Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 3, 2026

Calysta

Calysta is a privately held biotechnology company based in California that develops and commercializes microbial protein ingredients through gas-fermentation technology for use in animal feed and other food applications. Calysta uses methanotrophic bacteria to ferment methane into single-cell protein ingredients designed for aquaculture and livestock feed applications. It also uses other food ingredients.

Last revised
Jun 3, 2026
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≈ 4 min
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Wikipedia ↗
Calysta
Company type
Private
IndustryBiotechnology
Founded2012 (2012)
FounderJosh Silverman
Headquarters
Menlo Park, California
,
U.S.
Key people
Alan Shaw (CEO)
ProductsProtein for animal and fish feed
Websitecalysta.com

Calysta is a privately held biotechnology company based in California that develops and commercializes microbial protein ingredients through gas-fermentation technology for use in animal feed and other food applications. Calysta uses methanotrophic bacteria to ferment methane into single-cell protein ingredients designed for aquaculture and livestock feed applications.1 It also uses other food ingredients.23

Beginning in 2016, Calysta had operated a demonstration plant in Teesside, England,4 that used methanotroph bacteria to convert methane into FeedKind® single cell protein5 under a UK government grant. The product received approval for inclusion in fish and livestock feed in the European Union.46 The facility was later decommissioned as the company shifted away from pilot-scale operations.

Calysta was founded in 2012, based on technology developed by scientists associated with DNA2.0 (now ATUM), a US synthetic biology company. Calysta secured venture funding to commercialize its methane-to-protein technology.7

History

Calysta was founded in 2012 in Menlo Park, California28 by Josh Silverman,4 and is led by CEO Alan Shaw.19

By June 2013, the firm began working with NatureWorks to use methane fermentation to produce lactic acid.1011 Calysta’s methane-based protein fermentation approach builds on earlier research into gas-fermentation processes, including work conducted by Statoil in the 1980s.12 In 2014, Calysta purchased and further developed the technology for producing animal feed ingredients.6 Using the ten-million-dollar total funding from investors including Aqua-Spark,13 Calysta began a study to determine the viability of a mass production facility.14

In 2016 Calysta opened a pilot protein production facility in Teesside, England with £2.8 million ($3.7 million) in UK Government support; that site has since been decommissioned as the company focuses on commercial-scale manufacturing in Chongqing, China.15 In early 2016, the firm announced it had raised $30 million in funding led by Cargill, an American agribusiness corporation.12

The firm's Teesside facility opened in September 2016.16 The facility is dedicated to the production of the company's chief product, "FeedKind protein."17 The firm raised an additional $40 million in May 2017 from existing and new investors including Japan's Mitsui & Co. and Singapore's Temasek Holdings.11819 The firm recently completed its first commercial scale production facility in Chongqing, China with a capacity of 20,000 tonnes of product per year.20

Operations

Calysta's processes rely on methanotrophs (specifically Methylococcus capsulatus6) which naturally convert methane into methanol by the enzyme, methane monooxygenase.21 Calysta’s process uses naturally occurring methanotroph bacteria to produce single-cell protein without genetic modification, intended for use in commercial aquaculture and livestock feeds.62223 Protein produced from methane is being offered as a substitute or supplement in the farmed fish industry which conventionally employs fishmeal and fish oil as its source of protein.13

The company's manufacturing facilities have been using natural gas as their source of methane. Plans for a U.S. manufacturing facility reported before 201912425 have not been documented in later independent coverage; as of 2025, Calysta’s primary commercial production occurs at its industrial-scale plant in Chongqing, China.

References

References

  1. Koh, Ann (2017-09-26). "Landfill Gas for Dinner? Scientists to Cook Food From Waste". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  2. Bullis, Kevin (2012-10-30). "Biofuels Companies Drop Biomass and Turn to Natural Gas". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  3. Lippman, Daniel (2014-01-29). "Can Plastic Be Made Environmentally Friendly?". Scientific American. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  4. Palmer, Maija (2017-02-01). "Methane-based animal feed is more than just hot air". Financial Times. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  5. EOS, April 2019, page 52
  6. "Gas guzzlers". The Economist. 2015-04-25. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  7. "Calysta Energy™ Targets Natural Gas as Advantaged Feedstock for Transportation Fuels and Chemicals - Bio-based News -". Bio-based News. 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  8. Noel, Andrew (2012-10-22). "Ex-Codexis CEO Shaw Forms Gas-Based Biological Feedstock Company". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  9. Herndon, Andrew (2013-05-01). "Biofuel Pioneer Forsakes Renewables to Make Gas-Fed Fuels". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  10. Protti-Alvarez, Francinia (2013-06-18). "NatureWorks, Calysta Energy enter R&D to produce lactic acid via methane fermentation". Chemical Week. Archived from the original on 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  11. McCoy, Michael (2016-03-14). "NatureWorks advances methane-to-lactic acid". C&EN Global Enterprise. 94 (11): 15–16. doi:10.1021/cen-09411-buscon004.
  12. Helmer, Jodi (2016-03-17). "Methane-eating bacteria could reduce the impact of our big appetite for fish". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  13. Gunther, Marc (2015-03-11). "Can Aqua-Spark fund the future of aquaculture?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  14. Schatz, Robin D. (2015-05-26). "Innovation for the Fish Farm". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  15. Bridgen, Mike (2016-01-14). "Calysta, a US biotech company, is investing £30m in a fish feed centre". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  16. McNeal, Ian (2016-09-19). "Multi-million pound fish food factory which is creating scores of jobs opens on Teesside". Gazette Live. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  17. Hugill, Steven (2016-09-21). "Calysta has opened £30m Wilton site to make ingredient aimed at reducing salmon farming industry's dependence on fishmeal". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  18. Yap, Shiwen (2017-05-03). "Singapore: Temasek participates in Calysta $40m Series D led by Mitsui". Deal Street Asia. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  19. Bomgardner, Melody M. (2017-05-08). "Calysta raises money for fish food". Chemical & Engineering News. 95 (19): 10.
  20. "Calysseo's FeedKind plant opens in China, with demand for premium aquafeed soaring | SeafoodSource". www.seafoodsource.com. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  21. Thayer, Ann M. (2013-04-22). "Start-ups To Mine Methane Troves". Chemical & Engineering News Archive. 91 (16): 20–21. doi:10.1021/cen-09116-bus1.
  22. Painter, Kristen Leigh (2017-01-14). "Cargill's quest for fish food grows, enriching canola in Montana and growing protein in tank". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  23. Lierop, Wal Van (2017-10-08). "Canada must prepare now for the post-carbon economy". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  24. Risher, Wayne (2016-11-29). "Cargill, Calysta to open fish food factory in Memphis". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  25. Lantrip, Patrick (2017-04-27). "Cargill, Calysta Break Ground on Presidents Island Facility". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
External links