From lab to market: building the future of food with fungi

In the first episode of the season, we speak with Ricky Cassini, founder of Michroma and winner of The Future is Fungi Startup Award 2025, about how fungal biology and precision fermentation are being used to replace synthetic food dyes with natural, high-performance alternatives.

Ricky shares what it really takes to turn deep science into real-world impact — from navigating regulation and scale to building resilience over a seven-year biotech journey. We explore why replacing petrochemical dyes is such a complex challenge, how fermentation can unlock scalable solutions, and what the global shift away from synthetic ingredients means for the future of food.

This conversation sits at the intersection of science, entrepreneurship, and sustainability, offering insights for researchers, founders, and anyone curious about how fungal innovation moves from the lab into everyday products.

Tune in to learn why fungi could play a defining role in the next generation of food systems.

This podcast features music by Modern Biology. Check out his work here:
https://www.modernbiology.xyz/
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