Differential Bio and FermBase by CREMER today publish a joint whitepaper on how Y-Base Blend was developed. FermBase by CREMER launched the standardized trace-element blend for yeast fermentation in September 2026. The launch was announced by CREMER and covered by NutraIngredients, Green Queen, vegconomist and Protein Production Technology International.

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The whitepaper details each step, from the Design of Experiments and more than 3,300 fermentation experiments on Differential Bio's automated laboratory platform to the machine learning models that guided the selection. It also shows how FermBase by CREMER turned the shortlisted formulations into ready-to-use blends and validated them with early-access partners, and gives insight into the full method, data processing and machine learning approach by Differential Bio.

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A small fraction of the medium, a large effect

Industrial yeast fermentation produces functional ingredients for food, feed, cosmetics and technical applications. Trace elements make up only a small fraction of a defined growth medium, but they can strongly affect growth and process stability.

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FermBase by CREMER's conversations with fermentation companies showed that many work with similar requirements, yet each formulates its own trace-element solution. They source, store, weigh and dose individual salts separately. This raises development costs and makes reproducibility, scale-up and procurement harder.

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The goal was one standardized, readily soluble blend that works across yeast species and from laboratory scale to industrial production. To develop it, FermBase by CREMER partnered with Differential Bio, which combines automated fermentation experiments with machine learning. Y-Base Blend is the first standardized blend in the FermBase portfolio.

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The project at a glance

• 3 yeast species: S. cerevisiae, P. pastoris (K. phaffii) and C. utilis
• 3,300+ fermentation experiments in under a week on Differential Bio's automated laboratory platform
• Machine learning predicted the performance of more than 350,000 additional combinations, without testing them in the lab. Ranking all tested and predicted combinations across the three species identified 27 top performers.
• 9 candidates were shortlisted jointly from these 27, based on performance, cost, raw-material availability and regulatory aspects, and validated by early-access partners, from shake flasks to bioreactors
• The result: in partner trials, Y-Base Blend outperformed the partners' own recipes in half of the cases
• 8 weeks of project work at Differential Bio, with the commercial launch 16 weeks later by FermBase by CREMER

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What's inside the whitepaper

• How the Design of Experiments covered a space of 59,049 combinations with a fraction of the experiments
• How the models predict growth across three species and balance performance against cost
• Growth data for the top-performing formulations compared with a commercial positive control
• How the shortlist held up in real biomass and precision fermentation processes

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Download the whitepaper: Developing a cross-species trace-element blend for yeast fermentation (Y-Base Blend)

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About Differential Bio

Differential Bio GmbH is a Munich-based AI biotech company that combines high-throughput, automated fermentation experiments with machine learning models to optimize microbial production. Its platform helps industrial biotechnology companies develop media and processes faster, reduce costs, improve yields and product quality, and increase scale-up success. www.differential.bio

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About FermBase by CREMER

FermBase is a CREMER brand specializing in fermentation media and product solutions for the fermentation industry. Its offering includes carbon sources, nitrogen sources, mineral salts, trace elements, tailor-made solutions and, as of now, standardized blends. FermBase positions itself as a one-stop shop and partner for fermentation companies – from pilot scale through to industrial production. www.fermbase.de

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Header image: © CREMER