CONAGEN BEGINS COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF TYRIAN PURPLE FOR TEXTILE DYE

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 (Bernama) -- Conagen has commenced the successful scale-up of its sustainable, cost-effective Tyrian purple, a historically coveted and expensive dye found in rare and limited sources in marine nature.

Conagen in a statement said it was the world's first and only biotechnology company commercialising a sustainable Tyrian purple by fermentation.

“As with any biologically-sourced textile dye, this colour-fast compound reduces pollution and carbon footprints when used as an alternative to petrochemically synthesised dyes commonly used in the textiles industry,” it said.

Conagen’s Tyrian purple, produced by precision fermentation and bioconversion, is a natural, sustainable dye ideal for textile companies under pressure to deliver fashions more sustainably and with a reduced global environmental footprint, especially from manufacturing.

“By leveraging Conagen’s bioengineering and commercial manufacturing capabilities, we’re unlocking Tyrian purple’s great potential as an accessible and sustainable dye.

“We expect Tyrian purple to inspire fresh ideas in multiple industries, making this rare and exciting colour more marketable with planet-conscious consumers,” said its senior vice president of innovation, Casey Lippmeier, PhD.

The Tyrian purple technology is based on two of Conagen’s many key bioengineering platforms, which enable accelerated product development timelines for its competitive phenolics, terpenoids, proteins and peptide molecules

The company aims to replace petroleum-based ingredients and reduce carbon footprints with green technologies. Tyrian purple adds to Conagen’s natural colour offerings, including several carotenoids made by fermentation which have been scaled to global production.

-- BERNAMA