Food security, at its core, is about ensuring everyone has access to enough calories every day. But our traditional agricultural systems, reliant on protein and starch production from animals and seasonal crops, are vulnerable. A single drought, heatwave, or geopolitical conflict can disrupt supply chains and create critical shortages, as we’ve seen with wheat markets affected by war and extreme weather events.

Bactelium was created to add a new, resilient paradigm to our food production toolkit. We are focused on two main fronts:

1. Precision Fermentation: We are harnessing the power of bacteria to produce vital food ingredients. By genetically modifying microbes like Lactobacillus plantarum and various methane consuming bacteria called methanotrophs, we aim to create starch, gluten, and essential animal proteins (myoglobin, casein, and ovalbumin) efficiently and robustly. This technology allows for production that is out-of-season and doesn't require arable land or even fresh water, as many of our bacterial strains can grow in saltwater, making production resistant to drought.

2. Resilient Agriculture: Alongside our molecular biology work, we are running a traditional plant breeding project. The goal is to develop a new staple crop: a squash that is not only rich in storable starch but is also robust, disease-resistant, and adapted to grow in cool, wet Mediterranean-style winters with very little water.

Our mission is to make our findings universally accessible to pave the way for a more food-secure future for everyone.

Thank you for joining us on this journey,