Edson Anjos and partners Arthur Macedo, Daniel Laporte, Denise Brentan and Fernanda Motta are researchers and now entrepreneurs. Together they founded Arandu Biotecnologia, a startup incubated at the Pantanal Incubadora Mista de Empresas (Pime-UFMS) that discovered a microorganism capable of revolutionizing the use of dye by Brazilian industry.
THE PROBLEM
“One of the most used red dyes in Brazil, including by the food industry, is of animal origin: Carmine Cochineal comes from a small insect of the mealybug group, originally from Mexico and that due to biosecurity cannot be produced here. All Brazilian consumption is supplied via imports from Peru, which holds 85% of the global market”
THE SOLUTION
“Arandu emerged from the discovery of a red dye produced by a microorganism found in a preserved area of the Brazilian Pantanal. It is a product that is part of a responsible bioeconomy that uses elements from nature without harming the ecosystem and without affecting it, since it does not use solvents in its production, as it is highly soluble in water.”
THE MARKETS
“Priority markets are food, textiles and cosmetics. But for food there is a challenge: Brazilian legislation only includes those of animal or plant origin as natural additives and does not include those that originate from microorganisms. This is still a barrier for the food industry, which needs to cater more and more to vegans. Probiotics are exceptions, and they show that there are possible avenues for new technologies”
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