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Tetra Pak and Danish biotech company Swan Neck Bio have joined forces to tackle one of the biggest challenges in producing fermentation-based foods at scale – preparing the seed culture.

The partnership will bring Swan Neck Bio’s Dirinoc technology into Tetra Pak’s services for biomass and precision fermentation producers. Dirinoc is a concentrated, quality-approved starter culture that can be stored and added directly to production tanks. This removes the need for producers to grow their own seed cultures on site, a process that often causes contamination and uneven yields.

By taking out this step, the companies say producers can cut waste, reduce equipment costs and speed up their path to market. The solution will be available alongside Tetra Pak’s other seed train and pilot-scale services at its New Food Technology Development Centre in Karlshamn, Sweden.

Dirinoc also allows companies to run trials without the high upfront costs of a full production line, making it easier to test and refine processes before committing to large-scale investment.

Rafael Barros, director of New Food at Tetra Pak, commented: "Speed, risk management and flexibility are critical for New Food producers. Our collaboration with Swan Neck Bio unlocks new efficiencies in fermentation by removing one of the key barriers to scale: seed preparation. This gives producers more time to focus on process optimisation, product quality and, ultimately, getting to market faster."

Troels Prahl, co-founder and CEO at Swan Neck Bio, added: "This collaboration reinforces our commitment to supporting the growth of sustainable food innovation. By combining Swan Neck Bio’s pioneering inoculum capabilities with Tetra Pak’s industrial engineering and food manufacturing expertise, we are helping customers de-risk development, reduce time to market and manufacture at scale with confidence."