BioVeritas stands at the forefront of two significant trends in the food industry: fermentation and upcycling. The company has been developing its technology for nearly 30 years, beginning at Texas A&M University with the initial goal of creating biofuels. Over the past decade, BioVeritas shifted its focus toward food ingredients, and in 2018, it established its market development unit for product production. In 2021, Ara Partners, a firm dedicated to decarbonization technologies, acquired a majority stake in BioVeritas.
BioVeritas presents a compelling opportunity for food manufacturers committed to sustainability. The process begins with food waste—broken pasta is a common raw material—and culminates in valuable products. One of its key offerings includes a mold inhibitor for baked goods, which aligns with a circular economy model: the company transforms wasted food into a product that extends shelf life, thereby reducing additional food waste. Additionally, BioVeritas produces ingredients typically derived from petrochemicals; fermenting food waste provides a more natural method for creating these beneficial ingredients, resulting in a cleaner production process.
Furthermore, BioVeritas claims to recycle most of its inputs, generating only carbon dioxide, compost, and potable water as byproducts. The company likens its fermentation process to the digestion of a cow—without the methane emissions. The mold inhibitor is derived from propionic acid, which BioVeritas asserts is a natural and clean-label alternative that outperforms other natural preservation ingredients in mold prevention.
Beyond mold inhibitors, BioVeritas produces various ingredients suitable for both human consumption and other applications. Its fermentation process yields postbiotics, including butyric acid and valeric acid, which find uses in aviation lubricants, refrigeration, cosmetics, and flavors. According to its website, while most of its input work has involved broken pasta, BioVeritas has experimented with over 30 other feedstocks, predominantly food waste. These include alfalfa, sugarcane pulp, pineapple cores and skins, post-harvest plant materials from corn, orange peels, and bakery waste.
Looking ahead, BioVeritas plans to construct a commercial-scale facility capable of producing up to 20 kilotons (44 million pounds) of ingredients annually, starting in 2025. This funding will enable the company to achieve crucial milestones and demonstrate the efficacy of its ingredients to manufacturers. If BioVeritas successfully scales its processes and ingredients, its products, such as calcium magnesium citrate, could quickly gain popularity among food manufacturers. This success may also inspire broader interest in utilizing food waste fermentation to create other valuable ingredients.