Novella and Metaphor Foods unite to commercialise cell-based natural preservatives

Biotech startup Novella Innovative Technology and local functional ingredient innovator Metaphor Foods in Braeside, Victoria, have announced a partnership to commercialise cell-based natural preservatives in food applications. 

The food preservatives market has been valued at US$3.18bn and is projected to reach more than US$4.51bn by 2033. With consumers paying greater attention to the ingredients in their foods and beverages, developers and manufacturers are working diligently to clean up labels.

This new collaboration will use Novella’s AuraCell technology, which is designed to deliver natural antioxidant and antimicrobial 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.

“This is a long-term strategic commitment in a market with high demand for natural solutions,” said 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.”

Through their alliance, Metaphor Foods is supporting Novella in finalising application studies and regulatory pathways while advancing a commercialisation plan. The agreement outlines a long-term supply relationship designed to secure ingredient availability, establish manufacturing readiness and ensure consistent quality at scale.

Multiple trials with meat products were conducted at the Hela-Schwarz application labs. “We received impressive results,” Gordon said. “Novella successfully replaced natural antioxidants currently in use, reduced the overall cost, and extended shelf life by 30%. Compared to synthetic options — which face growing consumer resistance — Novella’s products not only offer clean-label benefits but also promote minimal footprint.”

Itay Dana, CBDO and co-founder of Novella, said: “We are in the final stages of scaling up production and validating batch-to-batch consistency. These activities are part of our execution plan to guarantee full readiness for the commercial launch of our product by beginning of 2026.”

Image credit: Novella.