Press Releases

Paris, France / Durham, NC, USA – March 12, 2021 – Arbiom announced today that it has achieved another critical step in its Demonstration Program to scale up its technology to produce an alternative protein ingredient, SylPro^®. The company successfully completed continuous, stable operation of its fermentation technology at a 15m³ scale several times over a seven-day period without contamination or product quality issues. This performance builds upon Arbiom’s successful continuous operations at the 1m³ scale, during which similar results between the subsequent runs were observed, demonstrating process robustness and repeatability.

Arbiom continues on path to commercialization, announcing success of several continuous one-week fermentation operations at 15m³ scale

Read full Press Release here

Proof-of-concept study shows use of wood-derived protein ingredient used in food-grade product prototypes

DURHAM, N.C. – June 10, 2020:  Arbiom announced today that its first commercial protein ingredient, SylPro®, can successfully be included in alternative meat applications.

Read Press Release: Arbiom SylPro Demonstrates Efficacy in Meat Alternative Food Applications

Arbiom completed a proof-of-concept study in partnership with a leading extrusion R&D organization to evaluate SylPro for use in human food applications and existing meat alternative products. In the study, SylPro was used in meat analog product prototypes in place of conventional plant-based protein ingredients. In particular, SylPro successfully replaced critical ingredients including soy, pea, and wheat gluten without compromising taste or product quality. The results demonstrate the potential for SylPro to replace ingredients that play a functional role in the final product, such as binding, but may have restrictions due to allergen concerns, in the case of wheat or soy, or sourcing concerns, in the case of egg.

“Arbiom’s vision is to offer a new protein ingredient to several markets, with study results showing proven-performance across a wide range of feed and food formulations,” said Arbiom CEO, Marc Chevrel.

“We are excited to offer SylPro as a viable protein source for companies developing plant-based alternatives to meat and animal proteins,” Chevrel said.

Paris – May 29, 2020: Arbiom today announced the results of a successful study evaluating SylPro®, its high-quality alternative protein ingredient, for use in Nile tilapia feed. The four-week trial was conducted by Matís Icelandic Food & Biotech R&D as part of the SYLFEED Consortium, an international and multidisciplinary four-year project aimed at scaling-up Arbiom’s technology to convert wood residues into a protein-rich ingredient and testing it in feed applications. Read Full Press Release

In the study, SylPro was included in Nile tilapia diets at levels of 0%, 10%, 20% and 30%, replacing a plant protein mix comprised of corn gluten meal, soybean meal and sunflower meal. The fish meal content of the diets remained constant. Results showed the replacement of the plant protein mix by SylPro showed no statistical difference in performance compared to conventional protein ingredients in terms of fish growth rates, measured in body weight gain, of the Nile tilapia at up to a 30% inclusion level in the diets.

“The Nile tilapia trial results indicate that SylPro can be used to replace a plant protein mix in feeds for juvenile Nile tilapia without significant loss in growth performance,” said Dr. Jon Arnason, Senior Animal Nutritionist with Matis.“This is a crucial developmental stage for the Nile tilapia and this study shows Arbiom’s novel protein to be a viable, nutritional protein ingredient,” Arnason said.

“These results build on findings from previous growth trial studies of SylPro in aquafeed diets for Atlantic salmon and Hybrid Striped Bass,” said Marc Chevrel, CEO of Arbiom. “Arbiom’s Wood-to-Food technology platform, and our flagship commercial product, SylPro, continue to consistently demonstrate that we can offer a viable alternative protein source for the aquaculture and animal feed industries, said Chevrel.

Matis Biotechnology R&D Center Aquaculture trial facility

Juvenile tilapia in SYLFEED-Arbiom feed trial of SylPro

High-quality protein ingredient derived from wood shows promise as alternative to fish meal in weanling pig study

DURHAM, N.C. – April 7, 2020: Arbiom announced that it has completed successful trials of its protein product, SylPro®, for weanling pig nutrition.

The research, which was published in the Journal of Animal Science and conducted at the University of Illinois in The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), determined the digestibility of amino acids, energy, and phosphorus in a torula yeast protein ingredient produced by Arbiom.

Read full Press Release

“Our study shows we can use the torula yeast product instead of fish meal in diets for weanling pigs,” said Hans H. Stein, Professor of Animal Science at the University of Illinois. “Torula yeast has greater digestibility of amino acids and phosphorus, but not energy, compared with a commercial source of fish meal fed to weanling pigs,” Stein said.

The article, “Torula yeast has greater digestibility of amino acids and phosphorus, but not energy, compared with a commercial source of fish meal fed to weanling pigs,” is published in the Journal of Animal Science [DOI: 10.1093/jas/skz375].

Preliminary LCA data indicates sustainable benefits of wood-to-food protein ingredient

Durham, N.C. – February 20, 2020 – Arbiom has announced promising early results from a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study of SylPro^®, its new alternative protein product. When compared to other protein sources, such as fish meal and soy protein concentrate, SylPro shows the lowest impact on climate change, supporting its viability as a sustainable solution to the looming global protein gap.   Read Press Release   

The LCA study was conducted by Ostfoldforskning, a Norwegian consultancy with experience evaluating environmental performance of materials, fuels and feeds. The LCA methodology used for the study calculations was designed to focus on six particularly relevant environmental impact categories as identified in The Product Environmental Footprint Category rules (PEFCR) for “Feed for food-producing animals”  (FEFAC, 2018).

“From the beginning it has been our goal to develop a protein ingredient that was not only nutritional, economical and traceable, but also above all, sustainable,” said Marc Chevrel, CEO of Arbiom. “The preliminary LCA results are incredibly promising in helping to validate this goal, and in supporting Arbiom’s commitment to sustainably feed the world’s growing population,” Chevrel said.

Durham, N.C., – November 2, 2019 – Arbiom was selected as one of three finalists in the Innovation Award Competition at GOAL 2019, Aquaculture’s Premier Conference held by The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA). The GOAL Innovation Award, established in 2012, recognizes individuals and companies finding new solutions to the key challenges facing aquaculture.

This year, a record number of 41 companies entered the Innovation Challenge, and a panel of judges selected Arbiom as one of only 3 finalists invited to present at GOAL 2019 in Chennai, India.

“Innovation and technology will be critical to ensure the safe, sustainable growth of aquaculture, and it is a tremendous honor to be recognized as a finalist in the 2019 GOAL Innovation Award challenge for Arbiom’s unique Wood to Food technology,” said Marc Chevrel, Arbiom CEO.

Full Press Release

Paris, France – October 29th 2019: Arbiom was awarded Most Innovative Project at the sixth annual NutrEvent, a leading European event connecting and partnering international innovators in Food, Feed, Nutrition and Health. This year’s event was held on October 23rd in Rennes, France and gathered 600 participants and 60 exhibitors representing over 25 countries.

Fifteen companies participated in the competition, and Arbiom was awarded Most Innovative Project in Food, Feed, Nutrition & Health by PepsWork, a marketing agency focused in nutrition, sports and health.  Read full Press Release here…

Raleigh, N.C., October 12, 2019  Arbiom was selected as the winner of the Social Responsibility Award at the annual French-American Business Awards, hosted by The French-American Chamber of Commerce-Carolinas (FACC-Carolinas). The Social Responsibility Award celebrates economic growth in the context of social and environmental sustainability.

The FACC-Carolinas promotes and fosters strong economic and commercial ties between the United States and France to support the diverse network of companies establish and grow their businesses on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. This year’s Business Awards Gala, held on October 10, 2019 at the North Carolina Museum of Art, brought together over 200 attendees from 29 French companies with operations in North and South Carolina. Along with the Social Responsibility Award, eight other companies were honored in categories including Innovation, and Education & Culture.

“Since our inception, Arbiom’s mission has been to develop technology that offers a more sustainable solution to meet society’s growing demand for food, energy and materials without harming our planet,” said Marc Chevrel, Arbiom CEO. “It is an honor to be recognized by the French-American Chamber with the award for Arbiom’s continued commitment to Social Responsibility as we continue to scale-up our technology.” Read Press Release