Engineering confidence: How Solaris Biotech is building the backbone of scalable alternative protein production

Solaris Biotech is working at the point where biological promise meets industrial reality, helping alternative protein companies translate early-stage success into scalable, reliable bioprocesses through engineering, automation, and disciplined system design

The future of protein will not be decided at the bench. It will be decided in the disciplined transition from milliliters to cubic meters, from controlled laboratory success to continuous industrial operation. It is one thing to demonstrate that a yeast strain can express a dairy protein, or that muscle cells can proliferate under ideal conditions. It is quite another to reproduce that performance reliably inside stainless steel vessels operating under commercial constraints. This is the terrain Solaris Biotech occupies.

“Solaris Biotech is a global provider of advanced bioreactors, fermenters, and bioprocessing technologies,” begins Magda Costa, Product Manager. “As part of Donaldson Life Sciences, we support customers from early R&D through large-scale industrial production across sectors such as alternative proteins, food production, agritech, pharmaceuticals, and biomanufacturing. We combine engineering depth, intuitive software, and hands-on support to help teams scale their bioprocesses with confidence.”

Confidence, in this context, is not marketing language. It is a technical objective.

From early biology to engineered systems

The alternative protein sector has matured rapidly, but many companies still enter the field with biological expertise rather than process engineering depth.

“Because the alternative protein sector has grown rapidly in recent years, both commercially and in public visibility, we frequently work with start-ups or companies that are just beginning their R&D journey,” Costa explains. “Many approach us at a very early stage, when they are still exploring their first experimental setups or defining what their process could look like.”

That timing shapes everything.

“This gives us the opportunity to support them from R&D through pilot scale, and in several cases even into full industrial scale,” she continues. “At the same time, being at such an early stage of process development represents the greatest challenge in terms of system configuration, as the equipment must be able to potentially evolve together with the bioprocess itself.”

The phrase evolve together is not accidental. In fermentation and cellular agriculture, process parameters rarely remain static. Oxygen transfer rates shift as cell densities increase. Feeding strategies change as metabolic pathways are optimized. Agitation profiles are refined as rheology evolves. Designing equipment that can absorb that evolution without forcing costly redesign is an engineering discipline in its own right.

Designing for scale before scale exists

Scale-up remains the most fragile moment in alternative protein development. Performance that appears stable at one or two liters can collapse under larger hydrodynamic realities.

“We guide the customer step-by-step,” adds Antonio Castagna, Manager Application & Field Service. “Our approach is collaborative. We sit together with both their technical team and ours to understand the biological process and translate those needs into engineering specifications.”

That translation requires anticipating scale-dependent variables long before commercial volumes are reached.

“Several Solaris benchtop bioreactors replicate key characteristics of larger-scale systems, such as pressure control and geometry ratios,” he notes. “This allows customers to develop a process that can scale reliably and with additional control.”

Maintaining geometric similarity is more than aesthetic symmetry. Vessel diameter-to-height ratios influence mixing patterns and oxygen transfer. Power input per volume affects shear exposure and gas dispersion. In high-cell-density fermentation, the oxygen transfer coefficient often becomes limiting, particularly when metabolic demand rises sharply during exponential growth. At larger volumes, inadequate gas-liquid mass transfer can result in gradients, localized hypoxia, and yield collapse.

For cultivated cells, the equation changes again. Shear sensitivity becomes critical, particularly in suspension systems or when cells attach to microcarriers. Impeller selection, tip speed, and agitation strategy must balance mixing efficiency against cell viability. Excessive turbulence can damage fragile mammalian cells, while insufficient mixing can create nutrient gradients.

The engineering challenge is not reinventing the bioreactor. It is ensuring that early-stage development reflects the physical realities of industrial conditions.

“Above all, we build trust by combining process understanding, engineering expertise, and strong post-sales support,” Castagna says.

Trust, here, means fewer surprises when the vessel grows.

Automation as a scaling discipline

Mechanical design alone does not guarantee reproducibility. Increasingly, process intelligence determines whether a system performs consistently.

Solaris integrates advanced automation platforms that centralize control over pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, agitation speed, and feeding strategies. Real-time data acquisition allows continuous monitoring of metabolic performance, while closed-loop control systems dynamically adjust environmental conditions in response to sensor feedback.

This level of automation addresses one of fermentation’s most persistent risks: variability.

In precision fermentation, feed profiles must align with metabolic state. Overfeeding can result in byproduct accumulation. Underfeeding limits productivity. Automated feed control reduces operator-dependent variability and supports batch-to-batch consistency, a critical requirement when food products move toward regulatory review.

The platform’s integration with process analytical technologies enables early detection of metabolic shifts or deviations. Subtle changes in dissolved oxygen demand or pH drift can indicate altered cellular behavior. Identifying these trends in real time reduces the likelihood of full batch failure.

For a sector operating under capital pressure, this is critical. Failed pilot campaigns can consume months of runway and significant capital expenditure. Data-driven scale modeling transforms scale-up from a leap of faith into a structured engineering exercise.

Sterility as systems engineering

Fermentation is inherently vulnerable. Warm, nutrient-rich environments are designed to support microbial or cellular growth. That same environment can support contaminants with equal enthusiasm.

“In any bioprocess intended for human use, the ultimate objective is consumer safety,” Castagna says. “This becomes especially important in food and cellular agriculture applications, where the product must meet commercial safety standards that vary from region to region.”

Sterility is not confined to the bioreactor itself. It extends across utilities infrastructure: process water, steam, compressed air, and storage vessels. Each represents a potential ingress point for contaminants.

“While regulatory requirements in this field are generally not as strict as those in pharmaceutical manufacturing, certain segments, such as cellular agriculture, still demand meticulous attention to design, material selection, and cleanability,” Castagna explains. “These considerations ensure that the equipment supports safe production and can comply with evolving food-grade and novel-food regulations.”

Clean-in-place and steam-in-place systems must be validated to ensure removal of residues and microbial load. Surface roughness affects biofilm formation. Dead-leg minimization prevents stagnation zones. Utility filtration and sterile gas handling protect reactor environments from airborne contaminants.

Contamination events are not minor setbacks. They can destroy entire batches, trigger extended sanitation procedures, and damage process validation confidence. In early-stage companies, repeated contamination can threaten survival.

Sterility, therefore, is less a compliance box and more a financial safeguard.

Different biology, shared engineering principles

The alternative protein field encompasses divergent biological objectives.

“Overall, the fundamental performance requirements for bioreactors do not change dramatically,” Castagna says. “The core principles of process control, sterility, and reproducibility remain the same across sectors. What differs is the type of process and its goals.”

In cultivated meat and seafood, the cell mass itself is the product. Cells must proliferate while maintaining phenotype and viability. Shear tolerance is limited, and oxygen transfer must be achieved without mechanical damage.

In microbial biomass production, robustness increases. Yeast and filamentous fungi can tolerate higher agitation rates and elevated oxygen transfer demands. However, high-density cultures introduce foaming, viscosity shifts, and heat removal challenges.

In precision fermentation, the molecule produced becomes the target. The metabolic burden of heterologous protein expression may alter growth kinetics. Induction strategies, feeding regimes, and downstream purification integration shape upstream design choices.

“These biological objectives shape parameters such as oxygen transfer, mixing, vessel geometry, and control strategies,” Castagna notes, “but the engineering foundations mirror those used in more traditional bioprocess industries.”

The distinction lies not in abandoning established engineering principles, but in recalibrating them for new biological endpoints.

“Customization often increases investment significantly. For this reason, it is only justified when it leads to higher yield, improved product quality, or clear process advantages that provide ROI”

Customization, standardization, and cost realism

Alternative protein companies and pharmaceutical companies face different structural constraints: alternative protein companies must compete directly on price with commodity incumbents.

“Unlike other sectors, the alternative protein market must balance performance with cost efficiency as the final product competes in the market with established and usually cheaper alternatives,” Costa says.

Customization can quickly inflate capital expenditure.

“Customization often increases investment significantly,” she explains. “For this reason, it is only justified when it leads to higher yield, improved product quality, or clear process advantages that provide ROI.”

Standardized platforms offer predictable performance and lower upfront cost. Selective customization, applied only where measurable advantage exists, preserves capital discipline.

For Costa, this pragmatic balance defines Solaris’ mission within food tech.

“In food tech and alternative proteins, our mission is to make bioprocessing more accessible, scalable, and reliable for companies building the future of food,” she says. “We aim to equip both emerging innovators and established players with technologies that support safe, efficient, and commercially viable production, from microbial fermentation to cellular agriculture. To us, innovation is not only technical success. It is delivering meaningful value to producers, consumers, and the planet.”

Innovation, in this sense, is inseparable from manufacturability.

A sector moving toward industrial discipline

The enthusiasm that drove the early days of alternative proteins has shifted toward a more measured, industrial approach.[CA1.1]

“We’re seeing a shift toward greater stability,” Costa observes. “Fewer brand-new start-ups are entering the space, while existing companies are maturing, scaling up, and diversifying their product lines. Growth is becoming more structured and sustainable, with a stronger focus on industrial readiness rather than early-stage experimentation.”

Industrial readiness demands different conversations. Discussions increasingly revolve around uptime, throughput, data traceability, and lifecycle cost rather than proof-of-concept novelty.

Sustainability also moves from aspiration to requirement.

“Bioprocessing plays a critical role in addressing global challenges, from sustainable food to low-impact materials and cleaner manufacturing,” Costa adds. “We believe technology should support environmental progress, not hinder it. Designing systems that are energy-efficient, durable, and adaptable helps our customers make more sustainable products and contributes to a healthier planet.”

Energy efficiency, equipment longevity, and modular expandability influence both environmental footprint and capital strategy.

Ultimately, Solaris operates in the space between biological ambition and industrial execution.

“Ultimately, partnering with Solaris Biotech means having a committed, human-centered team, supported by Donaldson’s global network, ensuring quality, reliability, and real collaboration at every stage of development,” Costa says.

As alternative protein moves deeper into commercial reality, the invisible infrastructure of engineering discipline becomes increasingly visible in its impact. Successful scale-up will not rely on inspiration alone. It will depend on vessels designed with foresight, automation configured with precision, utilities safeguarded against contamination, and systems flexible enough to evolve alongside biology.

And it will depend, as Castagna describes, on the deliberate act of translation.

“We guide the customer step-by-step,” he says. “Our approach is collaborative. We sit together with both their technical team and ours to understand the biological process and translate those needs into engineering specifications.”

Between idea and industry, that translation may be the most critical process of all.