Ginkgo Bioworks is bringing its engineered fungus technology to Europe. The company has licensed its Aspergillus niger strains to Acies Bio, a contract manufacturer based in Slovenia. The deal gives European customers a single path from strain access to full-scale production.
Aspergillus niger is a food-safe fungus. It has long been used in fermentation. When fed sugar, it produces proteins and enzymes. These are used in edible ingredients, dietary supplements, animal feed, detergents and fermentation-made foods.
Ginkgo says it reworked its strains for large-scale production. The changes help the fungus grow more easily in big tanks. They also eliminate unwanted natural byproducts. Ginkgo links these improvements to higher yields, lower costs and more consistent output.
Under the agreement, Acies Bio will turn Ginkgo’s host strains into working production systems. Its teams will optimize protein expression. They will also build upstream and downstream processes. Acies Bio can then scale output to industrial volumes at its own facility.
Acies Bio is expanding its fermentation capacity too. It is moving from 10 cubic meters to 30 cubic meters. Commissioning is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Ginkgo develops its microbial strains using an automated lab. The lab runs large numbers of genetic variations in parallel, screening them for traits suited to manufacturing. The Boston-based company has built much of its food-sector business on licensing and co-developing strains. Past projects include dairy proteins with Vivici and natural food colors with Phytolon.
Jill Bradshaw, general manager of Ginkgo’s Microbial Solutions unit, said the Aspergillus niger platform was built to reduce friction in industrial protein production. She pointed to its low viscosity, low protease activity and inactivated mycotoxin pathways. Štefan Fujs, director of Acies Bio, said the partnership means customers no longer need to build fungal engineering capabilities in-house.
