- Business
- Igene Biotechnology, Inc. Igene Biotechnology, Inc. (IGNE) engages in the research, development, production, and commercialization of specialty ingredients for human and animal nutrition. The company supplies natural astaxanthin, marketed as AstaXin and produced from yeast, serving as a nutrient and pigment source for coloring farmed salmon and trout species; it also provides ingredients and finished products to the nutraceutical and animal feed industries, alongside research and development services encompassing microbial strain improvement, fermentation process development and scale-up from shake flasks to commercial fermentors, and analytical chemistry services for carotenoid identification and quantification in foods, feeds, and animal tissues, including verification of wild versus farmed salmonids. Founded in 1981 and headquartered at 9110 Red Branch Road, Suite J, Columbia, Maryland, the company operates primarily in the United States with worldwide marketing of its fermentation technology, nutrition, and health applications. Formerly known as IGI Biotechnology, Inc., it changed its name to Igene Biotechnology, Inc. in April 1986. In recent developments, the company has secured strategic partnerships and funding to support R&D initiatives, enhancing its product pipeline and market position in the biopharmaceutical and agricultural inputs sectors.