The CALIPSO project: an initial progress report approved for the French biotech and green chemistry sectors

Toulouse and Susville, July 2026

Two years after its launch, the CALIPSO project has successfully completed its first key milestone, validated by ADEME. Led by Naturamole in collaboration with the Toulouse Biotech Alley ecosystem (the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute (TBI) and Toulouse White Biotechnology (TWB) laboratories, as well as CRITT Bio-Industries) based on the INSA Toulouse campus, this project aims to replace traditional chemistry with environmentally responsible enzymatic processes.

Towards the production of natural esters for industry

CALIPSO aims to accelerate the energy transition in the chemical industry through the development of continuous enzymatic catalysis processes for the production of eight natural functional esters – high value-added molecules used in the agri-food, perfumery and cosmetics sectors. These alternative processes will contribute to the carbon neutrality target set for 2050, for which there is a vital need across Europe for industrial solutions that are high-performing, resilient, competitive and environmentally sound.

Over the course of two years, the project team has turned its ambitions into tangible successes through three major achievements:

• The discovery of new biocatalysts: Using a bioinformatics approach, nearly 200 new enzymes derived from biodiversity were rigorously selected and then tested. For 7 of the 8 target esters, at least one enzyme capable of synthesising them was identified, whereas the scientific literature had previously reported no enzymatic solution for the majority of these molecules.
• Robust and industrially scalable ‘cellular factories’: Four promising microorganisms have been selected as future systems for the industrial production of these innovative enzymes. The genetic engineering tools required to optimise them have already been developed, validated and are ready for deployment.
• 90 per cent attachment efficiency: The foundations for the enzyme immobilisation process have been laid. Of the 12 carriers tested, the best ones achieve a yield of nearly 90 per cent whilst preserving the enzyme’s activity.

Moving on to Phase 2: industrial optimisation Everything is on track! The consortium is now moving into the second phase of the project, which focuses on engineering the selected enzymes to maximise their performance, ahead of the final assembly of all the technological building blocks in preparation for their industrial roll-out.