Chromologics

Colour plays a critical role across food, beverage, cosmetic, textile, and consumer product markets. Yet many widely used colourants continue to rely on synthetic chemistry, agricultural feedstocks, or animal derived ingredients that can present challenges related to sourcing, consistency, and sustainability. At the same time, manufacturers are often seeking natural alternatives that meet demanding performance requirements and can be produced at industrial scale. The Danish biotechnology company Chromologics develops fermentation derived colourants based on fungal production platforms. Originating from research at the Technical University of Denmark, the company applies precision fermentation to produce natural pigments designed for industrial applications. Its flagship ingredient, Natu.Red®, is positioned as a vegan, water soluble red colourant for food and beverage use.

Technology and Product

Chromologics develops natural colourants through submerged precision fermentation. For its flagship ingredient Natu.Red®, the company ferments a fungus with sugar and nutrients in water, enabling the organism to produce a red pigment during the process. This approach is intended to reduce dependence on extraction from crops, insects, or other raw materials that can be affected by seasonality, land use, and supply variability. According to Chromologics, its fermentation platform supports scalable production of stable, vegan, and water soluble colourants compatible with a wide range of dietary requirements including kosher and halal applications.

Submerged fungal fermentation for production of natural colourants using renewable feedstocks and scalable bioprocessing. (© Chromologics)

Industrial Fit and Applications

The company initially focuses on food and beverage manufacturers seeking natural alternatives to synthetic colours or insect derived carmine. Natu.Red® is positioned for broad food applications where stability, sourcing reliability, and dietary compatibility are important. The company has also explored potential use in cosmetics and other industries requiring natural colour solutions. By using fermentation instead of crop or insect extraction, Chromologics aims to offer more predictable production and reduce reliance on agricultural variability, while supporting manufacturers responding to consumer and regulatory demand for natural ingredients.

Natu.Red® is designed for applications across confectionery, bakery, dairy, plant based foods, and non food sectors including cosmetics. (© Chromologics)

Founding Team

Chromologics was co founded in 2017 by Gerit Tolborg and Anders Ødum as a spin out from the Technical University of Denmark. The company builds on Tolborg’s PhD research, which led to the discovery of a novel group of fungal pigments. In 2026, Chromologics announced that Christian H. Steffensen would become CEO as Tolborg stepped down after leading the company from its early development phase toward regulatory submission and commercial launch.