Biotech start-up Novella Innovative Technology, Ltd. and leading functional ingredient innovators Metaphor Foods, Braeside Victoria, Australia, announce a strategic partnership to spearhead a new paradigm for natural preservation in food applications.
Plant-cell platform
Novella creates pure compounds from plant cells, but outside of the plant using novel, precision-controlled environmental technology. The company is a pioneer in precision botanical ingredients, leveraging its proprietary AuraCell™ plant cell technology. This platform enables the growth of bioactive compounds directly from the plant cells, slashing resource use by 99%. The result is a pure, powerful bioactive ingredient with guaranteed consistency and zero waste.
Joint initiative
The collaboration will leverage Novella’s AuraCell technology to deliver natural antioxidant and anti-microbial compounds via a waste-free, resource-efficient supply. These compositions will be part of Metaphor Foods’ Hela Natvance® range of natural food-protection solutions. Metaphor Foods is the innovation and accelerator arm of Hela APAC, dedicated to bridging gaps in the food industry across the Asia–Pacific.
“This is a long-term strategic commitment in a market with high demand for natural solutions,” assures Geoff Gordon, CEO of Metaphor Foods. “We’re integrating Novella’s solution into our natural food-protection systems to bring it to market quickly, responsibly, and effectively. While the initial focus is on meat and poultry preservation, the strategic potential of this partnership extends across dozens of revenue-generating categories, including seafood, dairy, baked goods, alternative protein products, and pet food.”
With a mature and efficient food processing sector that has a growing demand for natural, clean-label ingredients, the APAC region is currently ripe with opportunity. Metaphor foods’ deep regional presence and distribution capabilities ideally position the partnership to tap into these markets with speed and precision.
“We’re not just offering an ingredient—we’re reshaping the very definition of natural preservation for food products,” affirms Itay Dana, CBDO and Co-Founder of Novella. “This partnership energizes the mutual vision to deliver cleaner, cost-parity solutions to the food and nutraceutical industries. Our technology platform and the diverse range of products currently in development address some of the most pressing challenges the food manufacturing industries face today.”
Through their alliance, Metaphor Foods is supporting Novella in finalizing application studies and regulatory pathways while advancing a commercialization plan. The agreement outlines a long-term supply relationship designed to secure ingredient availability, establish manufacturing readiness, and ensure consistent quality at scale. Valued at USD10 million over seven years based on meat industry projections alone, the agreement holds wider potential across APAC’s food and pet sector.
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