Michroma—a startup producing heat- and pH-stable natural colors in fermentation tanks—is aiming to address two of the biggest pain points in the shift away from synthetic dyes: performance and supply.
Unlike plant-based colorants that often struggle with stability during processing, Michroma’s fungi-derived pigments maintain vibrancy through pasteurization, baking, and extrusion, claims the firm, ...
**Steelman:** Michroma presents a compelling case for fermentation-derived natural colors as a scalable, high-performance alternative to synthetic dyes. The company’s use of CRISPR to enhance fungal pigment production addresses critical pain points—stability, supply chain resilience, and efficacy—that have hindered plant-based and insect-derived colorants. The partnership with CJ CheilJedang mitigates the "valley of death" challenge for startups, providing the infrastructure needed to meet surgi...