Amino-acid fermentation platform (continuous, recycling-based)
Continuous fermentation with cell separation and recirculation, as in Ajinomoto's resource-recycling 'biocycle' — a fermentation route to L-tyrosine that replaces extraction from animal and plant raw materials.
1 · What it gives
Ajinomoto’s amino-acid fermentation platform uses a proprietary resource-recycling process, a ‘biocycle’, to make amino acids by fermentation. Continuous fermentation separates the withdrawn broth into a cell-containing and a cell-free stream by centrifuge or filtration and returns the cells to the fermenter, after bubble removal to avoid cavitation. Its L-tyrosine fermentation replaces an extraction process based on animal and plant raw materials whose traceability could not be guaranteed. Ajinomoto’s operations and biocycle run across Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil and Spain.
2 · What it replaces 6
| D3 | Citric acid by Aspergillus niger fermentation instead of extraction from citrus fruit Replaces: Citric acid extracted from lemons, limes and other citrus (calcium citrate route, Italy and California before 1930) | FOOD |
| D1 | Acid mine drainage and metal-rich mine water treatment with passive biological systems — sulfate-reducing bioreactors, compost wetlands, aerobic wetlands — instead of perpetual lime dosing Replaces: Active chemical treatment with lime/caustic soda (high-volume metal hydroxide sludge, continuous chemical and energy use), or no treatment … | SERV |
| D2 | Oil-reservoir and pipeline souring (H2S) control by nitrate injection (biocompetitive exclusion by nitrate-reducing bacteria) — instead of continuous biocide dosing Replaces: Glutaraldehyde, THPS (tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium sulfate), quaternary ammonium biocides, acrolein and other biocides injected into … | SERV |
| D0 | Oilfield produced water treated biologically instead of chemical-only conditioning and disposal Replaces: Continuous chemical conditioning of produced water (biocides, scale inhibitors, emulsion breakers, demulsifiers) ahead of … | SERV |
| D1 | Plant biostimulants (seaweed extracts, protein hydrolysates, humic and fulvic substances) instead of extra mineral nitrogen and synthetic plant growth regulators for stress Replaces: Insurance" top-ups of mineral N and foliar NPK applied to carry crops through drought, heat or transplant stress; part of the synthetic … | AGROCHEM |
| D2 | Poultry coccidiosis control with live Eimeria vaccines (and phytogenic support) instead of continuous in-feed ionophores and chemical coccidiostats Replaces: Ionophore coccidiostats (monensin, salinomycin, narasin, lasalocid, maduramicin, semduramicin) and chemical anticoccidials (nicarbazin, … | VET |
3 · How to implement 4 steps
- 1FermentIntroduce bacterial cells into the medium and ferment continuously.
- 2Remove bubblesRemove bubbles from the withdrawn broth to avoid cavitation.
- 3Separate cellsSeparate the broth into a cell-containing and a cell-free stream.
- 4RecirculateReturn the cell-containing stream to the fermenter.
4 · Who delivers
Matched suppliers (matched automatically)
| Nafasi Water | South Africa | Services / consulting | active |
| LG Chem | South Korea | Producer | active |
| Star Lake/Eppen 星湖科技 (SSE 600866) | China | Producer | active |
| Georem International | South Africa | Services / consulting | active |
| Papop | Thailand | Services / consulting | active |
| Urja Bio Systems PVT LTD | India | Services / consulting | active |
| Meihua Biological 梅花生物 (SSE 600873) | China | Research / RTO | active |
| Prozyn | Brazil | Producer | active |
| SyncoZymes (Shanghai) | China | Producer | active |
| Fishfa Bioscience Limited | India | Producer | active |
| GenScript ProBio / Genscript | China | Research / RTO | active |
| GranBio | Brazil | Services / consulting | active |
Leading companies and institutes (from the brief)
For pharmaceutical-grade amino acids, all manufacturing must comply with current good manufacturing practice (cGMP). Ajinomoto is the company named; others are matched by the portal under Food ingredients and Biomanufacturing.
5 · Rules & route to market
declaration of conformity, or SGR within 30 calendar days for new/specialized ingredients (plus tests)
Information, not legal advice — confirm the procedure for your product. (2026-10-06)
United States
The sources reviewed on 2026-10-16 identified no the US regulator or standard specific to this technology. Treat the route as case-by-case and ask for a check.
European Union
The sources reviewed on 2026-10-16 identified no the EU regulator or standard specific to this technology. Treat the route as case-by-case and ask for a check.
China
The sources reviewed on 2026-10-16 identified no China regulator or standard specific to this technology. Treat the route as case-by-case and ask for a check.
6 · Money: tenders & grants
| Grant | Circular innovative advanced materials: facilitating the transition from design to markets (RIA) (Innovative … European Commission · EU | Feb 2, 2027 109 days |
| Grant | Strengthening plant health: addressing emerging plant pest risks European Commission · EU | Apr 8, 2027 174 days |
| Grant | Developing novel recycling technologies for complex plastic materials applying biotech solutions European Commission · EU | Sep 22, 2027 341 days |
7 · Tech stack & innovations
Main risks from the sources: failing to avoid bubble-induced cavitation in aerobic fermentation, which prevents stable circulation at commercial scale, and contamination risk.
Sources 4
- Ajinomoto.com — www.ajinomoto.com 2026-10-16
- Freepatentsonline.com — www.freepatentsonline.com 2026-10-16
- Ajinomoto.com — www.ajinomoto.com 2026-10-16
- Jn.nutrition.org — jn.nutrition.org 2026-10-16