainable way”.
“Through a co-funded project with FaBA, research is now underway at The University of Queensland where specialised teams are helping push this innovation forward.
With funding secured through to December 2027, we’ve got a clear runway to keep building.”
Working with UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, the institute said, “By the end of this FaBA research project, Noumi will have developed microbial strains that can produce bLf at a significant scale, established a proof-of-concept fermentation process, and prepared initial regulatory documents.
“Overall, this project will help Noumi maintain its position as a leading producer of high-quality bLf as demand for this protein continues to rise.”
Industry body, Cellular Agriculture Australia, said, “This also marks another important co-investment by FaBA in Australia’s food biomanufacturing capability. Alongside previous co-investments supporting precision fermentation companies, such as Eclipse Ingredients, it reflects the important role that translational research partnerships can play in helping innovative technologies move towards commercial scale.”
Head of Science and Nutrition recognised
Noumi director of Science and Nutrition, Sonja Kukuljan, received the AFGC Achievement Award for Nutrition and Regulation at the council’s recent conference.
“Through her work on the AFGC Nutrition and Regulation Committee, Sonja has helped shape some of the most pragmatic, evidence-based nutrition policy outcomes our industry has produced outcomes that hold up scientifically and work commercially.
She’s led our investigation into the immune properties of lactoferrin and built research partnerships with universities across Australia. She's also mentored a generation of emerging nutrition scientists who are now shaping the field themselves,” Noumi said.
