Willow Biosciences Inc (TSX:WLLW, OTCQB:CANSF) said it has entered into a follow-on Master Services Agreement with Kalsec to develop an enzyme used in the biocatalytic production of a new, advanced ingredient used in natural beverage applications.
This is the second collaboration between Willow and Kalsec, a leading producer of natural taste and sensory, food protection, colors and advanced hops ingredients for the food and beverage industry.
Willow noted that its FutureGrown technology platform is a fully integrated, proven solution for rapid enzyme and strain engineering, process development, and scaled-up manufacturing leveraging cutting-edge technology for precision fermentation.
Kalsec’s projects focus on yeast which is an ideal host for a number of ingredients for the food and beverage sector, the company added.
The development of this enzyme is expected to enable commercial-scale production in 2024.
"We are pleased to have executed this follow-on engagement with Kalsec and I'm proud of our R&D team's success in collaborating with Kalsec to rapidly attain our joint development goals," said Willow CEO Dr. Chris Savile.
"We look forward to further evidencing our technological capabilities through what we believe will be a similarly successful outcome for this next program."
Kalsec executive vice president of global R&D and chief innovation officer Dr. Roger Nahas added in a statement: "We are excited to expand our partnership with Willow and leverage each party's significant domain expertise toward what we believe will be successful commercial-scale production in 2024."
Willow Biosciences develops and produces precision fermented functional ingredients for the health and wellness, food and beverage, and personal care markets.
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