Chinova Bioworks’ “Game

Aug 09, 2023

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Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

Food tech startup Chinova Bioworks announces its clean-label food preservative Chiber™ has become the first mushroom fiber to join Whole Foods Market's approved ingredient list.

"Chiber is transforming the food industry by providing a natural and effective solution for extending the shelf-life of food and beverage products"

Made from upcycled white button mushrooms, Chiber is a natural, eco-friendly extract that extends the shelf-life of a wide variety of food and beverages. As America's largest natural food retailer, Whole Foods Market runs a rigorous "Quality Standards" program that ensures every ingredient that appears in its stores meets the company's standards for health and safety.

Following a thorough application process, Chinova reports it received "overwhelmingly" positive feedback from the Whole Foods review team, and the ingredient now features in five listings: Chiber, Mushroom Fiber, Mushroom Derived Fiber, White Button Mushroom Fiber, and White Button Mushroom Derived Fiber.

"Whole Foods has been a trusted source for natural and organic products and we are proud to be the only natural and clean label antimicrobial ingredient approved under their ingredient qualification program," said David Brown, COO and co-founder of Chinova Bioworks.

"Chiber naturally meets their rigorous standards for transparent and healthy ingredients. The approval of Chiber for use in Whole Foods stores provides food and beverage manufacturers with a clean label solution to enhance the quality and freshness of their products, while increasing transparency and sustainability."

To create Chiber, the startup states it uses a patented process to extract fiber from upcycled mushroom stems. The resulting product is a clean-label preservative that offers broad-spectrum protection against spoilage-causing microorganisms. The startup says Chiber™ Mushroom Extract is currently used across the food and beverage industry, where it easily incorporates into a variety of bakery, beverage, plant-based meat and plant-based dairy products.

In addition to being organic, vegan and kosher, the ingredient is also allergy-friendly and does not impact the taste, texture, or appearance of food products. The company adds Chiber is approved for use in over 70 countries, including the US and Canada.

Based in Canada, Chinova raised $6M in Series A funding last year to grow its team and expand production of Chiber. A month later, the ingredient received GRAS status from the US Food and Drug Administration, indicating the product was officially approved for use in food applications.

"Chiber is transforming the food industry by providing a natural and effective solution for extending the shelf-life of food and beverage products," said Natasha Dhayagude, CEO and co-founder of Chinova Bioworks. "This milestone serves as a testament to Chinova's commitment to providing innovative and sustainable ingredients to meet the ever-evolving needs of manufacturers and consumers."

Chinova will be present at IFT First trade show in Chicago from July 16-19, 2023 at Booth S0351.