The market of food colourings is expanding at such a rapid pace that biotechnology company Provectus Algae is planning to build a new facility with additional 200,000 litres production capacity.

Based in Noosaville, near Brisbane, Australia, Provectus Algae uses microalgae as building blocks for a whole range of biomaterials.

The new site is expected to be operational by the end of 2021. Initially, it will support the production of a high-performance food colouring product, as well as R&D operations to support early-stage product development and partnerships in the Food & Beverage sector.

At a later stage, the inaugural pilot facility will be converted to the commercial production of a separate high-value product that is currently undergoing product testing. The company expects to expand production capacity to 1 million litres, to eventually support the commercialisation of multiple products.

Currently, Provectus Algae produces natural and sustainable flavourings for food and beverages, fragrances and colourings, next generation crop protection and feed supplements, and lifesaving medicines.

The company's proprietary technology is called Precision Photosynthesis®, which controls and optimises  the production of bio-materials from any novel algae. Its flexibility allows Provectus Algae to cater for different products for the food, agriculture and pharmaceutical sectors and move quickly through all product development steps.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg for Provectus Algae," said Nusqe Spanton, Founder and CEO of Provectus Algae. "Our production platform gives us a clear line of sight to deliver some really exciting products. What we are able to achieve for our commercial partners is simply not comparable to any other offering in the marketplace. Thanks to algae, we are able to benefit from a 3.5-billion-year head start in producing some of the world’s most coveted ingredients.”

"Since closing our seed round last year, we have been in full swing growing the team, developing products and building capacity with our proprietary production system. We are now in a strong position as we push into this next phase of the company's growth,” Spanton added.

According to the company, biomanufacturing is the next industrial revolution. 60% of the world's physical inputs can be made with biology, and microalgae will be one of the leading bio production systems for multiple industries.