Science Shorts: Million-dollar protein grant, cell-cultured cocoa and more

Science and Nutrition sciences with two main food groups
Science and Nutrition sciences with two main food groups (Image: Getty / Wildpixel)

Sustainable Protein grant, cell-cultured cocoa and more feature in this edition of Science Shorts

Million‑dollar Sustainable Protein grant aims to fast‑track market entry

The new grant, powered by the Bezos Earth Fund and the Singapore government, aims to advance the development of Sustainable Protein in the region, supporting innovators to accelerate their products’ to-market entry

Making the shift from science or technology concepts to commercialisation has long been cited by many start-ups as a major hurdle in bringing products to market.

This is a key gap that the Sustainable Protein Growth Stage Grant Call, launched by Enterprise Singapore and The Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein, aims to help high-potential growth-stage start-ups in the category overcome, where each start-up could receive up to S$1m (US$776,551.30) in support.

As cocoa chaos continues, Kokomodo finds its moment

Why ‘climate-proof’ cacao start-up Kokomodo is hedging its bets on an increasingly stronger future for cell cultured cocoa

Cacao prices remain turbulent, following two years of record spikes and supply deficits, with climate change, crop disease and even global politics continuing to hamper the commodity’s future. But it’s not all doom and gloom, especially for businesses launching solutions onto the market.

Fresh from an admirable ranking on the inaugural Top 30 Food-tech companies list, Kokomodo CEO and co-founder Tal Govrin is very optimistic about the two-year-old company’s future.

Science spotlight: Our Top 10 science, research and tech stories in 2025

See our top 10 most-read science, research and technology stories from the past year.

The list features ‘Nobel Prize-worthy’ theabrownin, Meiji protein study, cell-cultured coffee and more.

World’s top 30 food-tech companies revealed

From AI-powered ingredient discovery to zero-waste packaging and next-gen proteins, the top 30 global food-tech list showcases the game-changing technologies shaping the future of food

Curated following a rigorous judging process for the Global Food Tech Awards 2025, which saw sector experts from CPGs to academics and journalists critique leading food-tech start-ups

Korean firm expands citrus products in Japan as wellness demand grows

Korean ingredients firm Suchang is expanding its citrus-based business into Japan, developing mandarin peel products to tap rising wellness demand

Suchang announced that it is developing Japan-tailored products using mandarin peel (chenpi) through OEM and ODM partnerships, targeting Japan’s growing market for clean-label and wellness-focused food and beverage ingredients.