Bühler, Pow.Bio partner to launch integrated continuous fermentation platform

SWITZERLAND – A new partnership between Bühler Group and Pow.Bio aims to reshape industrial biomanufacturing by bringing a fully integrated, continuous, precision-fermentation platform to market, offering food and ingredient companies a faster, more predictable, and more cost-efficient alternative to conventional batch systems.

Announced on 9 December 2025 in Alameda, US, and Uzwil, Switzerland, the collaboration combines Pow.Bio’s AI-enabled continuous fermentation technology with Bühler’s 165 years of engineering, scale-up, installation, and commissioning expertise. 

The companies say the platform is now ready for customer onboarding and designed to eliminate the inefficiencies that have long constrained traditional batch and fed-batch fermentation.

Batch-based systems rely on repetitive shutdowns, emptying, and cleaning, which slow production and limit output consistency. 

By contrast, the continuous model developed by Pow.Bio and delivered with Bühler’s global support allows for uninterrupted operation, more stable process control, and a direct pathway from laboratory concept to full commercial scale.

“Our collaboration with Bühler sets a new benchmark for biomanufacturing: not just faster, but smarter and more robust,” said Shannon Hall, CEO and co-founder of Pow.Bio. 

She added that the combined offering enables clients to “unlock commercial-scale production with lower risk and unprecedented efficiency.”

A platform built for scale

The new system targets companies producing fermentation-derived ingredients, including enzymes, organic acids, functional proteins, speciality lipids, and bioactive compounds, that are currently limited by the cost and scalability of fed-batch methods. 

Through continuous processing supported by model-driven control software, the platform delivers higher productivity, predictable performance, and reduced unit production costs.

According to the partners, the integration of Pow.Bio’s smart fermentation platform with Bühler’s industrial capabilities allows food and ingredient innovators to cut the time from pilot to full-scale manufacturing while improving operational performance. 

The approach also offers a practical route for producers of dairy, meat, and egg substitutes, alternative oils and fats, and new pet food ingredients, sectors that increasingly rely on precision fermentation.

Thierry Duvanel, Bühler’s North American Director of Innovation, said precision fermentation’s potential is only beginning to be realised. 

“Companies are already using it to produce dairy, meat, and egg substitutes, alternative oils and fats, and even novel pet food – and we are only at the beginning of what this technology can unlock,” he said. 

By partnering with Pow.Bio, Bühler aims to accelerate the adoption of continuous systems that reduce costs and offer greater reliability for the industry.

With the partnership now formalised, Bühler and Pow.Bio are preparing to bring on new customers seeking a low-risk, integrated pathway to scale.

The companies position their offering as a milestone for the broader biomanufacturing sector, which is seeking faster development cycles and more efficient processes to meet rising global demand for sustainable ingredients.

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