[Disclosure: AgFunder is AgFunderNews parent company.]
Some of the most powerful ingredients in the world are also some of the most difficult to access and use at scale, says dietician-turned-startup founder Siobhan Coster.
Her company, Eclipse Ingredients, aims to make such high-value ingredients more widely available by creating them via precision fermentation methods, starting with lactoferrin.
The Australia–based company recently emerged from stealth with $7 million in funding: $2.9 million from the Commonwealth Government, delivered by Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator, and the remainder from AgFunder and “strategic angel investors,” according to Coster.
‘One of the most powerful health proteins out there’
Coster calls lactoferrin, a protein found in milk and also produced in the human body, “one of the most powerful health proteins out there. The breadth of what it does is truly remarkable.”
Among its widely touted health benefits are anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, immune system and microbiome support, and the ability to regulate iron in the body.
It’s also “commercially viable,” says Coster. This is a key reason she and the team at Eclipse Ingredients chose to start with the protein.
For all its functionality and powerful health benefits, lactoferrin is currently difficult to source. Extracting lactoferrin from cow’s milk is expensive and hard to scale—on average, it takes around 10,000 liters of milk to produce a single kilogram of lactoferrin. Supply consistency and availability are also issues.
Bovine lactoferrin also differs functionally and structurally from what human bodies produce naturally.
“It’s different to what our bodies have been producing and perfecting for thousands of years” says Coster. “Why settle for anything less?”
‘A pivotal investment in the future of health’
Enter precision fermentation, which Eclipse Ingredients is using to produce human lactoferrin.
Once the DNA of lactoferrin is inserted into an engineered microorganism (yeast, in this case), it’s put in a fermenter similar to what one would find at a beer brewery.
“That yeast has been programmed to make our human lactoferrin instead of alcohol as it grows. So as the yeast is growing in these fermenters, it’s producing our human lactoferrin, but in a much more controlled and precise environment,” says Coster.
Employing precision fermentation to make lactoferrin isn’t a new concept—Pharma has been using the technology for decades to produce other compounds. For Coster and her team, however, this point is an advantage.
“It’s established technology that’s been proven at scale for years,” she says. “What we’re doing is taking this technology and applying it to human lactoferrin for consumer applications, and that’s what makes the unit economics so important.
“Pharma can charge millions of dollars per kilogram. We can’t do that when targeting food, skincare, and infant formula markets. What works in our favor is the fact lactoferrin is effective in small amounts. This means we can create significant impact without needing huge volumes.”
Eclipse Ingredients isn’t the only startup to make lactoferrin via this method, both human and bovine.
Coster says that what sets Eclipse apart is its IP strategy and execution model.
“We’re building a patent portfolio that gives us long-term competitive advantage, and as a strategic fast-follower with a capital-light approach, we can get to market efficiently while staying laser-focused on what matters most: our people, our patents, and breakthrough science.”
“Eclipse’s technology platform unlocks the immense potential of human lactoferrin at commercial scale,” says AgFunder partner Michael Dean, who says the company “represents a pivotal investment in the future of accessible health.
“By solving a critical bottleneck for the production of complex functional proteins, we believe they are positioned to disrupt the global wellness and skincare markets.”
‘The market is ready’ for high-value ingredients
Eclipse plans to launch its first commercial products containing human lactoferrin in 2027, beginning with skincare applications. The company is also exploring commercial partnerships internationally.
Despite its promise in food and skin care, using human lactoferrin as a high-value ingredient has only become a possibility in recent years.
“People have been exploring human lactoferrin for decades, and it was first made using precision fermentation about 20 years ago, but the technology and the market weren’t ready,” says Coster.
Back then, production volumes needed were limited due to technology constraints, meaning it would not have been economically viable.
Tech breakthroughs in recent years have changed this. At the same time, market appreciation for lactoferrin as a functional ingredient has grown significantly.
Changing consumer health trends have also played a role. “Consumers today are incredibly health savvy,” says Coster.
“They’re actively seeking ingredients with proven benefits. This is exactly why lactoferrin is so compelling: its potential to support health and wellbeing is near-endless. It’s really been a combination of factors that have made this the right time to bring human lactoferrin to market.”
The post Breaking: Eclipse Ingredients secures $7m for its ‘capital-light’ spin on making human lactoferrin appeared first on AgFunderNews.
