MOA Foodtech raises $3.8M to scale fermented
Spanish startup MOA Foodtech has secured $3.8 million in funding to expand production and distribution of its AI-developed, food waste-fermented components.
MOA Foodtech has raised €3.3 million, or $3.8 million, to scale its commercial operations. The Spanish startup uses artificial intelligence and fermentation to turn food waste into functional components.
The funding round was led by the European Innovation Council Fund, Swanlaab Innvierte Agri Food Tech, and CDTI-Innvierte. According to MOA, this marks a shift from product validation into a phase of commercial execution. The company's AI platform, called Albatros, selects microorganisms and optimizes conditions to ferment cheap agricultural sidestreams into high-value products.
MOA's current flagship offerings are an egg substitute and a yeast enhancer. Both are made with non-GMO microbes already approved for food use in the U.S. and Europe.
The Product Portfolio
MOA Yeast is a nutritional booster designed to improve the taste and texture of plant proteins. It can mask off-notes and reduce sodium. The company claims it has a protein digestibility score of 0.9, which it says is on par with soy, beef, eggs, and casein. It is marketed for meat analogues, baked goods, snacks, and, in a specific format called MOA Yeast FeG, for pet food.
The egg replacer, named MOA Q5, is designed to mimic the functional properties of chicken eggs. It provides emulsification, foaming, and coagulation for applications like baked goods, pasta, and plant-based desserts. The company says it helps manufacturers reduce reliance on eggs, protecting them from supply and price volatility.
Commercial Pilots and Production Scale
Both products are already launched and supplied as biomass powders. CEO Bosco Emparanza told Green Queen the company has several active pilots with leading bakery and pet food companies across Europe. The new capital will support these customer launches and scale up production.
MOA is increasing its fermentation capacity with manufacturing partners in Spain. The scale will grow from 120,000 litres to 225,000 litres. This expansion aims to meet demand as customers move from trials to full commercial production.
Future Applications and Business Model
The company is also developing materials for health markets. "Our current work includes postbiotics and components targeting areas such as mental wellbeing," Emparanza said. Several projects in these areas are under development.
Beyond selling its own products, MOA operates a co-development service. It works with industrial companies to valorise their food waste streams into new functional materials. Last year, it launched MOA Box, a turnkey service using its AI and fermentation tech to create upcycled starch components.
The latest investment includes a €1 million disbursement from a larger EIC Fund equity commitment announced last year. To date, MOA has raised a total of €12.3 million ($14.3M) in combined equity and grants.
Investor appetite for such technology appears strong. Xana Belastegui, general partner at Swanlaab, stated, "We believe MOA combines a differentiated AI-enabled fermentation platform with market-validated functional offerings highly innovative and attractive for the agrifood industry." European fermentation startups dominated alternative protein financing in the first half of this year.
