Michroma uses precision fermentation and filamentous fungi as “biofactories” to produce natural food colorants and, later, plant-based flavorings. Its first product, Red+, is a red colorant engineered to be temperature-resistant and stable across the food pH spectrum, surviving pasteurization, cooking and extrusion. Red+ has been prototyped with large food companies and can also be used to color cultivated meat. The company plans to expand its palette from warm colors (orange, yellow) toward blue and white while selling flavorings in combination with its colors. Michroma is negotiating with suppliers and intends to submit petitions to the U.S. FDA and the European Food Safety Authority; the regulatory process is expected to take at least two years. The startup currently has about 15 employees and plans to grow to 35, funded in part by recent seed financing that brought its total venture capital to $7.4M. Michroma develops sustainable, vegan, fungus-based natural colorants intended to replace synthetic petroleum-derived dyes and insect-derived cochineal (red 80). Founded in early 2019 in Argentina, the startup moved to San Francisco in September and is participating in IndieBio's accelerator. Its platform uses a GRAS fungal strain grown in bioreactors to produce intense, stable red, orange, and yellow pigments while reducing water use and carbon footprint compared with crop-derived colorants. The company argues vegetable-based alternatives like beetroot extract underperform on pH and temperature stability and impart flavor, making them difficult for industry use. Michroma says it already can effectively produce red, orange and yellow and is working to optimize and scale production while developing green and blue variants. Financially, Michroma has received early backing and plans further fundraising to accelerate scale-up.

Total raised

$6M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Feb 2023