MOA Foodtech's AI-Directed Fermentation Turns Starch Waste Into High-Value Ingredients
- Gauri Khanna
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
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A new turnkey fermentation service from MOA Foodtech converts starch-rich byproducts into functional, protein-dense ingredients using an AI engine that models over 300 bioprocess scenarios per hour.
The MOA Box enables manufacturers to generate up to 17.5 times more value from waste streams and bring new ingredients to market in six months without building internal R&D capacity.
With industrial validation already achieved in a 120-cubic-metre bioreactor, the platform is now producing ingredients for meat analogues, snacks, and pet food.
Across food manufacturing, starch-rich byproducts accumulate in large volumes yet rarely find productive use. These side streams, produced during starch extraction, cereal processing, bakery operations, pea fractionation, and the potato industry, are stable, abundant, and inexpensive. Their under-exploitation is not due to lack of potential but a shortage of accessible bioprocessing technologies.
The Spanish start-up MOA Foodtech has introduced a solution designed to remove these barriers. Its MOA Box, the result of eight years of research, combines AI-guided bioprocess modelling with microbial fermentation to convert low-value waste into functional, protein-rich ingredients. The aim is to give manufacturers a fast and predictable route to ingredient innovation without the capital costs usually associated with fermentation infrastructure.
How AI Shapes Fermentation Design
At the centre of the platform lies Albatros, the company’s AI system. It simulates more than 300 bioprocess scenarios per hour, matching each substrate with suitable yeast strains and optimal fermentation conditions. Rather than trial-and-error experimentation, the process is designed digitally, identifying the most efficient, lowest-cost, and lowest-impact route before laboratory work begins.
Once the AI defines the bioprocess, selected microorganisms convert starch-based byproducts into ingredients with targeted nutritional or functional characteristics. Downstream processing, such as separation, drying, extraction, or refining, follows to meet the requirements of specific applications. The final step validates performance in real food matrices and prepares the process for industrial scaling.
The resulting biomass contains all essential amino acids and has a protein digestibility score of 0.9, comparable to soy, beef, casein, and eggs. Combined with desirable functional traits, this makes it suitable for plant-based meat, cheese analogues, bread, sauces, pasta, and a growing number of processed food categories.
A Turnkey Service Embedded into Existing Infrastructure
The MOA Box is designed to integrate directly into a manufacturer’s current facilities. It provides access to the full fermentation and bioprocessing workflow, accompanied by technical assistance and formulation support. Manufacturers avoid the cost of specialised R&D teams or dedicated fermentation plants, while gaining a way to transform their side streams into commercially valuable ingredients.
According to the company’s analysis of more than 200 byproduct streams, starch-rich substrates deliver the strongest technical and economic performance when paired with the right yeast strain and process conditions. Albatros evaluates each stream’s composition to predict which combinations will maximise yield, conversion efficiency, and sustainability outcomes. In many cases, the process can generate up to 17.5 times more value than the original byproduct.
The complete pathway, from byproduct assessment to market-ready ingredient, can be completed in six months.
Industrial Validation and Commercial Rollout
The company earns revenue through customisation fees, technology transfer, and production-linked royalties. After designing a bioprocess for a client’s specific byproduct, the entire optimised protocol is licensed so that the client can manufacture the ingredient internally or with external producers. This structure allows rapid scaling without MOA Foodtech building its own manufacturing footprint.
Industrial validation has already taken place in a 120-cubic-metre bioreactor with one of its commercial partners. The first ingredient is currently being produced at scale and sold for use in pet food, meat analogues, and snack applications. A new ingredient developed in collaboration with an industry customer will be unveiled at the FI Europe event in Paris.
Financing a Circular Ingredient Ecosystem
The launch of the MOA Box follows the company’s receipt of €14.8 million from the European Innovation Council, including €12.5 million contingent on matching private investment. More than half of the required private capital has already been secured, positioning the company to unlock the full funding package next year.
As food manufacturers seek low-cost ways to reduce waste, strengthen sustainability performance, and introduce differentiated ingredients, AI-guided fermentation provides a pragmatic path forward. By converting overlooked starch byproducts into high-value inputs, the MOA Box illustrates how digital bioprocess design and microbial fermentation can extend the possibilities of circular ingredient production.