Ginkgo, Octarine team up to produce natural colors
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- Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE:DNA) and Octarine Bio are collaborating to produce natural colors.
- The team-up is focused on compounds in the tryptophan pathway, with the aim of engineering a strain for producing violacein and its derivatives — a naturally occurring bis-indole pigment with bioactive properties including anti-microbial, anti-oxidant and UV protection.
- The partnership will initially focus on violacein but has the potential to expand to other tryptophan-derived compounds.
- The companies said a majority of textiles are still produced with synthetic colors and dyes born from fossil fuels, however synthetic biology offers a viable alternative to this by developing safer and innovative colors and dyes made via microbial fermentation.
- "This is a robust opportunity to contribute to the sustainability of the fashion industry, and we are excited to be working with Octarine as we aim to produce a new class of safer, high-performing colors and dyes that will appeal to consumers and companies worldwide," said Ginkgo's Chief Business Officer Ena Cratsenburg.
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