The Start

The Unnave Marundhu
Reality.

An incubation lab engineering functional foods from indigenous biology, grounded in an unbreakable commitment to evidence and reality.

The Gap We Are Targeting

The problem is not a theory.
It's in the data.

57%
of women aged 15–49 in India are anemic — the primary driver for our iron bioavailability formulation work.
SOURCE: NFHS-5 (2019–21)
70%+
of urban Indians are micronutrient deficiency — driven by low dietary diversity and poor bioavailability from ultra-processed foods.
SOURCE: ICMR Nutritional Data
47%
of vegetarian adults in India show measurable B12 insufficiency — a micronutrient almost entirely absent from plant-based diets without deliberate fortification.
SOURCE: Shatrugna et al., ICMR Collaborative Study

These are the exact physiological gaps our formulations are designed to target.

Our Current Position

We don't hide
where we are.

Most companies show you what they want you to believe. We show you exactly where we are in the development process — what's done, what's active, and what comes next.

✓ COMPLETED

Problem Analysis & Nutritional Research

Systematically analyzed ICMR, NFHS-5, and WHO India datasets. Mapped exact deficiency profiles across urban demographic segments. Built the scientific evidence base that defines the problem our products solve.

Deficiency profiles mapped across urban segments · ICMR, NFHS-5, WHO India datasets
✓ COMPLETED

Theoretical Formulation Design

Designed evidence-based formulations for three fermented functional beverages: CLARITY (cognitive), MOMENTUM (endurance), and VITALITY (immune resilience). Every ingredient selected from peer-reviewed nutritional literature. Every concentration set at evidence-informed thresholds — not label decoration doses.

3 fermented functional beverages formulation-designed
▶ WHERE WE ARE NOW

Phase 0 — Lab Validation at DETI@ACE TBI

Currently in pre-prototype lab validation at DETI@ACE — Technology Business Incubator, Adhiyamaan College of Engineering, Hosur. Run 05 underway: fermentation protocol optimisation on Ragi + Karuppu Kavuni substrate at 250ml working volume. Phytate reduction rates and LAB strain activity under active evaluation.

UP NEXT

Prototype Development

Lab-scale formulation batches will be developed at the TBI facility. This is where theoretical formulations meet real ingredients, real equipment, and real taste. Multiple iterations expected per product.

FUTURE

Testing, Validation & Clinical Study

Sensory evaluation, shelf-life studies, FSSAI compliance testing, and a planned multi-participant, 8-week clinical validation study — all completed before any product goes to market. Results published regardless of outcome.

FUTURE

Scale-up & Commercial Launch

Manufacturing scale-up, regulated commercial production, and market launch. Distribution built around transparency — with every formulation decision, every test result, and every ingredient source available for public review.

Transparent Process

R&D Activity Log

LAB VALIDATION ACTIVE
RUN 05
Lab Validation — Phase 0
Fermentation protocol optimisation on Ragi + Karuppu Kavuni substrate. Evaluating phytate reduction rates and LAB strain activity under controlled conditions at DETI@ACE TBI, Hosur.
Commenced
April 2026

This log is updated as runs commence. Results, protocol notes, and deviation records will be published here as they are available. We publish results regardless of outcome.

Origin Protocol

Built from
frustration.

Not a corporate origin story. The honest account of a problem we couldn't ignore.

Our lifestyle has changed dramatically, but our biological algorithms haven't. We are encountering sweeping metabolic and lifestyle problems, and the core driver is the food we are eating—over-processed, chemically preserved, and packaged with fake promises. The modern food infrastructure optimizes for shelf-life and margins, not bioavailability or health. We got tired of watching consumers pay premium prices for unverified promises.

01 // THE BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE

There is an ancient Tamil quote, "Unnave Marundhu" (food is medicine), but we have completely forgotten it as a society. Our objective isn't to invent new synthetic superfoods; it's to apply modern biotechnological rigor to restore the efficacy of indigenous ingredients. We are engineering fundamentally powerful substrates like mushrooms and millets through controlled lactic acid fermentation and functional extraction to unlock their innate potential.

With a background in biotechnology, the path was clear—but the execution is complex. The unvarnished truth? We don't have all the answers yet. We don't know if every formulation will behave exactly the way we expect at scale. That is exactly why we maintain an open ledger of our clinical validations.

"I am building this for everyone who deserves scientifically-backed, real food—concentrating right now on working professionals, students, and athletes who face acute issues like skipping breakfast, lacking core nutrition, and recovery barriers."

OUR 03 PRINCIPLES
01
Evidence Mandate

We will never publish a claim we cannot prove.

Every ingredient decision has a source. Every source is linked. If the evidence is weak, we say so. If we are wrong, we correct it publicly.

NO FAKE PROMISES
02
Respect The Roots

We will respect traditional Indian food knowledge.

Ragi, Moringa, Kokum, Ashwagandha — these are not exotic superfoods. They are Indian food culture. We do not appropriate them. We understand them, cite them correctly, and build on them honestly.

ANTI-APPROPRIATION
03
Transparent Process

We will publish negative results, not just positive ones.

If a formulation does not achieve what we expected, we will say so. The build log exists because the process of getting it right is as important as the product at the end.

THE BUILD LOG

"These are not aspirational statements written for a pitch deck. They are the conditions under which this company was built — and the standard we will be held to publicly. If we ever violate any of these, it will be visible on our website, because we will have written the correction ourselves."

Direction

Where we are going.
And why it matters.

V
01 / Vision

A world where traditional Indian food wisdom and modern nutritional science are not in conflict.

A world where what your grandmother knew and what a clinical trial proves point to the same answer. We did not invent this idea. Thirumoolar wrote it 1,500 years ago. We are just making it true again — making eating well a daily habit, not a privilege.

M
02 / Mission

To build functional foods that are honestly formulated, evidence-grounded, and accessible.

We build for the urban professional who skips breakfast, the student running on coffee, and the athlete who can't afford imported supplements. Not premium wellness products for a narrow market. Not marketing dressed up as science. Just food that earns its claims.

The Founding Team.

Driven by a deep commitment to science and transparency.

IMAGE PENDING

Manisreethaar Selvaraj

Founder & CEO

Biotechnologist (M.Tech Nanoscience, B.Tech Biotech) leading formulation R&D with specialized expertise in microbial fermentation and bioprocess engineering.

LinkedIn Profile ↗
IMAGE PENDING

Libinraj Christopher

Chief Technology Officer

Leading technical strategy, operational scale-up, and engineering development for Oxygen's product formulations and core laboratory capabilities.

LinkedIn Profile ↗

Core Research Team.

ACTIVE IN DETI@ACE TBI
Team Photo Placeholder
07 Members
CEO
CTO
01 Research Fellow
04 Research Interns
The People Behind The Science
List Finalised

Knowledge Support
Network.

We don't build in isolation. These are the domain experts, academics, and industry veterans whose guidance actively shapes our formulation decisions and research direction.

Our mentors provide domain expertise and strategic guidance. They are not investors, board members, or equity holders — their involvement is purely knowledge-based.

Industry Advisory Board 03 Members
Confirmed
Pilot Scale-up Strategy
Senior Scientist, MSAT
Syngene International Limited
Confirmed
Process Analytics
Associate Scientist, MSAT
Syngene International Limited
Confirmed
Commercial Bioprocessing
Senior Executive - Process Development
Aragen Life Sciences
Academic & Research Review 05 Members
Confirmed
Academic Advisory
Doctorate
Professor & Head, Dept of Biotechnology
Savitha University, Chennai
Confirmed
Academic Advisory
Doctorate
Professor & Head, Dept of Biotechnology
Adhiyamaan College of Engineering, Hosur
Confirmed
Bioactive Profiling
Doctorate
Assistant Professor
Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore
Confirmed
Functional Methodology
PhD Viva Completed
Assistant Professor
Jeppiaar Engineering College, Semmencheri, Chennai
Confirmed
Biological Assay Design
PhD Pursuing
Bioengineering Major
Chung-Ang University, Seoul
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