Modern ingredient supply chains are increasingly over-extended, inefficiently extracting and transporting resources from the far reaches of the planet.
The result? Environmental degradation, social disruption, and economic inefficiencies at a staggering scale.
If that sounds dramatic, it should.
Fortunately, solutions to these supply chain challenges are no longer in development, they’re here now and bringing them to market at scale is the focus of Checkerspot with John Krzywicki, the newly appointed CEO of Checkerspot at the helm.
“Tropical oil and butters are perfect examples,” Krzywicki explains. “The fragility of their supply is underscored by their geographic constraints, climate susceptibility, and disease. These can be challenging from a business perspective and although we know they are critical to some of the foods we enjoy most, we also believe our technology is finding better solutions to these problems.”
Checkerspot, a pioneering force in microalgae-derived oils and fats, has built a platform with the potential to help regionalize ingredient sourcing. Through precision fermentation and molecular design, the company creates high-performance ingredients that match or exceed the functionality of conventional sources, while eliminating many of the supply chain vulnerabilities that weaken global food supply.
At the heart of these efforts is Checkerspot’s molecular foundry, where its science team, armed with decades of experience, optimizes algal strains to produce triglycerides for food, beverage, and nutrition partners. The result? A smarter, more sustainable way to supply critical lipid-based ingredients without the volatility of traditional sourcing.
To date, the biotechnology coming out of Checkerspot’s lab has focused on three key areas:
1. Nutritional oils – Designed for health and bioavailability
Fats are essential for human health, playing a critical role in infant development, brain function, and metabolic processes. Checkerspot’s microalgae-derived oils are designed with precision nutrition in mind, offering bioavailable lipid structures that optimize nutrient absorption and metabolic efficiency.
A standout innovation is the company’s development of structured lipids that mimic those found in human milk fat, specifically sn-2 palmitate (OPO).
OPO is a crucial fat found in breast milk that enhances calcium and fat absorption, improving digestion and reducing constipation in infants.
Checkerspot’s approach uses advanced strain engineering and fermentation to produce these bioavailable lipids at scale, offering a consistent and sustainable alternative to palm-derived ingredients that more closely resembles the real thing.
The Impact? Infant formula manufacturers can now more closely replicate the fat composition of human milk, ensuring optimal nutrient absorption and a formulation closer to nature’s ideal for infant growth and health.
As consumers demand cleaner, science-backed nutrition solutions, these microalgae-based lipids represent a significant advancement for infant nutrition.
2. Structuring fats – A sustainable alternative to tropical and animal fats
Structuring fats are the backbone of baking, confectionery, and plant-based foods, giving products their signature texture, stability, and mouthfeel. However, traditional sources like cocoa butter, palm oil, and animal fats come with significant challenges, including environmental impacts, supply chain fragility and price volatility, with rising demand and unpredictable harvests leading to cost spikes and market instability.
Executives from Hersheys and Mondelez have recently prepared consumers for as much as a 50% increase in the price of chocolate on shelf due to the instability of the cocoa supply. In 2024 cocoa prices surged to nearly triple their cost. Finding new sources of ingredients isn’t just a luxury of innovation, it’s becoming a necessity for our future food supplies.
Checkerspot’s solution? Precision-fermented structured fats that replicate the functional properties of tropical fats, without the sustainability pitfalls. Checkerspot’s algal fats can be customizable to a degree that they can mimic cocoa butter’s melting profile and snap for premium chocolate formulations.
3. Algae oil powder – A versatile, clean-label lipid solution
As plant-based and clean-label trends reshape the food industry, formulators are searching for functional lipid ingredients that improve texture, stability, and nutrition, without relying on palm, hydrogenated oils, or synthetic emulsifiers.
Checkerspot’s high-oleic algal oil powder provides a versatile, nutrient-dense alternative for dairy-free, snack, and beverage applications.
What does that mean in practice? A primary use case is enhancing plant-based & non-dairy creamers. One of the biggest challenges in dairy-free formulations is achieving the rich, creamy mouthfeel of traditional dairy fats.
Here again, with a platform capable of creating a molecule tailored to the end user’s exact specifications, Checkerspot’s fermented algae oil powder:
- Improves the mouthfeel of plant-based milks and low sugar beverages
- Reduces fat content of food formulations while maintaining sensory properties
- Offers a cleaner-label, more sustainable solution to palm or hydrogenated oils
With global demand for plant-based foods skyrocketing, Checkerspot’s oil powders offer an efficient way to enhance product texture and nutritional value while ensuring a stable, long-term supply of premium lipids.
The microalgal future
“We’ve been talking about the potential of this technology for a long time,” says Krzywicki. “The conversations we’re having today are well beyond potential, they’re about application and scale.”
To that end, Checkerspot has discussions in progress with several major players to bring ingredients from its molecular foundry to commercialization faster. This approach reduces infrastructure risk while enabling rapid deployment.
What’s next?
“The beauty of our platform is that the possibilities are virtually limitless. In some ways that’s actually been a bit of hindrance historically. With so many possible applications it’s hard to know how best to commercialize this technology,” says Krzywicki.
“Having found that focus in the food and nutrition space, and specifically with fats and oils, we’re ready for scale. After that? We’ll see what the supply chain and consumer demand dictates, but we have some exciting developments in the pipeline.”