Protera

Chile’s Protera produces clean-labeled and animal-free protein ingredients using AI based techniques. The company’s proprietary “Madi” algorithm called to design new food ingredients, analyse the protein contents that go into such ingredients, and predict their properties. Using Madi, Protera can customize the protein ingredient for different food industry applications (such as chocolate, dairy, and vegetable fats), based on factors such as texture, flavor, and shelf life.

The company’s first product, Protera Sense, was developed to improve texture in food without adding fatty acids. The company also develops a chemical-free and vegan protein ingredient ( named as Protera Guard) that can prolong the shelf-life of food such as bread by 30 - 45 days (other clean ingredients are stated to prolong freshness by 7-15 days). The company has partnered with Bimbo Group (a mexican baked food producer with presence in over 33 countries) with product trials reportedly showing positive results. Bimbo also participated in Protera’s Series A round of funding in July 2021. Protera is looking to partner with more large food multinational companies to commercialize this product primarily across Europe by the end of 2021.

In July 2021, Protera raised USD 10 million in Series A funding led by Sofinnova Partners. The new funding would be used to scale production of Protera Guard, to further develop its AI-based protein technology, and accelerate the commercialization of vegan ingredients across industries. The company’s protein engineering team is in Chile, while the company is moving large-scale production and scaling its AI development team in Paris.