Nutrition & Wellness

Overview

Harness synthetic biology for nutrition & wellness

Increasing pressure from consumers for affordable, sustainable, healthy, and tasty products coupled with massive supply chain disruptions is motivating nutrition and wellness companies to radically rethink how they develop new products. Many of these companies are embracing synthetic biology and the power of microbes to help meet these challenges, and Ginkgo’s end-to-end services are empowering them from R&D discovery to manufacturing scale up.

Get in touch with the Ginkgo team today to discuss your R&D challenges!

Your end-to-end
synthetic biology R&D partner.

Ginkgo’s synthetic biology platform, enables you to develop functional proteins, enzyme biocatalysts, small molecule ingredients, and microbial strains for a variety of applications in the nutrition and wellness markets.

From discovery to optimization to scale up and manufacturing, we can enable you to bring your products to market. Leverage our advanced machine learning tools, ultra high throughput automation, and proprietary bacterial and fungal production hosts—including Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pichia pastoris, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus niger, Corynebacterium glutamicum, Yarrowia lipolytica, and many more model and nonmodel host organisms—to search through the vastness of biological design space to improve your products today.

A 3D rendering of a white milky protein in the foreground with another floating in the background at a great distance

Select Application Areas

Functional Proteins

A 3D rendering of two milky white proteins interacting with each other

Functional Proteins

Example Products: functional dairy products, egg proteins, low-cost growth factors and recombinant proteins

What Differentiates Ginkgo:

  • Leverage our capabilities to quickly run thousands to millions of experiments in parallel to find the needle in the haystack: the right strain to express your protein at the right titer

  • Maximize productivity and reduce production complexities with our low viscosity and low protease fungal strains or proprietary methanol-free yeast strains

  • Review our expansive list of production host strains to identify the best fit for your protein application

  • Utilize our abilities to develop assays to test your protein’s functionality while also achieving the titer you need

  • Optimize and scale up your production to kilograms of protein per year

Fats & Oils

An array of small product vials containing a yellowish oily substance, the center vial in the frame is being pipetted

Fats & Oils

Example Products: cocoa butter, essential fatty acids, oleic acid

What Differentiates Ginkgo:

  • Leverage our unique fungal strains for high fat production

  • Engineer strains capable of fat synthesis to create branched fatty acids with different chain lengths to meet your specifications

  • Leverage our high-throughput strain engineering toolkit and knowledge of lipid biosynthetic pathways to optimize your existing strains

Enzymes

A 3D rendering of an enzyme on a dark background, its center illuminated indicating the active site

Enzymes

Example Products: amylases, lipases, oxidases

What Differentiates Ginkgo:

  • Leverage our ability to discover novel enzyme activity and identify starting points for further protein engineering by drawing from our incredibly broad database of proprietary and public genomic sequences

  • Dramatically improve enzyme function using our supervised machine learning powered by data from our ultra high throughput assays

  • Utilize our deep strain engineering expertise to optimize enzyme expression in our high-expression host strains, tailored to support optimal expression of your enzyme to reduce your production costs

Flavors, Fragrances & Pigments

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Flavors, Fragrances & Pigments

Example Products: phenolic compounds, pigments from natural plant extracts

What Differentiates Ginkgo:

  • Leverage Ginkgo’s deep expertise and codebase in enzymes and biosynthetic pathways, which enables us to start your project at a much more advanced stage 

  • Utilize our abilities to develop assays to test your molecule’s functionality while also achieving the titer you need

  • Utilize our significant assets in expressing aromatics in a variety of host strains

  • Optimize and scale up your production to metric tons of product per year

Probiotics & Microbiome

An overhead shot of a bowl of a fermented food product resembling sour cream or yogurt, surrounded by green foods like legumes

Probiotics & Microbiome

Example Products: gut microbes, skin microbes, pre- and post-biotics

What Differentiates Ginkgo:

  • We begin every project by leveraging the data we’ve accumulated from working with dozens of strains across hundreds of projects to determine the best starting point for new strain designs. Our biological codebase enables strain optimization on accelerated timelines with partners from the discovery stage to clinical trials.

  • Utilize Ginkgo’s extensive technologies for high throughput strain discovery and optimization to improve genetically modified microbes as well as non-GM microbes thanks to our automated adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) instruments

  • Search through up to 1 million strain variants in a single run using our ultra high throughput screening platform built on nanoliter encapsulation technology, which provides nanoscale growth and assay compartments for diverse organisms including bacteria, yeast, filamentous species, and mammalian cells

  • Utilize our wide range of capabilities in discovering promising strains via advanced analytical capabilities, whole genome sequencing, transcriptomic, proteomic, and data driven metabolomic modeling

And many more…

An overhead shot of an organized array of foods laid out on a white surface, the foods include eggs, potatoes, coconut, legumes, nuts, sugar, and seeds

Personal Care Ingredients

  • Develop natural ingredients including functional proteins, peptides, and polysaccharides to meet the growing demand for sustainable, and animal-cruelty free ingredients

Natural Preservatives

  • Discover novel natural preservatives to replace harsh synthetic chemicals

Infant Nutrition

  • Discover and optimize production of highly nutritional natural molecules including human milk oligosaccharides and tailored lipids to enhance infant health and nutrition

Supplements & Nutraceuticals

  • Enhance your production of beneficial nutraceutical and supplements including vitamins and amino acids to drive global access and growth

Cultured Meat

  • Accelerate the growth of the cellular agriculture industry by developing solutions like low-cost recombinant proteins and biological solutions for waste media recycling to drive towards a more sustainable future
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Speak with Us

Start a project today.

We program cells—enabling you to grow the future of food, medicine, materials, and more.

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What We Do

Featured Projects & News

Ginkgo is your end-to-end synthetic biology R&D partner. Browse a selection of our partner projects and case studies to explore how our services are being used across industries.

Speak to our team today to learn more.

Enzymes

Whether you’re looking for a biocatalyst to replace a chemical synthesis step, looking to improve your enzyme’s function, or aiming to lower your manufacturing costs, Ginkgo’s best-in-class enzyme capabilities empower your R&D.

Enzymes

Optimizing Crucial Drug Manufacturing of APIs with Merck

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A 3D rendering of a protein

Improving the Specificity and Activity of a Biocatalyst

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Enzyme Discovery Powered by Large Metagenomic Libraries

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Optimizing Enzyme Expression and Performance with Zymtronix

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Advancing Treatments for Orphan and Rare Diseases with Selecta Biosciences

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Improving the Manufacture of Biosynthetic Heparin with Optimvia

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Developing Water Quality Biosensors with FREDSense

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Investigational Synthetic Biotic Medicine for Homocystinuria with Synlogic

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Digital collage of live bacterial biotherapeutics

Discovering Novel Live Biotherapeutics with Microba

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Developing High-Efficacy Adjuvants for Vaccines with SaponiQx

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New Platform Ventures: Launching Verb Biotics, Ayana Bio

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A very fine illustration in green of an X-rayed T. rex with a bundle of E. coli in an inset circle and the word Sue written in cursive overlayed on top of everything

Developing Synthetic Biotics for Gout with Synlogic

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Accelerating Production of Essential Medicines with Antheia

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Optimizing the Brightness of Glowing Plants with Light Bio

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Proteins

Discover and synthesize novel functional proteins, optimize your protein production, or enhance processes to scale up your protein manufacturing: Ginkgo’s best-in-class protein capabilities empower your R&D.

Proteins

High Throughput Screening for Designing Novel CAR-T Cell Therapies

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Developing Next-Generation Gene Therapy Capsids with Selecta Biosciences

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Improving the Manufacture of Biosynthetic Heparin with Optimvia

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Optimizing Silk Protein Production with Bolt Threads

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Developing Water Quality Biosensors with FREDSense

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Engineering Living Biotherapeutics for Gastrointestinal Health with Tantu

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A New Modality of Medicine: Nucleic Acid Vaccines

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Metabolic Engineering

Leverage Ginkgo’s expertise in metabolic engineering and our foundry scale to program microorganisms to manufacture your molecule of interest.

Metabolic Engineering

Colorful yeast in plate

Unlocking the Potential of Expression Systems for Medicines with Novo Nordisk

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Aliquots

Optimizing Production of Biobased Speciality Chemicals with Lygos

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Producing Rare, Natural Ingredients with Givaudan

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Sustainable Beauty and Personal Care Products with Sumitomo Chemical

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Metabolic Engineering for Lower Cost Feedstocks

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Commercializing Cultured Ingredients with Robertet

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Celebrating Cronos Group’s First-of-a-Kind CBC Product

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Scaling Production of Cultured THCV with Cronos Group

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Ultra High Throughput Genome Engineering for the Production of Specialty Chemicals

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Accelerating Industrial Adoption of High-Performance Biomaterials with Cambium

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Biobased Alternatives to Synthetic Polymers with Bioweg

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Developing High-Efficacy Adjuvants for Vaccines with SaponiQx

Learn more

Developing Water Quality Biosensors with FREDSense

Learn more

Improving Production Efficiency for Vibrant Food Colors with Phytolon

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Optimizing the Brightness of Glowing Plants with Light Bio

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New Platform Ventures: Launching Verb Biotics, Ayana Bio

Learn more

Strain Optimization

Increase your titers, improve your strain’s robustness in harsh conditions, or evolve it to grow on more cost-effective inputs: Ginkgo’s best-in-class strain optimization services can help deliver on your goals.

Strain Optimization

Manufacturing Breakthrough for mRNA Raw Materials with Aldevron

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Strain Improvement for Sustainable Agriculture with Bayer

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Ginkgo Expands Agricultural Biologicals Division, Closes Deal with Bayer

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Optimizing Crucial Drug Manufacturing of APIs with Merck

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Colorful yeast in plate

Unlocking the Potential of Expression Systems for Medicines with Novo Nordisk

Learn more

Supporting COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Development with Moderna

Learn more

Celebrating Cronos Group’s First-of-a-Kind CBC Product

Learn more

Ultra High Throughput Genome Engineering for the Production of Specialty Chemicals

Learn more

Accelerating Production of Essential Medicines with Antheia

Learn more

Biobased Alternatives to Synthetic Polymers with Bioweg

Learn more

Developing High-Efficacy Adjuvants for Vaccines with SaponiQx

Learn more

Developing Next-Generation Gene Therapy Capsids with Selecta Biosciences

Learn more

Engineering Bacteria for Cancer Patient Treatment with Prokarium

Learn more
A very fine illustration in green of an X-rayed T. rex with a bundle of E. coli in an inset circle and the word Sue written in cursive overlayed on top of everything

Developing Synthetic Biotics for Gout with Synlogic

Learn more

Developing Water Quality Biosensors with FREDSense

Learn more
Digital collage of live bacterial biotherapeutics

Discovering Novel Live Biotherapeutics with Microba

Learn more

Engineering Living Biotherapeutics for Gastrointestinal Health with Tantu

Learn more

Genes × Jeans: Accelerating Production of Sustainable Dyes with Huue

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Improving Production Efficiency for Vibrant Food Colors with Phytolon

Learn more

Improving the Manufacture of Biosynthetic Heparin with Optimvia

Learn more

Investigational Synthetic Biotic Medicine for Homocystinuria with Synlogic

Learn more

Optimizing Enzyme Expression and Performance with Zymtronix

Learn more
Aliquots

Optimizing Production of Biobased Speciality Chemicals with Lygos

Learn more

Optimizing Silk Protein Production with Bolt Threads

Learn more

New Platform Ventures: Launching Verb Biotics, Ayana Bio

Learn more

High Throughput Screening for Designing Novel CAR-T Cell Therapies

Learn more

Accelerating Industrial Adoption of High-Performance Biomaterials with Cambium

Learn more

Producing Rare, Natural Ingredients with Givaudan

Learn more

Process Design & Scale Up

Utilize Ginkgo’s best-in-class scale up, processing, and production services at bench, pilot, and commercial scales. Ginkgo’s capabilities enable and improve the scaled production of your product.

Process Design & Scale Up

Celebrating Cronos Group’s First-of-a-Kind CBC Product

Learn more

Ginkgo Expands Agricultural Biologicals Division, Closes Deal with Bayer

Learn more

Manufacturing Breakthrough for mRNA Raw Materials with Aldevron

Learn more

Supporting COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Development with Moderna

Learn more

Scaling Production of Cultured THCV with Cronos Group

Learn more

Optimizing Crucial Drug Manufacturing of APIs with Merck

Learn more
Digital collage of live bacterial biotherapeutics

Discovering Novel Live Biotherapeutics with Microba

Learn more

Producing Rare, Natural Ingredients with Givaudan

Learn more

Scaled Production of Cultured CBG with Cronos Group

Learn more

Biobased Alternatives to Synthetic Polymers with Bioweg

Learn more

Developing High-Efficacy Adjuvants for Vaccines with SaponiQx

Learn more

Improving the Manufacture of Biosynthetic Heparin with Optimvia

Learn more

Launching Commercial Production of Cultured Cannabinoids with Cronos

Learn more

Optimizing Enzyme Expression and Performance with Zymtronix

Learn more

New Platform Ventures: Launching Verb Biotics, Ayana Bio

Learn more

Accelerating Industrial Adoption of High-Performance Biomaterials with Cambium

Learn more

Improving Production Efficiency for Vibrant Food Colors with Phytolon

Learn more

Strain Improvement for Sustainable Agriculture with Bayer

Learn more

Biosecurity

Biology-powered. Data-driven. People-centric. Ginkgo’s end-to-end platform provides the system and tools needed to prevent, detect, and respond to pathogens.

Biosecurity

Building a Global Bioradar System with Concentric by Ginkgo

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Tracking Pathogen Variants with Rwanda Biomedical Centre

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Developing Water Quality Biosensors with FREDSense

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Needle in a Haystack: Looking for Compounds to Treat COVID-19

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