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Israeli foodtech start-up, BioBetter, has secured $10 million in a series A funding round led by Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP). The round included participation from Milk and Honey Ventures and the Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA). BioBetter aims to accelerate the development of cell-cultured meat and lower the costs of its production. The company harnesses Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) plants' inherent properties as bioreactors for the production of growth factors (GFs) – a substance, such as a vitamin or a hormone, required for the stimulation of growth in living cells – that are needed for the development of cultivated meat. Using tobacco plants could "significantly" lower the cost of cultured meat and accelerate its commercialisation. The company has created a protein manufacturing platform for producing GFs using tobacco plants as natural, self-sustaining, animal-free bioreactors. The field-grown plants offer a new, sustainable, efficient and flexible solution to the market's demand for more competitively priced GFs, such as insulin, transferrin and FGF2, which are needed to make cultivated meat commercially viable. Erel Margalit, founder and executive chairman of JVP, said: “BioBetter has the key to scale up production of cultivated meat, make it accessible to consumers globally and protect our planet. This is not only because of the sheer volumes of GFs it can produce but also by virtue of its ability to substantially reduce their cost.” BioBetter will be expanding to a larger pilot plant in Tel Hai Industrial Park, Israel, where it will see an increase in its tobacco plant-processing capacity. The funds will also help broaden BioBetter's product portfolio of GFs. Nisan Zeevi, director of JVP, added: “Biobetter has the potential to create global and regional impact. Closer to home, this venture will create a significant new source of income for local farmers. As cellular agriculture expands, we will dedicate some 500 acres here in the galilee of tobacco plantations to support the industry. This also helps growers find new purpose in the burgeoning alternative protein scene following a reduction in smoking over the last decade that has left many tobacco fields idle and tobacco farmers suffering financial loss.” Amit Yaari, CEO of BioBetter, commented: “World population growth, combined with dwindling natural resources, are going to put incredible strain on meat supply – and the already fragile environment – in the coming decades. Cultivated meat offers a promising solution to these problems and can ensure a more resilient supply chain with better economic and environmental returns. Dana Yarden, co-founder of BioBetter said that the company is scaling up production in 2023, and is expected to go commercial with the company's tobacco plant-derived, food-grade GF portfolio by 2024.