Fungi in Full Color: Ricky Cassini Reimagines Dye at Michroma
Ricky Cassini, CEO of Michroma and a former logistics professor turned biotech founder, breaks down why replacing synthetic food dyes is harder than it sounds, and why fermentation-based colorants can outperform both petrochemical dyes and many plant-based “natural” extracts. The conversation covers the core technical constraints that matter to food companies (thermal stability, pH stability, coloring power, flavor neutrality, and supply reliability), why fermentation behaves more like manufacturing than farming, and how regulatory shifts are accelerating demand for bio-based reds and whites (including titanium dioxide alternatives). For an audience following the future of materials and biomanufacturing, this episode is a practical look at how industrial fermentation can modernize a legacy supply chain while meeting performance and consumer expectations.
Chapters:
(00:00:00) Cold open: “Are we eating printing ink?” + beverage innovation
(00:06:55) Conference mode + introducing Ricky Cassini (Michroma)
(00:11:05) How a strategy consultant became a fungal pigments CEO
(00:14:10) Pigment vs dye: soluble vs dispersed (coffee analogies)
(00:16:05) The “food contradiction”: healthy intent, petrochemical reality
(00:18:40) Why plant-based reds struggle (cost, stability, supply chain)
(00:22:35) Pricing confusion: cost per kilo vs cost-in-use (paint analogy)
(00:26:05) What colors Michroma is starting with (red, yellow/orange, white)
(00:28:05) Performance specs that matter: heat, pH, light, flavor, reliability
(00:30:05) Labeling: “Red 40 / Yellow 5” vs natural naming + how novel fermented colors may be listed
(00:33:05) Go-to-market: choosing categories where stability is the bottleneck (dairy, bakery, snacks, vitamins)
(00:35:15) Unexpected use cases: aquaculture (salmon) + packaging inks that can migrate into food
(00:36:55) Manufacturing strategy: partnering with CJ vs building plants; “time compression” and capex discipline
(00:38:10) Scaling pressure points: regulatory timeline + the time/capital reality for novel ingredients
(00:39:45) 5–10 year vision: same bright foods, but colors made via microbes (supply chain shift)
(00:40:35) Quickfire round: fluorescent food-grade pigments, Gantt charts, and GMO marketing
(00:41:40) Wrap + host outro + upcoming episodes and partner promo
Episode Links:
Michroma says fermentation will power next wave of natural colors
159. The Future Is Fungi Awards: From Mushroom Dreams to Real-World Things
CJ bio - Global Fermentation
World Bio Markets - Our new partners
BioInnovations Events - For 25% off use code: Grow Everything
Molecule Manifesto - Advanced Biotech for Sustainability Report
