Phytolon
Founded 2018 · 25 employees on LinkedIn · 8 known investors
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Phytolon produces natural food colors derived from baker's yeast fermentation technology, offering vivid hues with heat stability and clean label credentials for food manufacturers. The company targets food producers seeking sustainable, cost-effective color solutions across multiple product categories.
Also known as Phytolon Ltd.
Founders & leadership
Phytolon was founded in 2018 by Halim Jubran and Tal Zeltzer.
Investors · 8
Also in the syndicate · 7
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements$23.6M disclosed across 1 of 3 rounds · 2022–2026
- $23.6MSeries BMay 2026 · 4 sources
Colorcon, Colorcon Ventures, Millennium Foodtech, NextGen Nutrition, NextGen Nutrition Investment Partners (NGN)
Source ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Phytolon is an Israeli biotechnology company that develops and produces natural food colorants using precision fermentation of baker's yeast. Its platform is built on two core pigments — a yellow and a purple — from which a spectrum of purple, pink, red, orange and yellow shades is derived for use across multiple food categories. The company positions its colors as offering enhanced heat and pH stability, accurate shades, no flavor impact, clean-label status, consistent year-round supply and lower cost-in-use compared with agriculture-derived natural colors.
The first commercial product is Beetroot Red, produced by fermenting engineered baker's yeast, with the production organism removed after fermentation; a prickly pear-derived yellow is listed as coming soon. Product attributes cited by the company include a wide pH range (approximately 2.7–7.5), heat stability demonstrated in applications such as cookies baked at 170°C for 40 minutes, and kosher, halal, vegan, GMO-free and gluten-free positioning. Target applications include bakery, snacks, dairy and frozen novelties, confectionery, beverages, sauces and condiments, and pharmaceuticals.
The company is led by co-founder and CEO Dr. Halim Jubran and co-founder and CTO Dr. Tal Zeltzer, and is based in Yokne'am Illit, Israel.
Founding story
Phytolon was founded in 2018 within the Trendlines incubator, in collaboration with the technology transfer arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science, together with entrepreneurs Dr. Halim Jubran, who serves as CEO, and Dr. Tal Zeltzer, who serves as CTO.
Business model
Phytolon manufactures natural color ingredients through precision fermentation and supplies them to food and beverage manufacturers, with distribution partners supporting market reach in the United States and elsewhere. Strategic corporate investors and partners, including DSM Venturing, Colorcon Ventures and Rich Products Ventures, are part of its commercialization network.
Sale of natural color ingredients to consumer packaged goods companies and through distribution partners.
Traction
Phytolon received US FDA approval for Beetroot Red, its first fermentation-produced product, opening applications in confectionery, dairy, beverages, sauces and condiments and pharmaceuticals. It completed the first development milestone of its Ginkgo Bioworks collaboration in 2024 and the second in 2025, and has raised $43.6 million in total funding.
Latest developments
In May 2026 Phytolon announced a $23.6 million Series B round led by an undisclosed strategic investor, secured in three tranches with most capital closed in April 2026, with participation from existing investors Millennium Foodtech, NextGen Nutrition, Colorcon Ventures and Yossi Ackerman. The round followed FDA approval of Beetroot Red and is directed at US commercialization and supply scale-up.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Phytolon operates in the natural food color market amid regulatory and consumer pressure to remove synthetic, petroleum-derived dyes. Its FDA approval for a fermentation-derived Beetroot Red and its base of strategic industry investors are cited as positioning factors for the transition toward natural colorants in food and supplement products.
Fermentation-based production rather than agricultural extraction, enabling year-round consistent supply, a wide pH working range, heat stability, no flavor impact and reduced environmental footprint, with a broad shade spectrum derived from only two core pigments.
Technology
The company engineers baker's yeast to biosynthesize color compounds through precision fermentation; the production organism is removed after fermentation. Two core pigments, yellow and purple, are used to generate a broader palette of red, orange, pink and purple shades. The approach replaces agricultural cultivation and extraction, and the company reports a comparative hotspot life cycle assessment showing 90% lower greenhouse gas emissions, 95% lower water use and 88% lower land use versus agriculture-based benchmark natural colors.
Go-to-market
The company is commercializing in the United States through direct sales to CPG companies and through distribution partners, with Series B proceeds allocated to scaling sales, supply and manufacturing capacity in the US and beyond.
Consumer packaged goods manufacturers and ingredient distributors across bakery, snacks, dairy and frozen novelties, confectionery, beverages, sauces and condiments, and pharmaceutical applications.
Geography
Headquartered in Yokne'am Illit, Israel, with commercialization focused on the United States market and international expansion.
History
Established in 2018 out of the Trendlines incubator with Weizmann Institute technology transfer involvement, Phytolon raised a $14.5 million round led by DSM Ventures in 2022 and received investment from Rich Products Ventures in 2024 and a further undisclosed investment from Colorcon Ventures in 2025. It has maintained a long-running partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks to produce cultured food colors via yeast fermentation, completing a first development milestone in 2024 and a second in 2025. In 2026 the company obtained US FDA approval for Beetroot Red and closed a $23.6 million Series B round, bringing total capital raised to $43.6 million.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 7
launches, deals, and filingsSeries B round of $23.6 million led by an undisclosed strategic investor, structured in three tranches with most capital secured in April 2026 from existing investors including Millennium Foodtech, NextGen Nutrition, Colorcon Ventures and Yossi Ackerman. Proceeds are earmarked for sales, supply and distribution partnerships in the US and beyond.
$23.6M source ↗
Phytolon began commercializing its portfolio of fermentation-produced natural colors in the United States following its Series B round.
The US Food and Drug Administration approved Beetroot Red, Phytolon's first product produced through fermentation of baker's yeast, enabling applications in confectionery, dairy, beverages, sauces and condiments, and pharmaceuticals.
Colorcon Ventures made an undisclosed investment used to accelerate commercialization and expand the natural colorant platform beyond the food industry.
The companies completed the second development milestone of their fermentation-based food color collaboration.
Phytolon and Ginkgo Bioworks, partnered to produce cultured food colors via yeast fermentation, completed the first development milestone.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Phytolonphytolon.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Phytolon do?
- Israeli biotech producing natural food colors from engineered baker's yeast via precision fermentation.
- Who founded Phytolon?
- Phytolon was founded by Halim Jubran, Tal Zeltzer in 2018.
- Who are Phytolon's investors?
- Phytolon's investors include Trendlines Group.
- How much funding has Phytolon raised?
- Phytolon has disclosed $23.6M raised across 1 of its 3 known rounds.