BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Mold is something that many might fear and avoid, but Elliott Notrica ‘26 says let it grow — or rather, ferment.
In February, Notrica was invited to speak virtually at KojiCon, an international conference on mold-based fermentation that draws chefs, researchers and fermented food producers from around the world.
Notrica, a biology major, knows a bit about fermentation. During his first year at Illinois Wesleyan, he founded Symbio Bioculinary, a business that offers consulting services to food companies on how to use genetically engineered microbes to make upcycled ingredients from food waste.
During his address at the conference, Notrica discussed genetic engineering of koji, a popular fungi used for fermenting, to create novel ingredients from food scraps. He also highlighted approaches that his business is exploring to leverage bioengineered koji.
“I was honored to be selected to speak, and it was a fantastic opportunity to share our work with the fermentation community and connect with others working with koji. I'm excited about several potential collaborations that arose from the presentation, and continuing to engage with folks in the community,” he said.
Other presenters highlighted various uses for koji, from popular applications to more modern uses and cultural aspects of fermentation. Notrica noted that the fungi is fundamental to Japanese food, and has been used for thousands of years to produce fermented foods in the country.
“If you've had soy sauce or miso soup, you've had a koji-based product,” said Notrica. “Over the last decade, there has been increasing interest in koji by chefs and food scientists outside of Japan and a range of new applications have emerged.”
Most recently, he said, advances in technology have made precision fermentation, a process previously only available to pharmaceutical companies, more affordable and practical. The process of using genetically-optimized koji strains will allow Notrica’s business to better utilize food waste and produce a larger range of end products.
Over the past three years, Notrica has driven significant growth at Symbio Bioculinary. The business successfully launched after earning early funding from Marc Talluto '94 through the Titan New Venture Challenge in 2022. Other IWU alumni including Ryan Vaughan '08 and Cam Loyet '18 have also contributed to the success of the business, said Notrica. Through additional funding, his team hopes to open a lab facility in Bloomington this spring.
“This will dramatically expand our capabilities with an in-house lab, applications kitchen and office space. We are also bringing on several additional full-time staff, including a 2025 IWU graduate, to support this growth,” he said.
Since founding the business, Notrica has hired several Titan students to assist with research and business development, including Avery Powell '25, Nick Fisch '25 and Justin Doucette '25. Symbio Bioculinary is currently hiring for a chemistry/biochemistry research technician and a microbiology and food science intern.
“It has been an absolute joy to work with other Titans,” said Notrica. “They each bring a tremendous amount to our team and have been instrumental in our success so far.”