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Category: Future Foods

  • Those Vegan Cowboys Unveils Animal-Free Casein for Meltier, Stretchier Cheese

    those vegan cowboys cheese
    5 Mins Read

    Dutch-Belgian food tech startup Those Vegan Cowboys has debuted its precision-fermented casein protein, with plans to launch animal-free cheese in 2025.

    Animal-free casein is having a moment. From new startups pushing the envelope with structural breakthroughs, to companies raising money to commercialise the protein, to the world’s largest mozzarella supplier diving into the bioidentical ingredient, casein is high on the agenda for alt-dairy producers.

    Now, Those Vegan Cowboys is adding to the list of developments, launching its precision-fermented casein to the market. The ingredient has been four years in the making, and will be unveiled at the Future Food-Tech summit in London tomorrow.

    Instead of a cow, the protein is produced via fermentation in a stainless steel tank dubbed Margaret (after former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady), and can outperform its conventional counterpart under certain conditions in cheese.

    The animal-free casein is being tested by multiple industry players, including dairy companies and Michelin-starred restaurants. The plan, as CEO Hille van der Kaa tells Green Queen, is to launch cheeses on its own as well as through partners, starting with the US in mid-2025.

    Cheese that stretches and melts better

    animal free cheese
    Courtesy: Those Vegan Cowboys

    The brainchild of Dutch entrepreneurs Jaap Korteweg and Niko Koffeman, Those Vegan Cowboys was founded in 2019 a year after they sold plant-based meat brand The Vegetarian Butcher to Unilever.

    To make the protein, the startup collaborates with Wageningen University, Leiden University, and Ghent University. “We currently work with different microbes/strains,” says van der Kaa. “We work with bacteria, as well as yeast, as well as [other] fungi.”

    Casein makes up 80% of the protein content found in milk, and is crucial to the taste and functional attributes of dairy products like cheese – it’s what makes hard cheeses melt and stretch when they’re heated, allowing water and fat to emulsify and deliver the desired mouthfeel.

    But to combat the industry’s climate impact, the animal-free casein space has been expanding rapidly, with startups such as New Culture, Change Foods, Standing Ovation, Eden Brew, Fermify, Zero Cow Factory, Fooditive Group, Alpine Bio, and Formo (which has joined forces with Those Vegan Cowboys). And that’s before you consider molecular farming companies like Moolec, Miruku, NewMoo and Finally Foods, and plant-based casein makers such as Pureture and Climax Foods.

    Those Vegan Cowboys suggests that its fermentation-derived casein stands out by “significantly” improving the stretchability of cheese when compared to bovine casein – up to five times better, alongside a lower melting point.

    “We analysed the functionality of caseins in a broad sense, including sources other than cows. The scientists developed a new recipe for a casein protein produced by microbes, which boasts better properties compared to the cow’s casein combination under specific conditions or for specific products,” explains van der Kaa.

    “Over the past decades, we learned a lot about natural variation in caseins between cows and their impact on [the] functionality of dairy products,” adds Kasper Hettinga, professor of dairy processing and functionality at Wageningen University. “Precision fermentation gives flexibility to dairy producers by creating casein-based ingredients with optimal functionality, by making use of the variability found in nature.”

    Additionally, Those Vegan Cowboys’s ingredient only needs a fifth of the land and water that animal-based casein needs, while generating 80% less carbon and methane. “By working with vegetable fats, we give ourselves more freedom to avoid cholesterol and use less saturated fat in our cheese,” adds CTO Will van den Tweel.

    A big 2024 in store for Those Vegan Cowboys

    precision fermentation casein
    Courtesy: Those Vegan Cowboys

    Those Vegan Cowboys has established eight partnerships – including a dairy cooperative, a pizza maker, a Michelin-starred eatery, and multiple cheese producers – to test its casein for flavour and functionality, the long-term goal being to outmatch bovine dairy on every front.

    One of these companies is Westland Kaas, a cheese producer that is also among Those Vegan Cowboys’s oldest collaborators. The two entities jointly launched vegan cheese range WildWestLand in supermarkets in the Netherlands and Belgium in 2020.

    “They tell us what kind of specifications they prefer,” van der Kaa says of the partners. “We also work together on cheeses. Later this year, we hope to have selected our partners to go to market with next year.”

    those vegan cowboys casein
    Courtesy: Those Vegan Cowboys

    Those Vegan Cowboys has also formed a strategic alliance with Germany’s Formo, uniting R&D operations across strain engineering, bioprocessing and large-scale production to aid their separate efforts for product development and commercialisation.

    One of the goals is to reduce costs – the functional superiority of Those Vegan Cowboys’s casein allows cheese producers to use less of the protein for the same result, ultimately lowering the price of their products. “We expect to have price parity on a functional level within three to five years,” reveals van der Kaa, whose team is currently producing on a cubic-metre-scale at the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant.

    Van der Kaa says the Formo collaboration is going well. “We are very happy with the collaboration so far and learned a lot from each other’s failures and successes.” Another objective is to break through the regulatory barriers – so far, only New Culture has been cleared to sell precision-fermented casein, earning self-determined GRAS status in the US.

    precision fermentation cheese
    Courtesy: Those Vegan Cowboys

    Those Vegan Cowboys is preparing dossiers in the US, Europe as well as Asia, and has big plans for 2025. It aims to launch its own D2C cheese called Margaret’s Finest (it has previously hinted that it’s working on Camembert, Brie, Feta and Gouda-style cheeses), one or two cheeses with its B2B industry partners, and a “love baby” cheese with Formo, all at once.

    This will be facilitated by its first investment round – the startup has been bootstrapped by Korteweg and Koffeman until now. “We are currently raising €15M to get the right partners on board for our next step,” says van der Kaa. These efforts will be helped by the fact that fermentation is hot among investors – especially in Europe.

    The post Those Vegan Cowboys Unveils Animal-Free Casein for Meltier, Stretchier Cheese appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Kinoko-Tech Inks Deal to Roll Out Fungi Products in Australia, From Zero-Waste Burgers to Mycelium Muesli Bars

    mycelium meat
    5 Mins Read

    Israel’s Kinoko-Tech has partnered with Australia’s Metaphor Foods to commercialise a range of mycelium protein products – including sausages, flapjacks and chips – down under.

    How would you like some fungi in your morning granola bar?

    Kinoko-Tech, an Israeli mycelium protein startup, is asking why not. Growing mycelium on grains, legumes, nuts, and food industry sidestreams, it is gearing up to launch a new kind of protein that serves as an alternative to both meat and plant-based foods, as well as a base for innovative functional foods.

    The company has signed a strategic commercial agreement with Metaphor Foods, an accelerator and innovation arm of ingredient manufacturer Hela, to produce large-scale quantities of mycelium protein and supply it to manufacturers, ahead of a rollout in 2025.

    Kinoko-Tech’s clean-label “meat-like” products are highly nutritious and better for the planet, while tackling our growing food waste problem. Think burgers, sausages, patties, chunks and cubes rich in protein and fibre, but made by fungi fed on grains, lentils and often-discarded items like vegetable peels.

    “We are trying to get them to be meat-like but instead come in a way that is familiar for people to use,” explains co-founder and CEO Jasmin Ravid. “These products all have a very short ingredient list of substrate and mycelium. One example is patties of black lentils, mycelium, and salt. Another example is chickpea, vegetable cutoffs (side stream), mycelium, and spices.”

    These centre-of-plate foods will be complemented with products like flapjacks, nut and protein bars, and chips, which leverage side streams like okra and use natural sweeteners. “These offer consumers convenient, healthy, unprocessed, protein-packed options for everyday snacking,” Ravid tells Green Queen.

    Hitting on taste, health and sustainability with clean labels

    mycelium protein
    Courtesy: Kinoko-Tech

    Kinoko-Tech leverages solid-state fermentation in a process licensed from Yissum, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s tech transfer company.

    “The uniqueness of the technology is the ability to use locally supplied ingredients (including side streams) for the fermentation process,” says Ravid, who co-founded the startup with CTO Daria Feldman and COO Hadar Shohat in 2019. “This method efficiently converts the substrates into high-protein, fibrous products.”

    The startup suggests that its production process is zero-waste, since the “end products combine mycelium and substrate”. It means everything that goes into the fermentation platform comes out as part of the product. Moreover, the fermentation tech produced “minimal emissions” compared to other manufacturing processes.

    A life-cycle assessment conducted on data from its pilot site found that even at a small scale, the mycelium protein’s greenhouse gas emissions are lower than growing tomatoes.

    But while sustainability is important to many consumers, how food tastes and feels is an even more crucial consumption driver. In Australia, where Kinoko-Tech is aiming to enter the market, 46% of people are dissuaded from eating plant-based meat due to its unsatisfactory flavour, and another 30% say the same for texture.

    Kinoko-Tech is hoping to break that mould by offering a new kind of meat replacement. But while it resembles tempeh – another fermented food that is based on soybeans – Ravid says the mycelium protein offers more: “Our products are designed to be versatile. The centre of the plate products has a juicy, fibrous texture that is quite different from tempeh. The taste is also more umami and rich.”

    It’s also delivering on the nutrition front, with high amounts and fibre (a nutrient many of us underconsume), and all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. The short ingredient lists, meanwhile, will allay fears of overprocessing and appeal to the 68% of consumers who are happy to pay more for products that only contain recognisable ingredients.

    The startup plans to market the mycelium protein to consumers as “a sustainable, nutrient-dense alternative that’s easy to prepare in various cuisines, celebration legumes, vegetables (if those will be part of the substrates), and fermented food”.

    Who are these consumers? “Health-conscious individuals, flexitarians, and vegetarians seeking high-quality, unprocessed, protein-rich foods that align with their health and wellness goals,” says Ravid. “We aim to provide options that not only meet their dietary preferences, but also enhance their overall lifestyle.”

    Kinoko-Tech plans Europe expansion post Australia launch

    kinoko tech mycelium
    Courtesy: Kinoko-Tech

    Ravid reveals that Kinoko-Tech is producing its mycelium starter kit at a facility in Israel, and can already produce enough protein to manufacture 120,000 tonnes of end products annually. These final products will be produced by Metaphor Foods at a site in Melbourne.

    “We aim to begin commercial production in Australia in 2025, beginning on a small scale of 24-48 tonnes annually and reaching 700+ tonnes annually once the partnership is fully established, positioning us strategically to serve growing markets,” she says.

    The scale-up would also help Kinoko-Tech bring down the price of its protein, another key pain point for consumers. “The key differentiation of the technology is the unit economics and low capex needed for production. As we scale the production, we will get price parity with traditional animal proteins,” suggests Ravid. “Our goal is to offer a cost-effective, sustainable alternative without compromising quality.”

    The company is focusing on “forging strategic partnerships” to enable local production utilising its fermentation technology and mycelium starter kit. The partnership with Metaphor Foods is part of this strategy, which will enable it to produce the mycelium in Australia, followed by an expansion into Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and New Zealand.

    “We are currently in discussions with several food manufacturers across Europe and the US to create more partnerships like these,” outlines Ravid. “Our plan is to launch in Australia with Metaphor in 2025, and in Europe with one of our other partners.”

    kinoko tech
    Courtesy: Kinoko-Tech

    The agreement with Metaphor Foods also includes a strategic investment. “We have successfully completed an initial funding round and are currently focusing on scaling our operations and supporting our market launch alongside our partners,” she says. “As we move forward and sign more partnerships, we will evaluate opportunities for additional funding to further accelerate our growth and expand our reach.”

    Investors have been doubling down on fermentation startups amid a dip in interest in the larger alternative protein space. In the first three quarters of this year, fermentation protein companies have exceeded their funding totals from all of 2023, surpassing $550M in nine months (versus last year’s $443M).

    Meanwhile, more and more companies are looking to mycelium for cleaner-label meat analogues, including Beyond Meat and Nosh.bio, whose Koji Chunks are made from just one ingredient. Similarly, Elmhurst 1925 has forayed into plant-based meat with its single-ingredient TerraMeat hemp chicken. And in the UK, Vegbloc has come up with a whole-food-based protein that’s designed to replace, not imitate, meat.

    The post Kinoko-Tech Inks Deal to Roll Out Fungi Products in Australia, From Zero-Waste Burgers to Mycelium Muesli Bars appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Estonia’s Äio Secures €6.1M for Demo Facility to Turn Sawdust Into Palm Oil & Animal Fat Alternatives

    aio palm oil
    5 Mins Read

    Estonian startup Äio has closed a €6.1M ($6.8M) funding round to build a facility for its fermentation-derived alternatives to palm oil and animal fats.

    Transforming agricultural and woodworking waste into oils to replace planet-harming fat, Äio has raised €6.1M ($6.8M) to scale up operations via a new demo facility.

    Investors in the round included Voima Ventures, 2C Ventures, Nordic Foodtech VC, and the state- and EU-backed SmartCap Green Fund. It comes a year after the Estonian startup raised €1M to advance its fermentation technology.

    Äio uses specialised yeast to turn byproducts from the wood and agricultural industries – like sugars extracted from sawdust – into food-grade fats and oils. The process is said to be significantly speedier with a much lighter impact on the planet.

    “Providing sustainable alternatives to products such as palm oil or animal fats is a critically important step in reducing the environmental impact of the food and cosmetics industry,” said Hendrik Reimand, partner at 2C Ventures. “We are confident in the teams’ ability to turn this scientific development into commercial success.”

    Fats for every use, made with waste ingredients

    aio funding
    Courtesy: Andrei Ozdoba

    Äio emerged after spinning off from the Tallinn University of Technology, or TalTech, in 2022, built on research conducted by founders Nemailla Bonturi and Petri-Jaan Lahtvee. Using a ‘red yeast’ microbe created and patented by Bonturi, the startup ferments it with industrial byproducts in a process similar to brewing beer or making bread.

    The resulting fats are rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants, while being a boon for the environment. “Äio’s oils, produced from industrial residues, help reduce land use by up to 97% and water consumption by as much as 10 times compared to current palm oil and animal fat production.,” said Bonturi. “Additionally, the speed of oil and fat production through fermentation is 10 times faster.”

    It has so far developed three fats. Encapsulated Oil can replace palm oil in the food industry; Buttery Fat is a substitute for animal fats, shortening and coconut oil; and RedOil can swap out fish oil and seed oils, and also be used in cosmetics and household products.

    Palm oil is ubiquitous and problematic. Present in half of all supermarket items, across multiple categories, it alone accounts for 40% of global oil production. Manufacturers like it because it’s tasteless, odourless, and cheap – once processed – and can withstand high temperatures while functioning as a natural preservative.

    aio redoil
    Courtesy: Andrei Ozdoba

    But it’s the major driver of tropical deforestation, which contributes to nearly a fifth of all global emissions. Most of the world’s palm trees, for example, are in Indonesia and Malaysia, where these plantations have been directly responsible for widespread wildfires in recent years. The industry is also a threat to wildlife and human rights, particularly Indigenous communities.

    These complications are well-known, but that hasn’t stopped production from increasing tenfold since 1980 – and global demand is currently growing by 4% every year. This would mean more forests felled and burned, a form of mass deforestation that emits greenhouse gases while removing the trees that would sequester them.

    “Äio’s approach addresses this issue by valorising agricultural and forestry sidestreams into premium replacements, meaning significant reductions in CO2 or land use,” said Voima Ventures partner Pontus Stråhlman.

    Aïo aims for 2026 factory opening amid industry interest

    aio alternative fat
    Courtesy: Andrei Ozdoba

    The latest round also comes a year after Äio received a €1.8M grant from the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EISA) to develop a platform for semi-automated strain technology, in collaboration with the Center of Food and Fermentation Technologies. EISA had previously pumped in €500,000 to help the startup valorise sidestreams.

    The company is already working with fellow Estonian firm Fibernol to convert wood hydrolysates into the microbial oils. Over 120 trove local and international partners have been providing Äio with industrial byproducts or testing its oils and fats.

    It has also attracted interest from major food, cosmetics and household CPG companies, which have signed on to develop products together. The upcoming demo facility will help meet this demand, allowing the startup to produce tens of tonnes of its products. The location hasn’t been finalised, but it’s expected to be completed by 2026.

    Älo has a separate Good Fat Wörks innovation centre to develop its yeast-derived fats and create pilot products. In May, it held a public tasting featuring delicacies made from these products at the Latitude59 startup festival in Tallinn, working alongside Gelatex and Accelerate Estonia.

    Plus, it has been selected for a Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CB-EJU) project worth €7.5M, in which it will develop fat-based materials and cosmetics with other European companies and research bodies.

    palm oil alternative
    Courtesy: Andrei Ozdoba

    “For a scientist, the greatest achievement is when years of research result in a real product that can change the entire food industry and consumer experience,” said Bonturi. “We will continue to develop the company and its products in collaboration with partners, investors and the food industry. We will also continue working with TalTech to train the next generation of bioengineers.”

    Äio is innovating in an alternative fat market that’s expected to grow by 6% annually to reach $4.5B by 2032, but one that faces plenty of challenges, including high costs and low volumes for products aiming to replace those with low costs and high volumes.

    There are plenty of startups specifically using fermentation to overcome this bottleneck for palm oil substitutes, including British firms PALM-ALT and Clean Food Group, New York-based C16 Biosciences, Estonia’s Äio, Dutch startups Time-Travelling Milkman and NoPalm Ingredients, and Bay Area company Kiverdi, among others.

    The post Estonia’s Äio Secures €6.1M for Demo Facility to Turn Sawdust Into Palm Oil & Animal Fat Alternatives appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Researchers Are Using Baker’s Yeast to Turn Carbon Dioxide Into Protein & Folate

    microbes co2 protein
    4 Mins Read

    Scientists have discovered a way to turn gases into yeast that contains more protein than beef and enough folate to meet your daily requirements.

    What if acetate and carbon dioxide could help you meet your daily nutritional needs?

    Researchers at the University of Tübingen in Germany are proposing just that, having found a way to make yeast using carbon dioxide, oxygen and hydrogen.

    Using a process similar to beer brewing, the scientists fed microbes with these gases and acetate (a compound found in vinegar) instead of sugar to produce protein and folate (also known as vitamin B9).

    The process is based on renewable energy and eschews the need for farmland, resulting in much lower emissions and an efficient way to produce food to feed a population that is expected to grow to 10 billion by 2050. The resulting yeast can be used as a base for vegan meat analogues, helping decarbonise the livestock sector with carbon.

    From power to protein to vitamins

    gas fermentation protein
    Courtesy: Trends in Biotechnology

    The study, published in the Trends in Biotechnology journal, is derived from a “power-to-protein technology” that the same scientists developed to produce microbial protein from renewable energy and CO2.

    Here, the bacterium Clostridium ljungdahlii was used to reduce carbon dioxide with hydrogen into acetate, which is combined with oxygen and transformed into proteins by Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or baker’s yeast. (The hydrogen and oxygen can be produced via electrolysis, or using renewable electricity to split H2O into H2 and O2.)

    But the first step only worked through continuous vitamin supplementation. “Humans can’t live on proteins alone,” explained lead author Largus Angenent. “So we wanted to produce B9 at the same time.”

    In the “power-to-vitamin” experiment, Angenent and his team replaced C. ljungdahlii with Thermoanaerobacter kivui, a more robust bacterium, in the two-stage bioreactor system. In the first step, T. kivui converts hydrogen and CO2 into acetate.

    In the second stage, the baker’s yeast is fed on oxygen and this acetate to make large quantities of protein and vitamin B9. “We knew that yeast could produce vitamin B9 on their own with sugar, however, we didn’t know if they could do the same with acetate,” said Angenent. “Since we’re no longer adding vitamin B9, we’re certain that it is produced in the process.”

    Acetate-fed yeast was found to produce around the same amount of folate as yeast that eats sugar – only 6g or 0.4 tablespoons of the harvested dried yeast can meet the daily requirement for the vitamin.

    Meanwhile, six tablespoons or 85g of this nutritional yeast provides 61% of daily protein needs. This is higher than beef (34%), pork (25%), fish (38%), and lentils (38%). That said, the yeast needs to be treated to remove gout-inducing compounds when consumed in excess. Even after that, it meets 41% of the protein needs per day.

    Addressing food security and climate change

    nutritional yeast folate
    Courtesy: University of Tübingen

    For Angenent, the main goal of the research is to reduce meat consumption. Globally, livestock farming accounts for 57% of the food system’s emissions and takes up 80% of land, despite only supplying 17% of the world’s calories and 38% of its protein. That is an inefficient form of agriculture, and a threat to food security in the long term.

    “Our product isn’t yet a finished foodstuff, but the food industry can use it to develop foods,” said Angenent, who claimed that the process has “zero or negative net-carbon emissions”. He added: “I believe consumers will get used to new products. This also comes about through pricing.”

    He suggested that this won’t outcompete farmers. Livestock producers are already under stress to meet the world’s growing protein demand, and doing so at current volumes in the long term is untenable. Meanwhile, it will free up land to produce more vegetables and planet-friendly crops, as well as allow them to protect soil and nature.

    “The fact that we can make vitamins and protein at the same time at a pretty high production rate without using any land is exciting,” said Angenent. “The end product is vegetarian/vegan, non-GMO, and sustainable, which could appeal to consumers.”

    His team now plans to optimise and expand production from lab to commercial scales, conduct food safety studies and techno-economical analyses, as well as work out market interest for the gas-fed yeast.

    For the latter, it doesn’t need to look too far – there are several startups leveraging gas proteins, including Air Protein, Farmless, Arkeon Biotechnologies, and Solar Foods. The latter, which feeds microbes on CO2, oxygen and hydrogen, has already been in the Singapore market, and is now making its move into the US.

    “The growing world population is threatened by malnutrition, especially in countries that suffer from drought and whose soils are low in nutrients,” said Angenent, highlighting the yeast’s food security benefits. “In places like this, substitute products, such as ours, could improve the food situation.”

    The post Researchers Are Using Baker’s Yeast to Turn Carbon Dioxide Into Protein & Folate appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • How Rebellyous Foods’s New Mock 2 Platform Makes Cost-Competitive Plant-Based Meat

    rebellyous foods mock 2
    5 Mins Read

    Seattle startup Rebellyous Foods has unveiled its Mock 2 Production System, which reduces the cost of manufacturing plant-based meat to reach parity with animal proteins.

    In February 2023, Rebellyous Foods closed a $9.4M Series B funding round to build its flagship meat analogue production system, Mock 2, which it promised would deliver products on par with the price and quality of conventional meat.

    Less than two years later, it has achieved that goal, announcing the completion of the technology platform, which can produce 2,500-5,000 lbs of different kinds of meat analogues every hour on a single processing line, and deliver 60% cost reductions compared to existing production methods for vegan meat.

    Famous for its vegan chicken nuggets, tenders, and patties, the company unveiled the new Mock 2 Production System at RMS Foods’s New Mexico facility. It already offers cost-competitive products – its plant-based tenders go at $61.49 per kg for foodservice customers, versus $60.99 for Tyson’s Red Label Tenders, and $93.49 for Beyond Meat’s version.

    But Mock 2 system – a fully continuous, automated, and chilled dough substrate processing system – enables further cost savings, while significantly improving energy efficiency, minimising material waste, slashing its climate footprint, and enhancing employee safety and working conditions.

    This is important, considering that 53% of Americans are deterred from buying meat analogues due to their prohibitive prices, and that 45% of consumers are more likely to buy these products if they provided better bang for their buck.

    How the Mock 2 system cuts production costs

    plant based meat price parity
    Courtesy: Rebellyous Foods

    “Our Mock 2 technology is the key to meeting the unmet demand for delicious, affordable plant-based options. We’re not just competing on price and volume – we’re setting new standards for texture, flavour and quality,” said Christie Lagally, a former Boeing engineer who founded the business in 2017.

    The company has made a major play for the foodservice sector, and has products in universities, restaurants, correctional centres, and event and entertainment venues. The feather in its cap, however, is its partnership with cafeterias in the National School Lunch Program. Rebellyous Foods’s vegan nuggets meet the USDA’s child nutrition standards, and its products reach over four million students nationwide.

    Mock 2 will drive the next phase of its growth. It replaces the Mock S1 system and its batch-based process with a “fully automated, labour-free, continuous production system”, Lagally explained.

    “The Mock 2 system is an automated, continuous production technology designed for making high-quality plant-based meat,” she told Green Queen. “It integrates temperature control and digital monitoring to precisely hydrate, emulsify, chill and mix ingredients, ensuring consistency and quality.”

    She added: “Unlike conventional batch processing, which requires employees to mix the product and move it to different systems, Mock 2 operates continuously, significantly reducing energy and labour requirements. It also maintains the quality that delivers delicious plant-based products.

    “The Mock 2 reduces costs by automating the production process, which lowers labour requirements and the equipment-level chilling decreases energy usage. The system also improves consistency, leading to fewer errors and waste and minimizing the need for a cold work environment, which typically adds to operational costs​.”

    In addition, Lagally noted that the platform “reduces space, energy, and labour demands, providing better worker safety and enhanced food safety due to less human involvement and improved sanitation”.

    Rebellyous Foods readies itself for ‘aggressive growth’

    rebellyous chicken
    Courtesy: Rebellyous Foods

    Plant-based meat sales have been on the decline – they were down by 12% in 2023. More recently, dollar sales dipped by 6% in the five weeks ending September 1, compared to the same period a year ago, according to Circana data crunched by 210 Analytics.

    But Rebellyous Foods’s sales have gone the opposite way, roughly doubling in each of the last three years, which the company says demonstrates “the need for delicious plant-based meat options” and is a marker of the brand’s differentiation.

    It helps that the products taste good. A weeks-long blind taste test last year revealed that Americans prefer vegan nuggets from the leading brands (70%) than they do conventional versions (54%) – and one of these brands was Rebellyous Foods.

    That said, Lagally confirmed that the brand has left the retail space for now. “The company is focusing on cost-sensitive, high-volume markets such as schools, hospitals, and correctional facilities where quality is always a priority,” she said, before adding that it “may re-enter” supermarkets in the future.

    “Rebellyous will use the Mock 2 system for our products, including plant-based chicken nuggets, patties, and tenders,” confirmed Lagally. It will produce its own offerings with this technology at the RMS Foods facility. “We anticipate that it will help reduce our product prices, maintaining the quality and delicious flavour and texture our customers love. It will also eventually offer additional revenue streams through partnerships and deployments in other facilities​,” she said.

    The company began inviting proposals for the Mock 2 technology – patented in the US, Canada and Japan, with others pending – from USDA and FDA food processing facilities at the start of the year. And it’s now exploring international partnerships too. “We aim to deploy the Mock 2 in these regions by collaborating with existing food processing facilities,” said Lagally.

    “Now that Rebellyous has delivered on the milestones of our Series B – which was nearly two years ago – we are speaking with select investors to support high-margin growth,” she revealed. “Future funds will be used for scaling costs, sales and marketing growth, product development, ingredient optimisation, and Mock 2 deployments​.”

    Lagally added that the company wants to regain its production technology too in the next 12 months: “Rebellyous plans to continue its aggressive growth strategy, including deploying new Mock 2 systems, expanding into new distribution points, exciting new product development, and entering new product markets.”

    The post How Rebellyous Foods’s New Mock 2 Platform Makes Cost-Competitive Plant-Based Meat appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Helaina Raises $45M to Launch Effera Human Lactoferrin with Kroma Wellness, Mitsubishi & More

    helaina funding
    6 Mins Read

    US startup Helaina has closed a $45M Series B round to commercialise Effera Human Lactoferrin, its breast milk equivalent protein, in the US later this year.

    Helaina, the New York-based firm making breast milk alternatives with precision fermentation, has secured $45M in a Series B funding round, ahead of a US market launch this year.

    One of the largest sums raised by an alternative protein company this year, the investment was led by Avidity Partners, with additional participation from Spark Capital, Ingeborg Investments, Tom Williams of Heron Rock, Siam Capital, and Relish Works, among others.

    It takes Helaina’s total funding to $83M, making it one of the most well-capitalised precision fermentation startups globally. The company will use the money to scale up and launch its Effera Human Lactoferrin ingredient – a breast milk equivalent protein – as part of consumer products by Kroma Wellness, The Feed, Levelle Nutrition, Healthgevity, and Mitsubishi International Food Ingredients.

    The precision-fermented lactoferrin will come to the market “in the next quarter”, Helaina founder and CEO Laura Katz tells Green Queen. “We’re starting with a US launch and then we will expand globally,” she says when asked about the company’s regulatory plans. “We’re particularly interested in the rest of North America and Europe.”

    She adds: “We sell our protein in powdered form. The versatility and shelf life of the ingredient allows manufacturers to use it in a variety of production processes while maintaining efficacy.”

    helaina effera lactoferrin
    Courtesy: Helaina

    How Helaina makes its Effira Human Lactoferrin protein

    Katz, a food scientist, established Helaina in 2019, spotting an opportunity to use precision fermentation to advance human health through “next-generation” nutrients. At the start of this year, it announced the development of Effera, a fermentation-derived equivalent of human lactoferrin.

    The company describes the ingredient as the first bioactive protein to be used in functional foods, beverages, and supplements. It is said to boost iron homeostasis and metabolism, and promote a balanced immune response and beneficial microbiome.

    To produce the protein, Helaina uses Komagataella phaffii (formerly called Pichia pastoris), the same yeast strain leveraged by fellow precision fermentation players The Every Company and Remilk. It’s also the key element of the heme ingredient in Impossible Foods’s beef analogues.

    “If you think about yeast microbes as tiny factories, normal factory operations produce set byproducts,” explains Katz. “We introduce a new operating system (human DNA), which teaches the yeast to produce something else. We also optimise the environment by providing the yeast the exact nutrients it needs to ferment.”

    She adds: “Once Effera is made, it is separated out from the yeast leaving behind pure human lactoferrin. The finished product has not been genetically modified, it is a non-dairy, non-allergenic source of the protein.”

    Katz suggests the protein ingredient can suit multiple categories, from women’s health and active nutrition to healthy ageing and – in the long term – infant formula. “We will bring our ingredient to infant formula in partnership with formula manufacturers,” she says.

    The yeast-derived lactoferrin is a tasteless, odourless ingreident that can be effective at “very low inclusion levels”, allowing it to be incorporated into formats like “capsules, tablets, powders, gels, energy drinks, nutritional bars or gummies”.

    Effera also meets the demands of the modern consumer, as Katz puts it: animal-free (there are no animal products or byproducts used to produce it), gluten-free, soy-free, certified Kosher and Halal.

    helaina breast milk
    Courtesy: Helaina

    Lactoferrin a focal point among precision fermentation startups

    Helaina has been producing at a commercial scale since May 2023. “Our current manufacturing capabilities allow us to produce as quickly as needed for our customers. Effera is manufactured with world-renowned partner facilities,” she says.

    “One of the benefits of using an ingredient made via precision fermentation is that it unlocks supply constraints on ingredients that were previously impossible or difficult to procure,” she notes. “That is the case with Effera Human Lactoferrin. The only previous source for human lactoferrin was human breast milk on the black market.”

    Indeed, lactoferrin – found in human milk and bovine colostrum produced just after birth – is a highly sought-after whey protein. It’s an iron-rich ingreident that regulates gut health, an increasingly popular market, and possesses antiviral, antibacterial, anti-carcinogenic, immunity-boosting, gut-strengthening and iron regulation properties.

    But it isn’t easily available. It takes at least 10,000 litres of milk to produce just 1kg of purified lactoferrin. This drives up the cost, with the ingredient retailing for $750-$1,500 per kg. Katz declined to comment on the cost of Helaina’s Effira ingredient – but its high price is why much of the lactoferrin supply (60%) is reserved for the infant nutrition sector.

    It’s also why a host of precision fermentation startups are turning to lactoferrin. TurtleTree, which is the only company to receive regulatory approval for such an ingredient, is close to commercialising it via beverage and functional product partnerships.

    But others who have been known to be working on lactoferrin include Australia’s All G Foods and Noumi, US startup De Novo Foodlabs, Californian player Triplebar Bio (in collaboration with FrieslandCampina), and New Zealand’s Daisy Lab. The latter’s core business lies in beta-lactoglobulin (another whey protein), but it recently diversified into lactoferrin as well.

    “Due to some reported headwinds in the alternative proteins’ investment market, we felt that we needed to bolster our commercial strategy,” co-founder and CEO Irina Miller told Green Queen in May. “Production of lactoferrin can substantially accelerate the investment returns for our current and future investors.”

    There are others working on breast milk alternatives too. Israel’s Wilk is using cell cultivation to produce lactoferrin, while French startip Nūmi is aiming to reproducing breast milk itself, with as many constituents as possible (including proteins). And in the US, Yali Bio and The Live Green Co are creating precision-fermented breast milk fats.

    effera human lactoferrin
    Courtesy: Helaina

    Helaina rides on the back of investor interest in fermentation

    In January, Helaina released a pre-print study detailing the composition of its lactoferrin ingredient, and it will soon release peer-reviewed results of clinical and pre-clinical research that have found Effera to be more effective than bovine lactoferrin.

    But it’s not just Effera that Helaina is working on. The company has outlined its intention to build a bioactive portion pipeline to “advance the human healthspan”. “We have a robust technology platform to bring other bioactive proteins to market – there is a limited global supply of bioactive proteins and our pipeline is poised to change that,” says Katz.

    The Series B round means it has raised more money than any other lactoferrin-focused alternative protein startup. It’s also the sixth-largest investment in this sector in 2024 – behind Meati‘s $100M Series C, Perfect Day‘s $90M pre-Series E, Formo’s $61M Series B, Infinite Roots‘s $58M Series B, and Prolific Machines‘s $55M Series B1.

    It comes off the back of a 44% drop-off in alternative protein financing in 2023, followed by a surge in funding interest in fermentation. Before the close of Q3 2024, fermentation startups have already surpassed their funding totals from the entirety of 2023, surpassing $550M in nine months (versus last year’s $443M).

    alternative protein investment
    Courtesy: GFI

    “Technology needs to be right-sized to the problem you’re trying to solve. If you’re making commodities that are inexpensive, it’s hard to justify biotechnology broadly, especially precision fermentation technology,” explains Katz.

    “But when you’re making unique, high value, specialty ingredients like human lactoferrin, you have the ability to implement these technologies in a way where you can build a venture-backed company,” she says.

    “Not only do fermentation startups like ours have attractive unit economics over time. The demand and scale is well established for nutrition innovation to support pressing health and wellness priorities; at Helaina we’re addressing broad needs across different life stages,” she adds. “Further, our particular innovation, focusing on human-equivalency, is bringing ingredients to market that had never been accessible before.”

    The post Helaina Raises $45M to Launch Effera Human Lactoferrin with Kroma Wellness, Mitsubishi & More appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Slutty Vegas, Impossible Chicken Salads & A Vegan Cream Liqueur

    vegan documentaries
    6 Mins Read

    In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Upside Foods’ tasting event at a taqueria, Japan Airlines’ sweet protein partnership, and a UK state investment into climate-resilient legumes.

    New products and launches

    Cultivated meat leader Upside Foods showcased its chicken at Chicago taqueria Antique Taco, weeks before a judge will consider its preliminary injunction as part of a lawsuit against Florida’s cultivated meat ban.

    upside foods chicken
    Courtesy: Jessica Halper/LinkedIn

    You can now eat sweet proteins on the fly, literally. Japan Airlines has partnered with Californian food tech startup Oobli to offer its chocolates on the Tokyo-San Francisco route. They’re made from Oubli Sweet Protein, a sugar alternative that has no impact on blood glucose.

    Frozen meat-free brand Amy’s Kitchen has expanded its plant-based footprint, replacing eggs with tofu in its breakfast wraps and scrambles.

    Next year, New York City will be host to the first Plant Powered Kids Festival, a fully vegan event that will include family-friendly activities like workshops, cooking classes and yoga sessions, alongside food from plant-based vendors. It will be held at Industry City in Brooklyn on February 2.

    just salad impossible chicken
    Courtesy: Just Salad

    US fast-casual chain Just Salad has made Impossible Foods‘s vegan chicken a permanent menu item with its fall menu launch. The plant-based Unbreaded Chicken Filet is part of a Southwest Crunch salad and a Vegan Chipotle Wrap, and also available as a protein option in Build-Your-Own orders.

    Speaking of chains, Slutty Vegan is part of the Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royalty Residency in Las Vegas. Founder Pinky Cole will be serving up its signature Fussy Hussy burger at Mandalay Bay’s Libertine Social and Luxor’s Public House for four weeks through October 18.

    slutty vegan vegas
    Courtesy: Slutty Vegan

    British vegan food producer Marigold Health Foods – maker of Engevita nutritional yeast, vegan boullion cubes, and canned meat analogues – has teamed up with packaging specialist Sonoco to launch fully recyclable packaging for a range of its products. The latter’s EnviroCan is designed with a paper bottom and can be recycled by consumers kerbside.

    Also in the UK, The Tofoo Co – recently acquired by Comitis Capital – has introduced a Tofoo Katsu SKU in its added value line, which will be available at Sainsbury’s for £3 per 240g pack.

    Shortly after its Swiss launch, artisan vegan cheese brand Julienne Bruno has entered the Republic of Ireland via 65 stores, offering its plant-based Burrella, Crematta and Superstraccia SKUs from €5.29-5.95.

    julienne bruno cheese
    Courtesy: Julienne Bruno

    Parisian meat analogue maker La Vie‘s bacon will be on the menu at Picadeli at French retailer Monoprix and in Sweden for the next two months.

    German beverage manufacturer Waldemar Behn is making its vodka-based Dooley’s Creamy Liqueur brand entirely vegan. It will relaunch the range in 700ml bottles next month, swapping out the dairy with coconut and soy milk instead.

    And ahead of Oktoberfest, German food tech innovator Planteneers is offering manufacturers its fiildMeat S 141501 modular system to make plant-based meats for street food classics, such as bratwrusts as well as hot dog sauces.

    Company and financial news

    The UK’s Department for Environment, Rural and Social Affairs (Defra) has pumped in £3M towards four research organisations to develop climate-resilient legume crops.

    Hollywood star Gal Gadot‘s mac and cheese brand Goodles, which has a vegan SKU, has hired a new CFO in Chris Hall after sales tripled in 2023.

    vegan smoked garlic butter
    Courtesy: Flora/Warren Goldswain/Getty Images

    Dutch alt-dairy leader Upfield has renamed itself to Flora Food Group to reflect its flagship butter range, and acquired a manufacturing facility located in Hugoton, Kansas to produce creams and cream cheeses for the North American market.

    Speaking of factories, Thai plant-based cheese company Swees has opened a fully vegan-certified facility for co-manufacturing.

    Croatian plant protein producer Nutris has been acquired by Swedish investment firm Summa Equity for an undisclosed sum.

    nutris fava bean
    Courtesy: Nutris

    Scottish startup MiAlgae has secured $18.5M to produce omega-3 fatty acids via microalgae fermentation. It will use the capital to build an industrial-scale facility in the country.

    As it awaits regulatory approval in Singapore, Dutch cultivated meat producer Meatable has received €7.6M ($8.5M) in state funding, under the Netherlands Enterprise Agency‘s Innovation Credit programme.

    At Wageningen University, the Bioprocess Engineering Chair Group’s cellular agriculture team has obtained a €1.5M investment from Korean biotech firm Whoniz to work on cultivated meat and seafood.

    odd burger
    Courtesy: Odd Burger

    Canadian vegan fast-food chain Odd Burger has announced the private placement of $4M of convertible debt after reporting its highest quarterly revenues since going public.

    Israel’s MNDL Bio has raised $2M to expand its AI-powered gene optimisation platform, which is said to accelerate R&D, lower costs, and bolter success rates in synthetic biology.

    Impact investor Earth First Food Ventures has kickstarted a $10M Series A round to expand its financing portfolio in the alt-dairy segment and introduce a $50M precision fermentation fund.

    Policy and research developments

    The EU’s regulation requiring manufacturers to produce caps that stay tethered to the plastic bottles has been in place for a couple of months now, and has annoyed many drinkers. But with the EU set to double down on its plastic waste strategy, the caps are here to stay.

    Cultivated meat startups Meatable and Umami Bioworks have joined the APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture, expanding its membership to 12.

    precision fermentation egg
    Courtesy: The Every Company

    Precision fermentation egg maker The Every Company has secured a foundational patent in the US for its animal-free ovalbumin protein.

    Food advocacy organisation ProVeg International has taken over the Portuguese Vegetarian Association to open an office in Portugal, joining 12 other locations globally.

    Cellular Agriculture Australia has released a report calling for clearer, more verifiable impact claims and metrics from companies in the cultivated meat and cellular ag space.

    eric adams vegan
    Courtesy: NYC Health + Hospitals

    Across the Pacific, New York University hosted the 2024 Plant-Based Food Festival, where it announced that it has signed on to the city’s Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge.

    Scientists at the National University of Singapore have found a way to fortify soy whey with Bifidobacteria strain and propionic acid bacteria to increase vitamin B12 levels in plant-based products.

    In an advancement for vegan seafood, researchers in China have created plant-based simulated yellow croaker meat tissues by dual-nozzle 3D printing.

    Finally, a new docuseries goes behind the scenes of the plant-based culinary scene in Portland, Oregon. The V Word will be released tomorrow, September 26 on streaming network WaterBear, and explores the lifestyle through a cultural lens via the city’s vegan restaurants.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Slutty Vegas, Impossible Chicken Salads & A Vegan Cream Liqueur appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Israel’s DairyX Foods Unveils ‘Self-Assembling’ Animal-Free Casein Micelles, Eyes 2027 US Launch

    dairyx foods
    6 Mins Read

    Israeli startup DairyX Foods has developed a method to make precision-fermented casein proteins that self-assemble into micelles.

    To deliver stretchy, melty cheese and firmer, creamier yoghurt free from cows, DairyX Foods has come upon a novel solution for its precision fermentation technology.

    The Israeli startup has created animal-free casein proteins that mimic their bovine counterparts by folding themselves into micelles, which are spherical structures that prove as a building block for the functional and nutritional attributes of dairy products.

    Known as the “holy grail” of milk protein structure, casein accounts for 80% of the protein content in milk, and is responsible for properties like emulsification, thickening, and foaming. There are four kinds of casein proteins in cow’s milk, which self-organise into micelles. Here, they remain suspended in the highly hydrated solution, bound together with minerals like calcium and phosphate.

    “The micelle is responsible for key properties in dairy, including stability, solubility, functionality (the ability to coagulate), and sensory profile that individual casein molecules cannot fully achieve on their own,” Arik Ryvkin, founder and CEO of DairyX, tells Green Queen. This is why reconstituting the entire micelle is essential, since it “replicates the natural structure and functionality found in bovine milk”.

    The startup has raised $2M in pre-seed funding from Peregrine Ventures, Jesselson Capital, and Abic Biological Laboratories, with additional backing from the Israeli Innovation Authority’s incentive incubator. “Our investors play a key role in our success, offering valuable strategic guidance and market entry support,” says Ryvkin.

    How DairyX’s technology produces micelle-forming casein proteins

    arik ryvkin
    Courtesy: DairyX Foods/LinkedIn

    There are several startups making animal-free casein via precision fermentation or molecular farming, including New Culture, Change Foods, Standing Ovation, Eden Brew, Moolec, Miruku, Fooditive Group, and Alpine Bio. But most of these are focused on only one or two casein classes.

    “The industry knows quite well that caseins are extremely hard to produce using precision fermentation, so our initial goal was to solve this problem,” says Ryvkin. Once we successfully crafted caseins, the next major challenge was to upgrade caseins so they could self-assemble into gelating micelles to produce the dairy properties manufacturers are seeking.”

    This is why DairyX is prioritising the functionality of casein proteins, specifically their ability to gelate and form micelles. “This functionality depends on the self-assembling nature of the caseins we produce – what we refer to as ‘smart casein’,” explains Ryvkin.

    “A protein’s function is influenced not just by its amino acid sequence, but also by other molecules added to it, known as post-translational modifications (PTMs),” he adds. “We’ve designed our strain to produce casein that not only matches the amino acid sequence of milk casein, but also carries the same PTMs, which are crucial for its self-assembly and performance, just as it does in milk.”

    The casein produced through the patent-pending technology is non-GMO, notes Galit Kuznets, head of strain development and fermentation at DairyX. “Our casein also eliminates the need for hormones and antibiotics applied in dairy farms,” she says.

    “We have achieved several key objectives with our solutions. Our biological design genetically manipulated yeast to produce functional caseins that we organised into micelles. We developed a fast-tracked screening process that simulated evolution to locate super-producers of protein from among millions of yeast strains,” outlines Kuznets.

    “Our machine-learning models simulated fermentation to determine optimal fermentation conditions. We have proven our ability to create a gel from reconstituted casein micelles. All these ingenuities have helped us work smarter and faster to create highly functional micelles.”

    High-performing strain with multi-pronged gains for manufacturers

    dairyx casein micelle
    Courtesy: DairyX Foods

    DairyX is now working to scale up production by collaborating with manufacturing facilities, and expanding its footing in the industry via partnerships with food companies. Through the economies of scale, it will also be able to reduce its costs. Over the last two years, it has brought prices down 20-fold, and expects to reach price parity (or even lower) “in a few years”.

    “We recognise that price is one of the two most critical factors for success in this industry, and we’re committed to continuously cutting our costs,” says Ryvkin. “We’re achieving this by improving our yeast strains to secrete at higher titers as covered by our IP and patents.”

    This effort is also being facilitated by yeast strains that produce “exceptionally high” yields of casein in short timeframes. “We are using Pichia pastoris, a yeast strain recognised as safe for food ingredient production by the FDA,” reveals Ryvkin. Now known as Komagataella phaffii, this is the same strain that powers the heme ingredient in the Impossible Burger.

    “It has been widely used to produce over 5,000 recombinant proteins, including biopharmaceuticals and industrial enzymes. We chose Pichia because of its ability to grow to high cell densities and secrete large amounts of protein directly into the culture broth, which simplifies downstream processing,” Ryvkin adds.

    Most animal-free dairy producers currently have to make do with additives like stabilisers, emulsifiers and thickeners, and DairyX argues that the end result isn’t as high-performing as conventional milk, and can additionally lend “unpleasant aftertaste”. The startup says its bioidentical protein – free from cholesterol and lactose – gives CPG producers the versatility to choose which fats and sugars to add to their products.

    “Another significant challenge that dairy companies face is adapting their production facilities to use new ingredients,” explains Bar-Zeev, the startup’s product development and downstream processing lead. “This is why we created a drop-in replacement for milk that does not require process changes or retooling.”

    Startups like Fooditive Group, Eden Brew and Moolec are also developing casein micelles, but DairyX’s “commitment to replicating the exact process used by cows” sets it apart, according to Ryvkin. “We believe this will give us superior functionality, closely matching the properties of real milk. Additionally, we use a unique evolution-based method to develop high-performing yeast strains that are exceptionally efficient in producing caseins,” he says.

    DairyX plans 2027 US launch amid declining milk consumption

    precision fermentation casein
    Courtesy: DairyX Foods

    DairyX is already in talks with several potential partners, with an initial focus on co-developing technology and products over the next few years before a robust commercial launch. “We expect our first product using our casein to hit the market in 2027,” suggests Ryvkin.

    Before that, though, it needs to jump through the regulatory hoops – New Culture is the only precision-fermented casein company to have done so, by self-determining GRAS (Generally Recognised as Safe) status in the US. DairyX is also setting its sights on the country first.

    “We plan to submit once we have a robust fermentation process at the necessary scale, following the established guidelines and the pathways taken by companies like Perfect Day, Remilk, and Imagindairy,” says Ryvkin (these companies produce animal-free whey). “Our target timeline for filing is currently set for 2026.”

    The development of its casein micelles comes during a dairy decoupling in America. The country has lost 95% of its dairy farms since 1970, and that is in keeping with consumption habits too. Overall fluid milk sales have dropped by 20% since 1975, and 8% since the start of this decade, per the USDA. In fact, this figure has been progressively decreasing since 2011.

    At the same time, per capita consumption of milk has nearly halved, down by 47% in 2024. With growing awareness about lactose intolerance, animal welfare, and dairy’s big climate footprint – despite the production declines, the US dairy sector has been releasing more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere since 1990, with methane levels more than doubled.

    All this necessitates novel solutions. The US is already home to 30% of alt-dairy startups, so targeting this proven market seems a no-brainer for DairyX. The business is well-capitalised for now, helping it advance towards “key R&D milestones”, Ryvkin says. “We plan to raise additional funds when the timing is right to support the next phase of growth.”

    The post Israel’s DairyX Foods Unveils ‘Self-Assembling’ Animal-Free Casein Micelles, Eyes 2027 US Launch appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Mushroom Innovator Fable Foods Opens Its Spores to Blended Meat – Here’s Why

    fable foods shiitake infusion
    6 Mins Read

    Fable Foods co-founder and CEO Michael Fox explains why the company has decided to work with meat producers on blended applications.

    Climate Week NYC is coinciding with a new era for blended meat, with a major taste test revealing that Americans like part-meat, part-plant burgers and nuggets more than their conventional counterparts.

    The survey, carried out by research firm Nectar, revealed that 56% of people liked blended burgers produced by the market-leading brands, versus 42% who liked the taste of 100% beef burgers. They preferred the former’s savouriness and beefy flavour, their juicy texture, and appearance.

    One of these leading brands was Fable Foods, the Australian plant protein maker that had made its name with meaty mushroom products. The brand had never indicated a move into the blended category before, so its inclusion in the survey was somewhat of a surprise.

    But its new Shiitake Infusion offering – designed to be blended with beef mince – has been two years in the making, reveals co-founder and CEO Michael Fox, who realised that most consumers aren’t interested in absolute veganism, but are more inclined to be flexible.

    Plant-based meat still only makes up 1% of the entire meat market, which itself is valued at $2T. “A lot of people do want to reduce their meat consumption, but they don’t want to sacrifice taste, price and convenience in reducing their meat consumption,” Fox tells Green Queen.

    fable shiitake mushroom
    Courtesy: Fable Foods

    “At the moment, the plant-based options in the market – including ours – require most omnivore consumers to make some sacrifice. And that’s why the plant-based market has remained small,” he adds.

    “So we started brainstorming new ways to help consumers who want to reduce their meat consumption. We decided to try and meet those consumers where they are – reducing with smaller portions of meat, and altering recipes by substituting vegetables for some meat.”

    Fable Foods, which has so far secured $15M from investors, has already attracted multi-channel interest in the product. “We have partnered with a retailer and a large catering organisation in Australia, who are both using our Shiitake Infusion product,” Fox says. “We’re close to launching with a North American retailer and are in discussions with additional retailers and catering organisations in the US.”

    The blended meat has appealed to its foodservice customers too, and the brand is “actively working on product development projects” with the ingredient for those clients.

    Fable Foods’ blended meat sells 10 times faster than plant-based SKU

    The Shiitake Infusion ingredient is 89% shiitake mushrooms, and is mixed with water, rice, canola and coconut oils, yeast extract, mushroom powder, and salt. Compared to an 80/20 beef mince, the blended meat is 35% lower in saturated fat, has half the cholesterol and 17% fewer calories, and contains 8g of fibre per serving (versus zero).

    “We aren’t the first to mix non-meat ingredients with beef – it’s been done for years, primarily at the cheaper end of the market,” Fox points out. In just the last year, 50/50 Foods’ Both Burger has landed on the menu at Disneyland, Mush Foods’s 50Cut Burger has become part of Pat LaFrieda’s portfolio, fellow Aussie company Harvest B has entered the space, and industry giant Quorn has begun offering its mycoprotein to British hospitals for blended burgers and sausages.

    “Our focus at Fable is on creating a product that’s not just a compromise, but an improvement that consumers prefer over 100% beef in terms of taste, texture, and experience, [and is] cheaper and also carries the health and environmental benefits we’re striving for,” he says.

    “Our new Shiitake Infusion product is resonating with consumers, and the value proposition is incredibly strong. With more advancements and innovation coming to the fore, I do think there will be more brands who explore this path.”

    fable shiitake infusion
    Courtesy: Daniel Hine/Fable Foods

    Consumers do seem to be taking to it. In the Nectar taste test, three in four preferred the taste of a blended burger with Shiitake Infusion over a 100% beef version. It’s not just the US, though. Fable Foods partnered with a supermarket in Australia to trial a 1lb pack of blended mince in a 50-50 ratio.

    The product was placed alongside ground beef on shelves. Half the people who tasted it during in-store samplings purchased it on the spot. And since launching, it has been selling 50 units per store per week – 10 times higher than the sales of its Pulled Shiitake SKU.

    Australians are increasingly cost-conscious, especially when it comes to reducing meat and embracing plant-based food. So it helps that the Fable Foods blended burger could end up being 5% cheaper. Plus, there are the climate benefits: selling 100 of these burgers would cut 270kg of dietary carbon emissions and 110,000 litres of water.

    Moving past the ‘all-or-nothing’ approach

    When Fable Foods announced the move, it admitted that this could be controversial. A vegan company, making products that end up in meat is contradictory. But as the success of blended meat over the last year has shown, the decision isn’t unfounded.

    “At Fable, we believe in supporting people who want to reduce their meat intake as the most effective way to create change. Fable produces the mushrooms rather than the beef, and we recognise the importance of an inclusive approach, which focuses on reducing meat consumption rather than pushing for an all-or-nothing shift,” says Fox.

    He calls the black-and-white approach to meat-eating polarising and alienating. “Inclusion and supporting those who want to reduce, but aren’t prepared to eliminate, their consumption of animal products leads to a larger reduction in meat consumption than a polarised ‘vegans vs non-vegans’ mentality,” he suggests.

    “We cheer on and celebrate the vegetarians and vegans who have crossed the finish line and changed their habits,” he adds. “But… we believe an inclusive approach will help achieve a larger impact in reducing global meat consumption and in mitigating the harmful outcomes it has on the environment, consumer health, and animal welfare.”

    fable foods blended meat
    Courtesy: Fable Foods

    Even Peter Singer, the noted animal rights pioneer who authored 1975’s Animal Liberation and is known as the father of effective altruism, isn’t against this approach. Speaking to Fox on an episode of his Talking Shiitake podcast, he stated that this would be a good thing for animals and the environment, which would benefit from fewer methane emissions and less land used to grow soy for feed.

    “While I would rather we got away from beef and other animal products altogether, this does seem to be something that an ethic that looks towards consequences can support, because the consequences will be better than people just continuing to eat 100% beef,” Singer said. (It should be noted that he is an investor in Fable Foods.)

    Fox warns that companies entering the blended meat segment need to ensure these are products that consumers prefer over 100% meat in sensory tests. “If we don’t, we risk those who trial blended products not returning, undoing any of the potential health and planetary gains we are all seeking,” he explains.

    “Our next challenge is to effectively communicate this product’s benefits to consumers and drive trial. We’re testing various messaging and marketing activities to determine what works best, because we’ve seen firsthand that when people try it, they love it.”

    The post Mushroom Innovator Fable Foods Opens Its Spores to Blended Meat – Here’s Why appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Americans Like Blended Meat Burgers & Nuggets More Than Their Bestselling 100% Animal Counterparts

    9 Mins Read

    In a comprehensive survey about blended meat, Americans were found to prefer half-meat, half-plant burgers and nuggets more than the market-leading, fully animal-derived products.

    People prefer the taste of blended meat over most plant-based analogues, as well as some 100% animal meat products, a blind taste test has shown.

    Nectar, a new initiative focused on taste-based protein transition, convened 1,192 meat-eaters from across America to analyse their views on blended meat products, which combine conventional meat with plant-based proteins and ingredients.

    The Future of the Industry 2024: Plant-Rich Meat report contains insights from sensory panels where participants analysed over 50 sensory attributes for 22 blended meat products across nine categories: burgers, steaks, hot dogs, pork sausages, beef and pork meatballs, chicken sausages, chicken meatballs, chicken nuggets, and unbreaded chicken patties.

    Two-thirds of respondents (67%) expressed interest in buying blended meats. While this was (expectedly) much lower than the 90% who would buy conventional meat – given this was a poll of omnivores – fewer people said the same about plant-based analogues (57%).

    The results mirror those of Nectar’s Taste of the Industry report from June, where the Both Burger by 50/50 Foods outperformed plant-based meat on taste, and was the only alternative patty that came within one point in average liking of the conventional burger.

    50/50 Foods was recognised as one of the leading taste performers in the blended meat category, alongside Fusion Foods’ Duo burgers, Teton Waters Ranch’s Veggie Blends, and Fable Foods, which announced its move into blended meat today.

    Teton Waters Ranch was also the leader in the “plant-rich” beef/pork meatball category, while Kidfresh was the top performer for chicken meatballs and nuggets, and Grateful Eats in the chicken patty segment.

    Blended meats have been recognised by many in the food industry as a pathway to accelerate emissions reduction from meat consumption in the short term, especially at a time when meat intake is said to increase and plant-based meat sales have suffered. But for greater consumer uptake, several challenges lie ahead.

    Blended burgers and nuggets taste better

    50 50 burger
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Americans were interested or extremely interested in the concept of blended meats (and only 4% showed no intrigue). These products were received better than conventional products in two categories: burgers and chicken nuggets.

    The leading plant-rich burger was liked by 56% and nugget by 58%, higher than the 42% and 47% of people who liked the 100% animal products. Even the average blended burgers (42%) and nuggets (51%) were found to be on par or slightly better. In contrast, only 36% liked plant-based burgers, while a similar number of people liked vegan nuggets (47%).

    “These two categories performed well for different reasons,” Nectar director Caroline Catto tells Green Queen. “For burgers, I think it was because burgers – like sausages or meatballs – are a format that consumers understand as historically ‘blended’ (includes seasonings, onions, etc.),” she says.

    “For the burgers we tested, I also think it was because these products were mostly blended with premium ingredients like caramelised onions, shiitake mushrooms, etc. that are umami and delicious in their own right.”

    The report found that blended meat products had a better beef flavour than 100% beef, were juicier, and were adjudged to have a superior look and seared exterior. In fact, conventional burgers were the worst-performing products when it came to savoury flavours, with only 29% of respondents associating them with these tasting notes, versus 32% doing so for plant-based and 38% for blended burgers.

    mcdonald's chicken nuggets
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Meanwhile, blended chicken nuggets (you know, like the ones McDonald’s sells) were found to hold together better and be much crunchier than conventional nuggets, and performed nearly as well as 100% chicken nuggets on savoury and chicken flavours.

    “For nuggets, this was the only breaded category we tested, and I think we’re seeing that breaded products continue to perform highly across plant-based and plant-rich products,” Catto says.

    Vegetables > meat analogues

    blended meat products
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Despite the sensory dominance of burgers and nuggets, when asked what plant-rich products appeal to them the most in theory, 79% of Americans said meatballs, followed by sausages (75%) and burgers (73%). On the other end of the spectrum lie steak and cold cuts, which appealed to only 19% and 18%, respectively.

    Interestingly, a majority (60%) of respondents said they prefer a 50-50 balance of plant and animal ingredients, while another 30% preferred a mix that contains around 90-95% of animal meat. And as for what these plant-based ingredients could entail mushroom and savoury vegetables (64%) each were much more attractive than plant proteins like pea (52%), mycelium (38%), or plant-based meat (34%).

    “This speaks to the importance of consumer education and making sure ingredient labels include things that consumers are either familiar with and can understand, or if not, that companies go above and beyond to help customers understand what their products are made of,” says Catto.

    “For blended meat companies, this points to an opportunity to lean into whole-food plant-based ingredients when creating blends,” she adds. “For plant-based alternative meat companies, the focus needs to continue to be on creating taste-forward options that replicate the experience of real meat and exceed consumer expectations on taste, price, and health.”

    Motivations, barriers, and entry points

    hybrid meat survey
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Plant-based meat makers have been moving away from the climate-centric messaging that they based their brands on for so long because that argument is no longer moving the needle. Instead, consumers seem more concerned with health, nutrition, taste and price.

    But things seem different when it comes to blended meat – environmental sustainability was the top interest driver for these products, cited by 51%. Health (47%) follows closely behind.

    “Participants in this study recognised that reducing meat consumption has positive sustainability outcomes,” explains Catto. “Consumers’ understanding of how diet connects to sustainability has grown significantly over the past several years – however, brands must still deliver the personal benefits to consumers (taste, price, and health) in order to drive demand.”

    hybrid meat
    Courtesy: Nectar

    The factors holding most Americans back were affordability (45%) and flavour (43%), while another 27% said they were not familiar with the products. That said, nearly a quarter (24%) said they were willing to pay more for blended meat products, while another 43% were happy to buy them if they were priced the same as conventional meat. This suggests that companies should aim for price parity, according to Catto.

    “While consumers may be willing to pay a slight premium, the vast majority of flexitarian consumers expect these products to be the same as animal-based meat, or slightly cheaper since they contain half the amount of meat,” she says. “Once ‘taste’ has been solved, price will be the next big hurdle for these companies so they should aim for parity from the start.”

    She continues: “In Europe, we’re seeing some white-label plant-based and plant-rich products that are being sold for less than their animal analogues. In these cases, retailers are leading the charge to make these options more affordable and more approachable defaults for consumers.”

    blended meat
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Moreover, 55% of Americans said they were more likely to try these products in restaurants instead of at home. “The barrier to entry is lower in foodservice,” suggests Catto. “Consumers are more likely to try something novel if they don’t have to cook it themselves or risk cooking something they are unfamiliar with.

    “Foodservice presents a real opportunity to show consumers how delicious plant-rich products can be in different menu options and hopefully drive more at-home consumption as familiarity grows. I see this as very akin to why Impossible initially sold into restaurants and foodservice as a way to socialise the products before launching in retail.”

    The roadblocks on the path to mainstream adoption

    blended meat survey
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Despite the potential interest, blended meat products still trailed behind 100% animal meat in seven out of the nine product segments. “This tells us a few things,” says Catto.

    First, further R&D is needed for the blended meat category to hit the mainstream. Secondly, and in that vein, the plant-rich category does have mainstream taste potential, as evidenced by the leading burger and nugget products.

    Finally, just as hybrid cars are paving the way to full EV adoption, blended meat “offers a practical solution consumers can adopt today to curb their meat consumption on the way to full plant-based adoption”.

    This is the hope of the companies whose products were involved in the taste test. In the last 12 months, the blended meat sector has moved faster than it ever has – the Both Burger is in Disneyland, Mush Foods’s 50Cut Burger is now being sold by Pat LaFrieda, Harvest B is doing blended meat too, and Quorn (one of the largest meat-free companies globally) is offering its mycoprotein to British hospitals for blended solutions.

    Several challenges lie ahead. “The first is determining who is the core audience for these products, and once that’s been established, how do you reach that audience and market to those consumers appropriately,” notes Catto.

    Food Systems Innovation, the parent organisation of Nectar, has hired Tim Dale as a category innovation director to tackle this research, looking into consumer insights, nomenclature and labelling, and the optimal blend ratios to set to avoid greenwashing.

    “Blended products still have work to do to surpass animal-based products in taste, as well as additional marketing challenges that will determine the scale of consumer adoption.”

    Where does this leave plant-based companies?

    blended meat poll
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Leading blended meat products outperformed plant-based analogues in six out of eight categories (there were no vegan chicken sausage products tested). But when it comes to the average blended meat offering, leading plant-based products had a higher mean liking in four of the eight categories.

    “The meat category is large and alternative proteins are just scratching the surface (currently at about 2% of total market share). There’s room for both plant-rich meat and plant-based products to coexist and possible that there will be learnings and synergies between them,” says Catto.

    Nectar is now working on its 2025 Taste of the Industry report, where it will test 150 plant-based meat products across 15 categories. Catto suggests that the main takeaways for vegan meat makers from the blended meat poll are similar to those from this year’s Taste of the Industry report. “More R&D is needed if plant-based companies want to win over omnivore consumers,” she explains.

    “They need to lean into bolder product profiles that more closely mimic or exceed the taste and experience of animal-based meat. This will require further investment in sensory research as well as development of novel ingredients and technologies.”

    The post Americans Like Blended Meat Burgers & Nuggets More Than Their Bestselling 100% Animal Counterparts appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Forma Foods Unveils ‘Chaotic’ 3D Printing Tech for Michelin-Starred Vegan Beef

    forma foods
    5 Mins Read

    Mexico’s Forma Foods is making whole-cut plant-based meat using a 3D printing technique that has impressed Michelin-starred chefs.

    What started as a bioprinting firm in 2017 has turned into a full-fledged food tech startup, leveraging its chaotic printing technology to address consumer pain points about the texture of meat analogues.

    For 75% of people around the world, the texture of plant-based meat is as important as its animal-derived counterparts – but only about 60% are actually satisfied with it.

    In Mexico City, Forma Foods is hoping to give consumers the mouthfeel they want from these products based on a technology that doesn’t just replicate animal muscle fibres, but also adipose and connective tissues, resulting in a well-rounded textural experience for the consumer.

    The startup’s beef analogues have impressed investors as well as chefs alike, landing on the menu of Rodrigo Rivera-Rio’s Koli, a recent recipient of a Michelin star. “It’s a protein, obviously, made with all the most cutting-edge technology in a laboratory,” the chef told TecScience in June. “It’s from Monterrey, it’s regia cuisine.”

    koli cocina de origen
    Courtesy: Forma Foods

    How Forma Foods developed its chaotic printing technology

    Forma Foods was founded on the back of years of research by Grissel Trujillo de Santiago and Mario Moises Alvarez during their time at Tecnologico de Monterrey. With biotech engineer Li Lu Lam Aguilar joining as co-founder and CEO, the tissue engineering experts initially explored cultivated meat, but pivoted to plant proteins due to the much higher costs involved.

    Its chaotic printing technology produces microstructures that mirror the architecture of animal tissues via the use of plant-based pastes: pea protein helps simulate muscle tissue, coconut oil mimics fat tissue, and prebiotic fibre from an Oriental root replicates connective tissue.

    “The term ‘chaotic’ might seem counterintuitive, as it’s often associated with disorder,” admits Alvarez, the firm’s CTO. “But in mathematics and physics, chaotic flows are known for their ability to create intricate, highly ordered microstructures efficiently.”

    The development of a now-patented specialised printhead in 2019 allowed the company to overcome the challenge of adapting 3D printing to produce meat analogues. “We use static mixers within our printheads to generate chaotic flows, enabling us to produce detailed microarchitecture within each filament. This innovative method allows us to recreate the complex texture of meat in a cost-effective and scalable way,” Alvarez explains.

    “Our printing technology replicates the architecture and texture of real meat by precisely organising different components – protein fibres, fat, and connective tissue – at a microscopic scale,” he adds. “In real meat, these elements are not mixed randomly – they are aligned and structured, which gives the meat its distinctive texture. Similarly, we print multi-material filaments that emulate these components.

    “While other plant-based meat producers typically create ‘ground meat’ products where all the ingredients are mixed and lack the fibrous structure of real meat, our approach coextrudes three different materials through the same nozzle, achieving a microstructure that mimics the natural alignment of meat at the micron level.”

    3d printed meat
    Courtesy: Forma Foods

    Forma Foods outpaces a cow by a factor of 100

    Forma Foods has created plant-based versions of arrachera (skirt steak) and carne al pastor (grilled pork) to appeal to local palates. After all, more than half (54%) of Mexicans are swapping meat for plant-based analogues.

    In 2022, a study suggested that 9% of the country’s population was vegan, another 19% vegetarian, and 15% identified as flexitarian – making it the largest plant-forward market in Latin America. Even Taylor Swift recognised this, offering Propel Foods’s vegan Bistec steak, Chorizo and Pastor tacos to Eras Tour visitors at the Foro Sol stadium in the capital last year.

    As proof of its product potential, Forma Foods has raised over $1M in funding from Tec Ventures and Saya Bio. “We are seeking additional funding to accelerate the development and scaling of our technology,” says Alvarez.

    Each of the company’s printers can currently produce 1.8kg of its beef per hour, a rate around 100 times speedier than the time it takes to raise a cow. “Our overall annual production is still limited, as we only have a small number of printers in operation (we design and build our own 3D printers),” he reveals.

    “However, our technology is easily scalable by simply adding more printers, which will significantly increase our production capacity to tonnes per month by mid-2025,” notes Alvarez. Another milestone would be reducing the costs of the final product. “Our current market price is above that of traditional beef, but we aim to achieve price parity by 2026,” he adds.

    plant based meat mexico
    Courtesy: Forma Foods

    The startup has outlined a three-pronged strategy as part of its development plan: gain consumer trust, establish strategic partnerships in the market, and offer products that are unique and innovative. On that note, it’s been in talks with some foodservice customers, and currently supplies three cuts of its 3D-printed meat for special events at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

    At Koli, Rivera-Rio served its beef as part of a conceptual dish. The story goes: as one beet watched cows eating other beets, it felt lonely and decided to become beef itself. To visualise this, he requested Forma Foods to shape its meat analogue in the form of a beetroot, pairing it with a beet sauce.

    “I think it would be very interesting to keep this as an ongoing dish in the menu: the vegetable that wanted to be meat,” the chef said, hinting at an ongoing collaboration with the startup. “This season it would be beet, next it could be a carrot. It can be a thousand things.”

    “Looking ahead, we plan to expand into retail stores across Mexico, particularly those specialising in vegan and health-conscious products,” says Alvarez. “We expect this rollout to happen at the beginning of 2025.”

    The post Forma Foods Unveils ‘Chaotic’ 3D Printing Tech for Michelin-Starred Vegan Beef appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • After 136 Years, Italy’s Gruppo Tonazzo is Ditching Meat for Plant-Based

    gruppo tonazzo plant based
    5 Mins Read

    Italian legacy meat producer Gruppo Tonazzo is shuttering its meat business to solely focus on plant-based proteins via its Kioene brand.

    Driven by its impact on the environment and people’s health, one of Italy’s oldest meat manufacturers is going vegan.

    Padua-based Gruppo Tonazzo, which began as a butcher shop in 1888, has announced that by the end of the year, it will divest its meat business. The company will switch its entire focus on plant proteins through its long-running Kioene brand, which itself has been around since 1988 and is an established leader in the country’s vegan market.

    “We are embarking on the third revolution in our company’s history, and – we hope – in the sector as well,” said CEO Stefano Tonazzo, calling it “a gesture of great responsibility towards the environment and the nutritional wellbeing of future generations”.

    This was echoed by his brother Albino, who is CEO of Kioene: “This is a choice that we have carefully considered within the family and shared with our collaborators, a decision through which we want to make our contribution to safeguarding the planet and promoting an increasingly conscious diet.”

    Francesca Gallelli, public affairs consultant at alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe, told Green Queen: “This decision demonstrates that alternative proteins are not a threat, but rather a chance for the conventional meat sector to diversify, innovate, and enhance its offerings to meet consumers’ demand – especially when backed by deep expertise and the strength of the ‘Made in Italy’ brand.”

    Embracing vegetables for people and the planet

    kioene plant based
    Courtesy: Kioene/Gruppo Tonazzo

    The makings of the decision can be traced back to the establishment of Kioene all those years ago, the idea for which came about during a trip the Tonazzo brothers took to São Paulo. “We woke up very early and left with one of our suppliers to visit the slaughterhouses outside the city,” Albino recalled in an interview with Nord Est Economia last year.

    “On the way, we saw an endless line of trucks stopped on the road. We asked what it was. It was soy, destined for animal feed,” he said. “It was shortly after, during dinner, that my life changed: they explained to me that the energy needed to produce one unit of animal protein was the same as that needed to produce 12 units of plant protein. An absurd ratio.”

    It sparked a research effort that ended in Albino and his team creating some of the first soy burgers on Italian supermarket shelves. That lineup has since expanded to include a whole-food focus, using vegetables like aubergines, broccoli, kale and spinach as the base, and these propelled the brand’s market success.

    Apart from the veggie burgers, its current portfolio also includes falafels, cutlets, and chicken fillets (though these contain eggs and aren’t vegan) in both fresh and frozen options. Its entire lineup has over 100 SKUs – including alt-dairy offerings – and has penetrated 2.3 million households in Italy (around 10% of the total).

    In the last decade, Kioene has become a major money maker for Tonazzo, so much so that the plant-based burgers alone made up €50M of its €80M turnover in 2023 (a 63% share).

    “While our family has been involved in the meat industry for five generations, nearly 40 years ago, we began a shift by introducing plant-based protein alternatives,” said Stefano. “With the same spirit of innovation and foresight, we are now closing all meat-related operations to focus entirely on plant-based proteins and our Kioene brand.”

    Tonazzo leans into Italy’s fast-growing plant-based market

    gruppo tonazzo vegetali
    Courtesy: Kioene/Gruppo Tonazzo

    Tonazzo’s factory in Villanova di Camposampiero will continue to produce plant-based products, and employees in the meat business will be offered new roles within the company to ensure a just transition, which is earmarked for December 31.

    “As pioneers and key players in this market, we feel a deep responsibility towards future generations, and we want to help protect the Earth from progressive environmental degradation. We are aware of the need to help people take care of their wellbeing, starting with food,” Albino said.

    “This is how we aim to contribute to change and collective awareness, and we are convinced that the market and consumers will follow us once again.”

    Italians are actively eating less meat. A pan-European survey in 2023 found that the country had the joint-highest share of consumers (59%) looking to cut back on guanciale, vitello, pancetta and the like. This was primarily driven by concerns around health (54%), antibiotic use (17%), and the environment (16%), in line with the reasons Tonazzo is saying arrivederci to meat.

    It does seem that the company is following consumer trends: among the Italians reducing meat, most want to replace it with legumes (57%) or legume-based proteins (43%), with the desire for plant-based meat lower at 39%. Kioene’s portfolio plays straight into this trend.

    That said, it also comes at a time when meat analogues are the second-fastest-growing segment in Italy’s vegan sector, behind only plant-based cheese. In 2023, retail sales of meatless products in Italy swelled by 13%, nearly reaching €200M – only milk alternatives had higher sales, according to GFI Europe.

    This isn’t a one-off. Plant-based meat sales are actually up by 24% from two years ago, and in the first four months of 2024, sales are 10% higher than the corresponding period last year.

    “As more Italians incorporate plant-based meat into their diets, it’s inspiring to see a historic meat company embracing the potential of alternative proteins,” said Gallelli.

    The post After 136 Years, Italy’s Gruppo Tonazzo is Ditching Meat for Plant-Based appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • The Future of Dairy: Are Alternative Protein Startups the Solution to Big Dairy’s Problems?

    future of dairy
    5 Mins Read

    A new report looks at the challenges facing dairy and its more planet-friendly alternatives, and how collaborations between them can shape the future of dairy.

    Globally, dairy might be a $944B market, but it is facing growing pains in the form of labour shortages, price hikes, and its environmental impact. The future is uncertain, and animal-free versions of dairy may just be the saviour for the industry, according to a new report by Eatable Adventures.

    The Madrid-based food tech accelerator has released The Future of Dairy, a new analysis of the dairy industry’s biggest challenges, and how plant-based analogues, fermentation, cellular agriculture and molecular farming can help turn things around for the sector.

    The dairy industry emits 4% of the world’s emissions, about twice as high as the entire aviation sector. The climate change it is causing is also having an impact on the milk sector itself, whether that’s in terms of yield, quality or price – between March 2023 and 2024, dairy prices rose by 8.2%.

    That said, future-facing alt-dairy startups have their own struggles, from capacity bottlenecks and high prices to slowing investment and regulatory roadblocks. But technology is the industry’s future, and collaboration between high-tech startups and established dairy corporations is the way forward, the report suggested.

    “These partnerships enable startups to scale faster while providing corporations with efficient access to new technologies,” explained Eatable Adventures founder and CEO José Luis Cabañero. “Success in the sector depends on the ability to scale emerging technologies, achieve price parity, and meet evolving market demands.”

    Big Dairy is under threat – alternative protein startups can help

    future of dairy report
    Courtesy: Eatable Adventures

    The report includes insights from key industry stakeholders, and found some key challenges for the dairy industry. Consumer perceptions of negative health effects have intensified just as they look for white-label dairy products, decarbonising the sector and adapting to climate change are big question marks, and increased competition is pushing companies to diversify and differentiate themselves.

    Despite these threats, though, the dairy industry remains divided on the adoption of new technologies to create alt-dairy products – some view these as limited to the research labs, while others are willing to adopt them as a source of diversification. Any costs or burdens passed on to the consumer will also be a challenge.

    The stakeholders in favour of embracing these technologies are driven by people’s demand for sustainability and transparency, the enhanced nutritional functions of dairy analogues, better efficiency and lower operational costs, and higher profit margins.

    Those against them, however, are unsure of the technological viability of scaling up, and feel they can’t justify the financial outlays. They’re also concerned about consumer acceptance and overcoming cultural barriers, and cite regulatory constraints as another key hurdle.

    This is why plant-based dairy – supercharged by AI and machine learning tools – is likely to be adopted by the conventional dairy industry in the near term (one to three years). An example of this is Kraft Heinz’s ongoing partnership with Chilean food tech company NotCo. The interviewees anticipate precision fermentation to be adopted in three to five years, but cell-based dairy isn’t expected to penetrate this sector for another decade.

    Eatable Adventures noted that investments in alternative dairy companies have dropped by over 90% since the highs of 2021, and that the US accounts for nearly a third (30%) of all startups in the space, followed by Israel (14%).

    To advance the overall dairy industry, the report explored the role of open innovation, highlighting the importance of collaborating with universities and research centres to tap into external knowledge in a cost-effective manner. But aligning the interests of corporations and startups is no mean feat, especially due to the contrast in organisational culture, scale, and timelines for development and market entry.

    “When you begin, managing your expectations is necessary,” said one industry insider. “Avoid placing excessive pressure on startups. Do not expect the startup to single-handedly solve the problem. Patience is vital. With the company’s support, the startup could potentially resolve the issue. It’s a collaborative effort. In innovation, patience is key to preventing failure.”

    A pitch for a tech-forward dairy sector

    eatable adventures
    Courtesy: Eatable Adventures

    Eatable Adventures believes technology is the “new frontier of dairy competitiveness”, posing as a key differentiator between companies and helping democratise pricing in the sector.

    One way to approach and embrace novel technologies is via the development of hybrid products, much like Kerry’s Smug Dairy, which blends cow’s milk with oats. This reduces production costs and emissions, and can enhance the nutritional value of plant-based dairy, but this approach requires strong industry support to work.

    Upcycling is another innovative solution. Turning byproducts like oatmeal and soy into valuable dairy resources can offer sustainability and economic benefits. Circular waste solutions allow companies to generate direct revenue and improve the health attributes of both plant-based and hybrid offerings.

    Adapting robotics, blockchain technology and AI can revolutionise the sector too, creating new business models while necessitating advanced knowledge. “Early adopters will have the tools to overcome the future challenges, towards a more efficient and sustainable industry,” the report said.

    Ultimately, the future of dairy relies upon meeting consumer demand, developing new products, creating hybrid solutions, and strategically incorporating new technologies. So early access to new technologies and business models is crucial, as is collaboration between startups and corporations.

    “Industry leaders must actively shape the future rather than merely observe it,” said Cabañero. “We call on all stakeholders involved in this transformation to adopt forward-thinking practices and integrate cutting-edge technologies that enhance sustainability and efficiency.”

    The report’s advice for the dairy and alt-dairy sectors? “Invest in research and development, collaborate with tech startups, and stay ahead of regulatory changes to meet and exceed the expectations of tomorrow’s consumers.”

    The post The Future of Dairy: Are Alternative Protein Startups the Solution to Big Dairy’s Problems? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Vegan Uggs, Plant-Based Stroopwafels & Beer from Pasta Waste

    vegan uggs
    5 Mins Read

    In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Alpro’s new flavoured barista milk, vegan footwear wins, and Violife’s latest marketing campaign.

    New products and launches

    South Korean vegan cheesemaker Armored Fresh has announced that it will release a vegan grated parmesan made from oat milk in the US this fall.

    alpro barista caramel
    Courtesy: Alpro/Green Queen

    Alpro has released a 750ml caramel-flavoured barista milk made from soy and oats in the UK, which is available at Sainsbury’s for £1.75.

    Another flavoured milk comes from Mighty, which has announced a Gingerbread Oat Barista milk as part of the UK’s annual tradition of releasing Christmas-themed products from September.

    In more alt-dairy news, Cathedral City has added a Plant-Based Smokey cheese block to its lineup, which will be available at Tesco soon.

    beyond belief brewing co
    Courtesy: Beyond Belief Brewing Co

    Also in the UK, Beyond Belief Brewing Co, a subsidiary of pasta supplier Ugo Foods, is launching a line of beers made using waste pasta in grocery, including a Pale Ale, IPA and Vienna Lager, which will be available at Ocado for £8.50-£8.75 this month.

    Barefoot shoe maker Vivobarefoot has introduced the Gobi Sneaker Premium Canvas, a Vegan Society-certified sneaker made from 98% natural materials. Instead of plastic, the brand is using a bio-based alt-leather from Natural Fiber Welding called Mirum.

    In more footwear news, sheepskin boot manufacturer Ugg has announced a vegan version of its signature shoe, partnering with New York label Collina Strada. The vegan Uggs are made from recycled polyester microfibre and corn leather, and are available in the UK on both brands’ websites.

    vegan stroopwafels
    Courtesy: Stroop Club

    Texas-based startup Stroop Club has rolled out its vegan stroopwafels in Europe. Using sunflower oil and cacao fats, the products are available as two- or eight-packs at Ankorstore.com and Faire.com, and on its website.

    Speaking of Dutch delights, plant-based giant Vivera has launched Protein Bites in the Netherlands, described as “plant-based meal enrichers” made from vegetables, grains and legumes. The whole-food product line is available in TexMex, Thai and Green flavours, and can be found at Albert Heijn, Jumbo and Plus stores.

    vivera protein bites
    Courtesy: Vivera

    In the US, TiNDLE Foods‘ chicken tenders are now available on the menu of AI-driven meal kit and grocery solutions platform Hungryroot.

    Meanwhile, Rich Products Corporation‘s F’real has debuted the first non-dairy edition of its DIY shakes, an oat-milk-based Choco Choco Chip flavour.

    Plant protein company Havredals has expanded its fava bean meats on the US east cost through a distribution partnership with Performance Food Group.

    faba bean burger
    Courtesy: Havredals

    And Slovenia’s Juicy Marbles is also hoping to ‘steak’ a claim in the US with a 2025 supermarket launch for its whole-cut meat analogues. It’s working on a more accessible product line to widen its customer reach.

    Finance and company updates

    Plant-Ex Ingredients, a British supplier of plant-derived flavours, colours and extracts has raised £9M in funding from BGF to expand internationally, with the US a key focus market.

    Canadian vegan meal replacement beverage maker Sperri has attracted new funding to spur its US expansion efforts. It has just entered the D2C channel via Amazon.

    Swedish investor Kale United has announced a new €50M Kale Growth Fund for alternative protein startups.

    mellody honey
    Courtesy: MeliBio

    Vegan honey maker MeliBio has been granted a utility patent in Germany, which it hopes will fuel its expansion in Europe.

    Meanwhile, Copenhagen-based Meat Tomorrow, which is developing pluripotent stem cell lines for cultivated meat, has raised 4.1 million kroner ($610,000) to expand R&D efforts and establish partnerships.

    As election season rages on in the US, vegan cheese giant Violife has debuted a new marketing campaign dubbed America Has Voted, after its product was voted the best dairy-free cream cheese. The company will take over bagel shops on election day (November 5) and offer samples in grocery store parking lots in Austin and Miami.

    violife cream cheese
    Courtesy: Violife

    Givaudan‘s food innovation platform MISTA has chosen biomass fermentation as the central theme for the 2024 Growth Hack event.

    Research and policy developments

    As US lawmakers continue to find ways to try and ban cultivated meat, a federal judge in Florida has set a date for a hearing about the state’s ban on cultivated meat. In its lawsuit, Californian startup Upside Foods asked the court for a preliminary injunction, which Chief US District Judge Mark Walker will hear arguments for on October 7.

    florida lab grown meat lawsuit
    Courtesy: Kevin Martin Galante/Upside Foods

    In a new research partnership, Indian cultivated meat startup ClearMeat will join forces with Melbourne’s La Trobe University under the Indo-Australian research corridor. It was announced as ClearMeat unveiled ClearX9, an FBS-free powdered growth medium.

    Also in India, the Good Food Institute India and the state-owned CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology have signed a research agreement to advance the country’s alternative protein sector. The latter will provide scientific support and access to state-of-the-art labs and instrumentation facilities for GFI India’s research fellows.

    If it manages to meet the taste and nutrition requirements, plant-based dairy could be 10% cheaper than cow’s milk by 2030, a new report shows.

    national trust vegan
    Courtesy: William Shaw/National Trust

    Finally, in the UK, conservation agency the National Trust is looking to make half of its food in cafes meatless as part of its net-zero pledge for 2030, with its 2.6 million members set to vote on the proposal. Around 40% of its current catering is plant-based.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Vegan Uggs, Plant-Based Stroopwafels & Beer from Pasta Waste appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Explained: How Methane Emissions Are Linked to the Food System, and What We Can Do About It

    methane food system
    8 Mins Read

    Methane has highly detrimental impacts on the planet, with the food system – particularly livestock – the main emitter of the gas. What can we do about it?

    When we talk about greenhouse gas emissions, many of us are really just talking about carbon emissions. And it makes sense – carbon dioxide is responsible for 75% of global warming.

    But we often overlook methane (CH4), a gas contributing to a further 20% of warming. Its impact may have been even bigger since the Industrial Revolution, with scientists saying it’s made up 30% of total warming since that period.

    However, unlike carbon, the largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions isn’t fossil fuel production – it’s the food system. Agriculture already accounts for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions. Nearly half of these come from carbon dioxide, and 35% are from methane.

    Methane emissions are rising faster than ever before, growing by as much as 20% between 2000 and 2020. And if we don’t take any action, human-caused methane emissions will rise by up to 13% between 2020 and 2030, taking the world in the opposite direction on the path to 1.5°C.

    So addressing methane is critical to the climate fight. According to the UNEP, anthropogenic methane emissions can be cut by 45% within the decade, which alone would avert almost 0.3°C of temperature rises by 2045.

    With the food system’s outsized impact on methane – and vice-versa – it is vital to consider just what we can do to fix the situation, and what solutions companies and governments are looking into.

    How does methane harm the environment and human health?

    methane emissions
    Courtesy: IMF

    Methane has a much shorter lifespan (12 years) than carbon, but it’s much more efficient at trapping radiation. Scientists have found that methane is 86 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year period, and has a warming impact 28 times stronger over 100 years.

    Methane is the primary contributor to the formation of ground-level ozone – higher methane emissions account for half of the global rise in tropospheric ozone levels. Ozone is a hazardous pollutant and greenhouse gas, and causes a million premature deaths every year.

    So by reducing methane, we can curb ozone, which could prevent 260,000 premature deaths, 775,000 hospital visits for asthma, and 73 billion hours of lost labour from extreme heat every year.

    What are the worst contributors of methane emissions?

    livestock methane emissions
    Graphic by Green Queen

    Human activity is the main source of methane emissions, amounting to 60% of the global total – the rest comes from natural causes. Agriculture is the biggest polluter here, the source of 40% of anthropogenic CH4 emissions, according to the Global Methane Budget (which is yet to be peer-reviewed).

    Within this, meat and dairy production is by far the worst offender, accounting for 25-35% of total human-caused methane emissions. This is thanks in large part to livestock’s digestive processes, called enteric fermentation.

    Since cattle are ruminant animals, they have specialised digestive systems, allowing them to digest foods that humans and most other animals can’t. When food enters their stomach, microbes and bacteria break down the particles, which ferment in a part of the stomach called the rumen. As this process takes place, these food particles produce methane.

    Every time cows belch or flatulate, they emit methane into the atmosphere. To understand just how much this gas is central to cattle emissions, consider this: if we removed the warming effects of methane, the greenhouse gas footprint of beef production would be halved.

    In addition to livestock, rice cultivation also plays a major role here, emitting 8% of methane from human activities. And aside from agriculture, waste accounts for up to 20% of anthropogenic methane emissions – this involves food waste, wastewater, and organic materials in landfills.

    How does methane affect the food system?

    fao livestock farming
    Courtesy: Jesse Karjalainen/Getty Images

    Okay, so agriculture has a major impact on methane emissions. But how does CH4 itself affect our food system?

    Methane’s contribution to climate change can lead to a change in growing seasons, increase the prevalence of pests and diseases, and decimate crop yields. Research has shown that through its contribution to ozone formation, methane is responsible for staple crop losses of 15% per year.

    This illustrates methane’s role in growing food insecurity – 10% of the world goes hungry every day. With the world population expected to reach 10 billion in 2050, the demand for food will soar in tandem, worsening food inequities and creating more hunger.

    Methane emissions from wetlands also impact water availability, a major problem for the food system considering agriculture accounts for 70% of all freshwater withdrawals. There’s an effect on land use too – reducing methane emissions could free up over 350 million hectares of land by 2050, which could then be used for carbon sequestration and habitat protection.

    Curbing methane emissions is crucial to limiting climate feedback loops like the melting of the polar ice caps and the rise of sea levels. By accelerating warming, methane exacerbates climate change’s impacts on the food system, destroying crop yields, reducing food quality and access, weakening soil health, altering ecosystems, and lowering farmer incomes while subsequently raising food prices.

    What solutions exist, and which food-focused startups are fighting the problem?

    fao livestock
    Courtesy: AI-Generated Image via Canva

    So what can we do? Experts say there are a host of measures we can take to cut out methane and its impact on our lives.

    Many advocate for improved livestock feed. Current crops like corn and soy take up a lot of land and are responsible for vast amounts of deforestation, and feeding them to animals that are then eaten by humans is an efficient use of resources. Quick and large-scale implementation of enhanced livestock feeding mechanisms can bring down global methane emissions by 20% by the end of the decade.

    The WWF has expressed support for better feed systems as a lever for the food system’s sustainability improvements. Many of the startups aiming to reduce livestock-derived methane emissions are betting on seaweed, such as Rumin8, Sea Forest, Symbrosia, and CH4 Global.

    This idea is based on a study that proposed an over 80% reduction in methane emissions when you put a type of red seaweed in livestock feed – however, a subsequent trial showed that this only amounted to a 28% cut in methane. Scientists are also aiming to figure out ways to manage manure more efficiently, whether that’s by composting it, covering it, or upcycling it into biogas.

    There are other approaches to reducing livestock methane emissions too. Brightly calculates methane emissions from diverting food waste from landfills and converts them into high-integrity carbon credits (though this market faces a lot of scrutiny), Windfall Bio captures methane to transform it into organic soil, and Brightmark turns methane emissions from organic waste into renewable natural gas.

    In terms of crops like rice, one of the most effective actions is to use an alternate wetting and drying approach, which can halve emissions. This involves irrigating and draining paddies two to three times throughout the season, as opposed to allowing continuous flooding, which helps limit methane production without impacting yield (while also requiring a third less water). Startups like AgriG8, Rize, MittiLabs and CarbonFarm are all aiming to decarbonise rice.

    lab grown meat approved
    Courtesy: Aleph Farms

    Finally, one of the most effective ways to cut out methane is to cut out meat and milk. Dietary shifts towards alternative proteins can help reduce the industry’s water footprint, free up farmland, and slash its emissions. Methane alone makes up 25-80% of livestock producers’ emissions – just think of the benefits a transition away from meat and dairy would present.

    As carbon credits are called into question, and experts lay doubts over the efficacy of techno-fixes like feed additives and methane-cutting vaccines, alternative proteins are a surefire way to decrease methane from the air. Plant-based, fermentation and cultivated meat startups like Beyond Meat, Mosa Meat, Aleph Farms, Impossible Foods, and Meati are among the many players hoping to wean consumers off beef.

    How are governments handling the issue?

    global methane pledge
    Courtesy: Global Methane Pledge

    While policymakers worldwide have been making promises about methane, many of them have been deemed ineffective or insufficient.

    At COP26 in 2021, countries all over the world signed on to the Global Methane Pledge, which now involves 158 nations and the EU (representing over 50% of global methane emissions). The goal is to reduce CH4 emissions by 30% by the end of the decade, but this has been thrown into doubt.

    In its agrifood roadmap presented at COP28, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) set a target for cutting livestock methane emissions by 25% by 2030. But the text was heavily criticised by a range of experts – and the FAO has a history of censoring its members’ work on methane.

    Also at COP28, the US announced its intention to cut methane pollution from the oil and natural gas sector by 80%. But while this includes a $10M grant for the reduction of emissions from enteric fermentation (mostly for feed additives), the main focus wasn’t on agriculture, the primary source of methane emissions.

    Then there’s the EU Methane Pledge, which lays out policies and activities to support the Global Methane Pledge. However, this strategy has been heavily shaped by livestock lobby groups, and the region’s overall efforts to curb methane pollution have been accused of falling short.

    Meat and dairy lobbyists are highly influential in policymaking around climate change, and have been pushing governments to adopt a methane-reporting metric that vastly understates the actual emissions of the sector.

    In a report uncovering the influence and misinformation efforts of the livestock sector, the Changing Markets Foundation has called on governments to implement national methane action plans, as well as support progressive policies like methane taxes, while food companies are urged to introduce ambitious methane targets.

    Clearly, policymakers and business leaders need to do more to tackle methane pollution from the food system, which poses numerous dangers in an increasingly uncertain future for the health of the planet, its food system, and its people.

    The post Explained: How Methane Emissions Are Linked to the Food System, and What We Can Do About It appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • New Zealand Government Invests $5.95M to Develop Cultivated Seafood

    new zealand lab grown seafood
    4 Mins Read

    In New Zealand, the government has poured NZ$9.6M ($5.95M) into a five-year programme to develop cultivated fish products.

    A five-year, government-backed scheme is aiming to develop new fish cell production systems for cultivated seafood products in New Zealand.

    The new Endeavour Fund programme is backed by a NZ$9.6M ($5.95M) grant from the central government, allowing Plant & Food Research to create novel seafood products in a local context.

    Plant & Food Research is a state-owned research agency focused on futureproofing and enhancing the value of the horticulture, agriculture, fish, food and beverage industries. It noted that cultivated seafood could help New Zealand meet the global demand for more sustainable seafood and marine products (like collagen).

    The project will also examine the social and cultural aspects linked with New Zealand’s acceptance of cultivated fish, including Māori perspectives and concerns with respect to taonga species (those that are significant to Māori culture, such as tuna, crayfish and mussels).

    Researchers hope to create cultivated fish and collagen

    new zealand lab grown meat
    Courtesy: Plant & Food Research

    Plant & Food Research aims to “fundamentally change the way” cultivated fish cells are utilised to accelerate the industry’s progress, unlock new applications, and place New Zealand at the “technological forefront in cell line development and media formulation”.

    The project will be led by Dr Georgina Dowd, the agency’s cellular aquaculture research lead. “There are so many applications for cell lines,” she said in 2022. “Preventing and monitoring disease is probably the biggest.”

    She added: “It’s only a matter of time before one of the detrimental OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health)-notifiable diseases arrives here and impacts our seafood industry. Unless we put systems and pipelines in place, we are really at risk.”

    The research agency says cells must be viable and healthy, and multiply rapidly and in large numbers, while media must be defined, animal-free and sustainably produced. Existing fish cell lines and media, it argues, don’t meet these requirements.

    While several companies are working on cultivated seafood – from Singapore’s Umami Bioworks to Germany’s Bluu Seafood – nobody has been able to commercialise it yet, a marker of the “unstable foundations” of seafood cellular agriculture and the technology’s lack of commercial viability, according to Plant & Food Research.

    With the millions it has received from the government, Dowd’s team hopes to expand the knowledge around fish cell cultures and generate an in-depth understanding of their nutritional needs, leading to enhanced isolation and proliferation. Once the optimal culture requirements have been identified, it can develop natural nutrient sources for two applications: cultivated fish and cell-based collagen.

    “It would be great if others could use continuous fish cell lines developed at Plant & Food Research as part of a fish health management strategy that doesn’t involve using whole animals,” Dowd said two years ago. “Or if our cell lines could be used to create lab-grown fish products for human consumption. They could help support a low-impact industry to share our kaimoana with the world.”

    Why New Zealand’s seafood sector needs an overhaul

    new zealand lab grown fish
    Courtesy: Kim Westerskov

    The Plant & Food Research grant is part of the Endeavour Fund, an initiative by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment that has poured in NZ$236M ($146M) this year alone in 19 research programmes and 53 Smart Ideas, which aim to catalyse and test high-potential research innovations.

    This included four Smart Idea projects from Plant & Food Research. One is focusing on developing methods for examining soil vulnerability to support sustainable soil management practices, another is looking into the microbiome of vineyards to control grapevine trunk diseases.

    Yet another is centred upon investigating if silvervine compounds (a kiwi fruit species) can be used to control feral cat populations. And finally, one of these Smart Idea projects is aimed at developing an epigenetic clock to support the sustainable management of pāua (sea snails) fisheries.

    New Zealand’s aquaculture industry is hoping to quadruple sales by 2035, but climate change and rising sea temperatures could result in the loss of millions for the sector. Experts suggest that the impact of overfishing on the country’s fishing trade has been understated.

    Just last year, the country’s bottom-trawling industry came under fire after a government-commissioned report focused on the seabed around Aotearoa named the practice one of the biggest threats to releasing carbon from the seabed back into ocean waters. Concerns over stock management also led Seafood NZ to suspend the Marine Stewardship Council certification for orange roughy, blocking exports of the fish to most parts of Europe and North America.

    Consumers recognise the impact of climate change on the fishing industry, and vice-versa. A recent 22,000-person global survey found that 30% of people have been eating less seafood in the last two years, with nearly half (48%) concerned about overfishing and 35% worried about climate change impacts.

    Over 80% of people have changed their dietary habits in this period, and 43% are doing so for sustainability reasons, highlighting the importance of investments in projects like Plant & Food Research is undertaking.

    It’s also an untapped market in New Zealand – only one local company (Opo Bio) is working on cultivated meat, but it focuses on red meat. That said, New Zealanders may be about to get a first taste of cultivated meat, with Australian startup Vow on the verge of receiving clearance from the countries’ joint regulator.

    The post New Zealand Government Invests $5.95M to Develop Cultivated Seafood appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • Aleph Farms Teams Up with Miznon Chef Eyal Shani to Roll Out Cultivated Steak in Restaurants

    aleph farms eyal shani
    5 Mins Read

    Israeli cultivated meat pioneer Aleph Farms is gearing up for the restaurant launch of its beef steaks through a partnership with Michelin-starred chef Eyal Shani.

    At the tail-end of last year, Aleph Farms became the third company to receive regulatory approval for cultivated meat anywhere in the world, with Israel clearing its Black Angus Petit Steak for sale in the country.

    Now, nine months on, the launch of the product – under its Aleph Cuts line – is closer than ever, thanks to a collaboration with Eyal Shani, the celebrity chef behind the restaurant chain Miznon.

    “Together with Eyal Shani, we will debut Aleph Cuts through a series of thoughtfully curated dining experiences in Israel,” an Aleph Farms spokesperson told Green Queen.

    Shani is joining the company as an investor and launch partner, helping it introduce its cultivated beef via roaming dining experiences. But it remains to be seen which of Shani’s eateries debuts the product, and when.

    “Eyal’s dedication to using the finest ingredients and raw materials elevates our new category of animal products, ensuring that it is not only sustainable but also of exceptional quality,” said Aleph Farms co-founder and CEO Didier Toubia. “His innovative spirit and focus on connecting people through food make him an invaluable partner as we launch Aleph Cuts globally.”

    Eyal Shani makes the argument for cultivated meat

    eyal shani lab grown meat
    Courtesy: Aleph Farms

    A self-proclaimed “re-enchanter” of Israeli cuisine, Shani owns 17 restaurants in Tel Aviv alone, and a total of around 50 globally, from Port Said and Romano to HaSalon. His culinary footprint is spread across the world, including the US, the UK, France, Singapore and Australia. And Shmoné, his New York City eatery, won a Michelin star last year.

    “I was born into a vegan family and, until the age of five, was fed only plants and roots. Almost 60 years have passed and today, I have over 50 restaurants across six continents, and I serve meat in all of them. I ask myself constantly: what am I bequeathing to the world?” said Shani.

    “Aleph Farms has given me the opportunity to bequeath a future that avoids causing suffering to billions of animals, in which people will be one with nature and not harm it, in which Aleph Cuts are more wonderful than the meat we know today and is so without killing a single animal, and in which our happiness does not require that the animals with which we share the world feel pain,” he added.

    The Petit Steak is a hybrid meat product comprising non-modified, non-immortalised cells of a premium Black Angus cow, combined with a plant protein matrix made of soy and wheat. It will be priced similarly to premium beef, the company confirmed.

    Before it launches, though, Aleph Farms needs to clear some regulatory hurdles, including the Good Manufacturing Practices assessment for its production plant. “We still need to do the GMP inspection for our pilot facility in Israel and follow the labelling guidelines in Israel before launching with Eyal Shani,” the spokesperson said.

    “Before Aleph Cuts become a staple on restaurant menus, it’s important for us to receive feedback from consumers in the initial phase of our launch,” they added. Aleph Farms has previously outlined a long-term goal of making its cultivated beef available in supermarkets.

    Aleph Farms in ‘active discussions’ with investors

    lab grown meat israel
    Courtesy: Aleph Farms

    The partnership with Shani comes months after Aleph Farms laid off 30% of its local employees as part of its “asset-light” approach towards scaling up. “We are maintaining R&D and production in Israel while expanding globally through co-manufacturers,” the firm said at the time. “We care for all affected employees and will be supporting them in the new job search.”

    There were suggestions that difficulties in securing fresh capital also played a part in the decision. Aleph Farms has raised $118M in funding so far, with its last round coming in 2022. But the wider fundraising struggles of alternative protein and the geopolitical tension with the Israel-Hamas war have impeded its efforts to secure more money.

    “We are in active discussions with potential investors who are aligned with our mission,” the spokesperson said, highlighting that the recent changes have been “challenging” but in line with its “capital-efficient, asset-light scale-up approach”.

    “Our primary operational focus is on enhancing robust scale-up capabilities for our production process at our pilot production facility in Israel, as well as in Southeast Asia with our partners – a pivotal region for our hub-and-spoke expansion strategy,” they added.

    Aside from its pilot plant in Rehovot, Israel, Aleph Farms has entered a partnership to produce cultivated meat in Thailand, and teamed up with a biotech startup to leverage AI to reduce costs and enable scalability. It has previously also acquired a manufacturing facility in Modi’in, and signed a deal with ESCO Aster in Singapore (the world’s first approved industrial manufacturer for cultivated meat).

    The startup has additionally filed for regulatory approval in Singapore, Switzerland, the UK and the US, and is looking to do so in other markets too. “Our team has been advancing our regulatory paths towards launch in various countries while responding to queries and submitting data to authorities worldwide,” the representative said.

    Following Israel, the company is planning launches in Singapore and Thailand, before expanding into Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, China and Australia. “We want to ensure that we first build the right production and sales support capabilities to ensure steady supply over time, and continuous revenue increase for a successful launch of our products.”

    The post Aleph Farms Teams Up with Miznon Chef Eyal Shani to Roll Out Cultivated Steak in Restaurants appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • Standing Ovation Raises €3.75M in Series A+ Round, Appoints New CEO to Begin Animal-Free Casein Sales in 2025

    standing ovation funding
    4 Mins Read

    French precision fermentation startup Standing Ovation has raised €3.75M in a Series A extension and appointed a new CEO to begin selling its Advanced Casein next year.

    Parisian food tech startup Standing Ovation is gearing up for the launch of its animal-free casein protein with fresh capital and a new CEO.

    The precision fermentation company has raised an additional €3.75M in a Series A extension, adding to the €12M it raised in the original round in 2022. The funds will be used to scale up production of Advanced Casein, its first patented product, ahead of a planned market launch in the US in 2025.

    This will be helped by the expertise of Yvan Chardonnens, who has taken over the reins from co-founder Romain Chayot. Chardonnens is a seasoned C-suite executive who has worked at large firms like Oterra, Firmenich, IFF, Unilever, Barry Callebaut, and Roquette.

    “I am excited to be joining such an innovative company at the forefront of its sector, with the potential to have a positive impact on our food ecosystems and deliver solutions to climate challenges,” Chardonnens said.

    Standing Ovation plans to scale up Advanced Casein production

    standing ovation casein
    Courtesy: Standing Ovation

    Standing Ovation is tackling casein, which makes up 80% of the protein content in milk and is responsible for many of the functional properties that make dairy desirable – like the melty and stretchy nature of cheese, or the creamy texture of ice cream. It’s a $2.7B market, but it’s a product of a carbon-heavy dairy industry.

    The French startup is producing bioidentical casein – with the same amino acid sequence and nutritional credentials – but uses precision fermentation instead. Its technology and manufacturing processes are protected by seven patent families and have allowed it to establish strategic partnerships with prominent dairy players.

    “Our caseins have the ability to provide essential functionalities such as foaming, thickening, curdling, stretching, as well as meeting taste objectives,” Chayot told Green Queen earlier this year, noting that the product can be used in products like animal-free cheese, yoghurt, ice cream, milk, and protein bars.

    Advanced Casein, as the company calls it, is said to be a highly efficient solution to dairy’s climate footprint. According to an independent life-cycle assessment by Standing Ovation, its casein generates 94% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than its conventional counterpart, and enables the industry to make much better use of water and land.

    The startup is finalising preparations for industrial-scale production by the end of 2024. At the beginning of the year, its weekly capacity was at several tens of kgs, but its efforts to scale up were boosted by a €3M cash infusion by the French government and the EU.

    With the Series A+ round, Standing Ovation has now raised €23M since being founded four years ago, with investors like Astanor Ventures, Peakbridge, Seventure Partners, Good Startup and Big Idea Ventures.

    Laetitia de Panafieu, an Astanor Ventures representative, called Standing Ovation “the only market player to have mastered fermentation casein production”. “Soon they will be able to produce on an industrial scale, meeting the needs of both the agrifood industry and consumers,” she said. “We are excited to see the first dairy products based on Advanced Casein distributed worldwide.”

    Regulation and market entry key areas of focus

    precision fermentation casein
    Courtesy: Standing Ovation

    There are a number of companies working to produce animal-free versions of casein. Some – like New Culture, Change Foods, Fermify, Foodtive Group, and Zero Cow Factory – are similarly using precision fermentation, others are taking the molecular farming route (Alpine Bio, Finally Foods and NewMoo), and others (such as Pureture) are using yeast.

    So far, New Culture is the only startup to have cleared the regulatory barriers for precision-fermented casein, achieving self-determined Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US.

    This is something Chardonnens also referenced, saying: “Our priority will be to step up our development by obtaining the necessary regulatory approval, strengthening our go-to-market strategy, and embarking on large-scale industrial production.”

    He praised Chayot’s leadership, under whom the company “hit key technological, operational and financial milestones, paving the way for the next phase of industrial-scale growth”.

    Chayot, now the managing director of the business, said Chardonnens has a pioneering reputation in “developing new products that meet both industrial challenges and consumer demand”. He added: “Our respective areas of expertise are a perfect fit, and will enable Standing Ovation to become the global leader in alternative proteins and a key player in the food transition.”

    The Series A+ round comes amid a flurry of investments into fermentation startups in Europe, which have raised twice more money than plant-based and three times as much as cultivated meat companies this year. In the first half of 2024, the fermentation segment surpassed its funding total for 2023 in Europe, reaching €164M.

    Since then, a host of companies have added to this pot. Onego Bio secured €14M, Adamo Foods brought in $2.5M, and Formo raised one of the biggest rounds of the year with $66M, among others.

    Standing Ovation hopes to build on this momentum. “After four years of research and innovation to fine-tune our industrial manufacturing and production process, the time has come to accelerate towards mass production and distribution of Advanced Casein in the global agrifood market,” said Chayot.

    The post Standing Ovation Raises €3.75M in Series A+ Round, Appoints New CEO to Begin Animal-Free Casein Sales in 2025 appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • Denmark’s Matr Foods Secures €20M EU Loan for Mycelium Meat Factory

    matr foods funding
    4 Mins Read

    Danish meat analogue startup Matr Foods has received €20M in debt funding from the European Investment Bank to open a large-scale mycelium meat facility.

    Mycelium meat maker Matr Foods has received a €20M loan from the EU’s lending arm to support the construction of its first commercial-scale factory.

    The Copenhagen-based producer, which currently offers a burger and mince made from fungi fermentation, has been operating from a pilot plant since its launch in 2021. But it recently indicated its intention to move to a bigger facility in 2026 to scale up production.

    Now, the debt funding from the European Investment Bank (supported by the InvestEU scheme) will allow it to build this factory, where it hopes to produce over 3,000 tonnes of clean-label meat analogues annually (up from 30-40 tonnes at its existing pilot plant), while investing further in R&D.

    ”We are thrilled that the EIB, with its strong support, enables us to take the production to scale as fast as possible,” said Matr CEO Randi Wahlsten, a former Arla executive who established the brand with Noma co-founder Claus Meyer, Morten Sommera, and Rasmus Toft-Kehler.

    How Matr Foods upcycles food with fungi

    matr foods meat
    Courtesy: Matr Foods

    To make its mycelium meats, Matr Foods employs a solid-state fermentation process by inoculating upcycled ingredients like beetroots, potatoes, lupins, peas and oats with fungi spores.

    Tiny roots called hyphae make up the mycelium and break down the nutrients in the mix, a process that releases flavour-packed amino acids and starches that enhances browning when cooked. The mycelium additionally binds all the ingredients together to create a juicy texture.

    Matr Foods says the process allows it to reduce food waste, limit the amount of processing, amp up nutritional attributes, and create better-tasting meat analogues. It adds beet juice, salt, thyme and garlic powder to the resulting products, which have 2.5g of saturated fat (0.5g saturated) and 10g of dietary fibre. In contrast, Danish plant-based leader Naturli’s burger has 11g of saturated fat and 1.8g of fibre.

    “Our products have been received overwhelmingly well by chefs, restaurants and consumers, clearly confirming the appetite for cleaner, healthier and more juicy alternatives to meat,” said Wahlsten.

    Matr Foods’ burger patty and mince are available at Danish restaurant chains like Gasoline Grill, Rørt, and Gao Dumpling, as well as at all Sticks’n’Sushi locations in Denmark, Germany and the UK. The company also sells the products for home use through e-tailer Nemlig.com.

    Moreover, its meat analogues generate 1.6kg of CO2e per kg, a climate footprint 94% lower than beef. According to the EIB, this would help reduce the environmental impact of European meals by more than 100,000 tonnes of CO2e per year, aligning with the bloc’s Farm to Fork strategy and bioeconomy goals under the EU Green Deal’s target of reaching net zero by 2050.

    EU opens its wallet to increasingly attractive fermentation sector

    matr foods
    Courtesy: Matr Foods

    Matr Foods claims this is the first time the EIB has invested in a plant-based meat company. The EIB’s financing is based on the EU’s policy objectives, with projects boosting competitiveness, driving innovation, promoting sustainable development, and supporting a just transition to climate neutrality.

    The InvestEU initiative, meanwhile, leverages private and public funds to support a green economy, generating additional investments in line with EU policies. It bridges all EU financial instruments together, comprising the InvestEU Fund, InvestEU Advisory Hub, and InvestEU Portal. The fund is implemented via financial partners who invest in projects using the EU’s budget guarantee of €26.2B.

    “Plant-based meat alternatives not only have high potential for growth, but also bring environmental and health benefits,” said EIB vice-president Ioannis Tsakiris. “When it comes to financing the green transition, innovation is a key part along with agriculture. MATR brings these two priority areas together and we are happy to support its endeavour.”

    The bank’s support comes two months after Matr Foods received an initial investment from Novo Holdings, the venture arm of medical non-profit the Novo Nordisk Foundation. It has previously also netted state funding via the BioInnovation Institute.

    Fermentation companies have become increasingly popular with investors this year, obtaining more capital in the first half of 2024 than they did in all of 2023. They have also raised twice as much as plant-based companies and over three times more than cultivated meat startups.

    Christian Poppe, public affairs and sustainability director at Germany’s Formo, which closed a $61M Series B round last week, told Green Queen that fermentation is exciting to investors because it’s easier to scale, and enables a faster path towards price parity with conventional animal products. “Because it’s not entirely new to consumers, it holds great promise for rapid consumer acceptance and uptake,” he added, touching upon fermentation’s ancient roots.

    Swayed by these trends, the EU itself has been ramping up investments in fermentation this year. Denmark, meanwhile, is the first country to introduce a national action plan to transition to a plant-based food system, which involves a focus on vegan school meals, chef training, increased exports, and investment in R&D. And earlier this year, Denmark also became the first to announce a carbon tax on meat and dairy production, in its bid to cut emissions from its agriculture sector.

    The post Denmark’s Matr Foods Secures €20M EU Loan for Mycelium Meat Factory appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • NewTexture: Schouten Creates ‘Replacement for Textured Proteins’ with Novel Fibre Technology

    schouten newtexture schnitzel
    4 Mins Read

    To address concerns about plant-based meat textures, Dutch company Schouten has introduced a chicken schnitzel made from its NewTexture fibre technology.

    When it comes to plant-based meat, one of the biggest pain points for consumers is the texture. For years, many meat analogues have been described as dry, crumbly, mushy, or just unappealing in terms of mouthfeel.

    It’s why companies are racing to come up with ways to produce meat analogues with whole-muscle structures that better resemble their conventional counterparts. It’s also why this effort is called the “holy grail” of plant-based meat.

    Globally, the texture of vegan meat products is as important as their animal-derived versions for 75% of consumers – but only about 60% are actually satisfied with it.

    Similarly, a 1,500-person survey this year found that 42% of Americans are deterred from choosing a meat analogue dish at a restaurant because they don’t think they’ll like the texture. And in Germany, 26% of people say they’d pay more for a plant-based product if it has the same taste and texture as the food it’s hoping to replace.

    Responding to these needs, Dutch alternative protein pioneer Schouten has come up with a “self-developed” fibre technology, promising enhanced textures in meat analogues. It’s starting with a chicken schnitzel, which is now available for its foodservice customers.

    Fibre technology aims to improve texture and reduce emissions

    schouten newtexture
    Courtesy: Schouten

    Schouten explains that a lot of meat analogues require high amounts of energy and what some feel is “unnecessary processing”.

    This is why it has developed a novel fibre technology, dubbed NewTexture, which it describes as a “replacement for textured proteins”. The innovation is aimed at providing a better texture for meat analogues, and it results in lower emissions than existing technologies.

    “This new subline within our Classics range is the result of years of research and development,” says Niek-Jan Schouten, CEO of Schouten Europe. “We are confident that Schouten’s NewTextures will be a game changer for both our business partners and end consumers.”

    Schouten is showcasing the technology in its new chicken schnitzel, made from soy and wheat proteins. This is said to have a uicy texture and white hue characteristic of conventional chicken. In addition to the visual and textural attributes, the schnitzel also has strong nutritional credentials, clocking in 12g of protein per 100g, nearly 5g of fibre, and only 1.2g of saturated fat.

    “Meat substitutes are sometimes prepared incorrectly, which can make them a bit dry. These products retain their juiciness, making them even more appealing,” explains Schouten. “The overall package is spot on, and we are very proud of this launch, which will help elevate the product category to a new level.”

    Others innovating with fibres to advance meat analogues include Germany’s Project Eaden and US startup Tender Foods, both of which are using fibre-spinning technologies.

    It’s all about product diversity

    schouten
    Courtesy: Schouten

    Schouten, a family-owned company, has been making meat analogues since 1990 – one of the earliest movers in the market. It has an extensive product range geared towards customers in over 50 countries, from supermarket private-labels to branded manufacturers and quick-service restaurant chains.

    It forayed into seafood analogues for the first time in early 2021 with a vegan tuna product, before releasing new lines of plant-based chicken and beef a few months later.

    Outside its Classics line of meat analogues, the company also has a range called Variations, which involves products that aren’t meant to resemble meat. “Ultimately, we believe that meat substitutes don’t always need to mimic meat,” Schouten said. “With legumes and vegetables, we can develop excellent protein-rich products that don’t have a meat equivalent.”

    He added: “However, to convince true meat lovers to buy meat substitutes more often, the classics are still essential. It’s important that we continue to improve the quality of these products. That’s why we keep investing in our Classics.”

    It was with this line of thinking that the company announced a portfolio of mycoprotein products, through which it also aims to “market products with a lower footprint and less processing”.

    These moves have legs, and are being replicated elsewhere too. Beyond Meat, one of the world’s largest plant-based meat companies, recently brought out Sun Sausages in response to consumer demands for whole foods – these links aren’t meant to resemble meat, and are instead made from vegetables and legumes. And just last week, the company said it would soon launch a mycelium-based steak as a clean-label option.

    The post NewTexture: Schouten Creates ‘Replacement for Textured Proteins’ with Novel Fibre Technology appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Novameat Closes $19.2M Series A Round, Revamps Plant-Based Shredded Beef with Better Texture

    novameat funding
    5 Mins Read

    Spain’s Novameat has attracted €17.4M in a Series A funding round to expand its plant-based meat range based on MicroForce technology, starting with a revamped shredded beef offering.

    Catalan food tech startup Novameat has received €17.4M ($19.2M) in an oversubscribed Series A investment round, taking its total raised to $25.6M.

    The capital injection was led by Sofinnova Partners and Forbion via its BioEconomy Fund, and included follow-on investments from Unovis Asset Management, Praesidium, and Rubio Impact Ventures.

    Novameat aims to use the funds to expand to new markets, scale up its production capacity, and introduce new products – for the latter, it is starting by reformulating its Shredded Nova-b*ef, which has an improved taste and texture with a competitive price tag.

    “We will be expanding our commercial presence across Europe, with an initial focus on regions where we are seeing strong traction from foodservice and manufacturing partners seeking superior products in terms of taste and nutrition,” Novameat founder and CEO Giuseppe Scionti told Green Queen.

    “Once we establish a solid foothold in Europe, our strategy includes expanding into North America and the Asia-Pacific, where we plan to leverage our unique technology and product offerings to build key distribution and production partnerships,” he added.

    How Novameat is delivering on texture with MicroForce technology

    novameat shredded beef
    Courtesy: Novameat

    Novameat burst onto the scene in 2018 with a 3D-printed whole-cut vegan steak, and showcased an improved version two years later that featured a combination of tissue engineering and technology that enabled micro-structured tridimensional 3D printing.

    But its current lineup – sold to foodservice operators in Spain, the UK, and the Netherlands – includes a chicken fillet, pulled chicken, deli-style turkey, and the aforementioned shredded beef. It is among a number of startups producing whole-muscle meat analogues, often described as the “holy grail” of plant-based meat.

    The company’s manufacturing process is based on its MicroForce technology, an iteration of 3D printing adapted for large-scale food production. “We use standard food industry equipment with some patented tweaks to achieve the same fibrous texture as 3D printing, but on a much bigger scale,” explained Scionti.

    “Unlike many other plant-based meats, we don’t need to use additives like methylcellulose or carrageenans to get the right texture and our process builds the texture. Plus, all our ingredients are natural and retain their full quality due to the low temperature and pressure during production,” he added. “This gentle process, along with our premium ingredients, means there’s no bitter aftertaste, offering a clean, satisfying experience every time.”

    This plays to an important trend – globally, the texture of plant-based meat is as important as their conventional counterparts for 75% of consumers, but only about 60% are actually satisfied with it.

    This technology has also been fine-tuned to enhance the texture and mouthfeel of Novameat’s shredded beef offering. “The fibrous structure has been upgraded to deliver an authentic ‘pulled’ consistency. We’ve also optimised the natural flavour profile, making it a versatile meat alternative suitable for a wide range of dishes,” said Scionti.

    “Additionally, we’ve improved production efficiency, allowing us to scale up and meet increasing demand while keeping our competitive pricing intact. Feedback from tastings has been overwhelmingly positive, and this version of Nova-b*ef is free from allergens, soy, gluten, methylcellulose, carrageenan, and added sugars,” he added.

    This proprietary technology is also what has attracted investors. Alex Hoffmann, general partner at Forbion’s BioEconomy Fund, called it “truly groundbreaking”. “We see significant potential not only in their current products, but also in the pipeline of innovations they are developing,” he said.

    Investors focused on scalable solutions backed by strong tech

    novameat
    Courtesy: Novameat

    Novameat’s current capabilities allow it to produce 500 kgs of whole-muscle plant protein per hour, allowing it to supply its meat analogues to caterers like The New Standard and restaurants such as Taquería in London and Disfrutar in Barcelona, voted the world’s best restaurant in 2024.

    The fresh funds will take things a step further. “The capital raised will be instrumental in scaling our production capacity, both at our existing facility in Barcelona and through new production partnerships, to meet the growing demand for our products,” Scionti said.

    “A significant portion of the funds will also be allocated to accelerating our research and development initiatives, ensuring we continue pushing the boundaries of innovation in creating healthy, high-quality plant-based meats.”

    He confirmed that Novameat has no plans to enter retail anytime soon, since B2B offers a “bigger opportunity” at the moment. “We’re witnessing a strong demand from the foodservice and food manufacturing sectors for premium, differentiated plant-based offerings tailored specifically to their unique needs,” he stated. “These industries are seeking high-quality products that deliver on taste, texture, and nutrition while meeting operational and scalability requirements.”

    That said, he added: “While we focus on serving these sectors, we will also offer our products through select direct-to-consumer partners.” Novameat recently began selling its products on UK e-tailer Mighty Plants.

    The Series A round comes amid an investment slump for plant-based foods – last year, funding in this sector was down by 24% globally, reaching $908M. But while fermentation startups are gaining ground, and cultivated meat is keeping pace, plant-based protein makers are finding it hard to keep investors interested, raising only $138M in the first half of this year.

    “Securing investment has undoubtedly become more challenging in today’s plant-based meat market, with a surge of brands launching similar plant-based products that often lack meaningful differentiation,” said Scionti. “Additionally, consumers are increasingly health-conscious, seeking innovative products that offer both superior taste and clear nutritional benefits.”

    So how did Novameat overcome these challenges to raise $19.2M? “Investors remain focused on scalable solutions backed by strong technology, like our MicroForce Technology, along with proven consumer acceptance and sound unit economics,” its CEO explained.

    “The key to driving the next wave of growth lies in continuously developing products that surpass current offerings in taste, texture, and nutrition, while achieving price parity with traditional meats,” Scionti added.

    The post Novameat Closes $19.2M Series A Round, Revamps Plant-Based Shredded Beef with Better Texture appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • For Its New Factory, Planted Zeroes in On Germany’s Leading Plant-Based Market

    planted meat
    4 Mins Read

    Swiss meat analogue maker Planted will open its second manufacturing facility in Germany, Europe’s leading market for vegan food.

    Planted, the Switzerland-based producer of meat analogues, has announced plans to open a new factory in Germany, its main market for exports.

    The company, which recently unveiled a fermentation-derived whole-cut steak, already has a plant at its headquarters in Kemptthal, Switzerland. For the second site, it is reviving an old brewery in Memmingen, Bavaria to create a modern production hub for vegan meat.

    The new facility is expected to begin production by the first quarter of 2025. At full capacity, it would be able to produce 20 tonnes of meat analogues every day, and around 5,000 tonnes annually. The facility in Germany – which accounts for 75% of Planted’s exports from Kemptthal – is set to create over 50 obs, adding to its 200-strong staff.

    “Our international expansion follows the strategic decision to bolster our biotechnological expertise and locations abroad, closer to our consumers,” said Planted co-founder Lukas Böni.

    Planted powered by a new whole-muscle platform

    planted factory
    Courtesy: Planted

    In April, Planted released its whole-cut steak, which has since made its way into restaurants and retailers in various countries, including Switzerland and Germany.

    This is the first product resulting from its whole-muscle innovation platform, where it uses proprietary microbial fermentation processes to grow what it calls “biostructured proteins”. The startup says it’s “convinced that biostructured proteins will surpass animal meat in the future, in terms of flavour, sustainability, health, productivity and price”.

    Planted began the strategic expansion of its production capacity at Kemptthal this spring via a state-of-the-art fermentation plant, and this effort will now continue at the new site in Germany.

    For the Memmingen factory, Planted has partnered with green infrastructure firm Alois Müller Group. It will be entirely free of fossil fuels and “almost completely” carbon-neutral, making use of a well cooling system, regionally generated district heating from wood burning, and photovoltaics to ensure all energy at the plant comes from renewable sources.

    “We are proud to be one of the few innovators of plant-based meat who covers as many steps as possible in the value chain – from research and development to industrial production,” said Böni.

    “This depth of value creation allows us to develop our vision of ‘better proteins’ even more strongly and will be implemented at the new plant in Memmingen, for example, when it comes to green technology and sustainable production.”

    The company noted that the Kemptthal facility will continue to “maintain its production and importance”, particularly for local consumers in Switzerland, where it is the market leader.

    Planted bets on Germany’s growing appetite for plant-based meat

    plant based meat germany
    Courtesy: Planted

    Planted’s whole-muscle steak is made from soy protein, rapeseed oil, bean and rice flours, and a blend of microbial cultures, and leverages a solid-state fermentation process that lasts 30 to 40 hours. It’s a departure from the high-moisture extrusion it uses to make its plant-based meat products like chicken, kebabs, duck and pulled pork.

    The development of the steak was facilitated by a $2.3M injection by state-backed innovation agency Innosuisse, as part of the Swiss Accelerator Program. The company has secured $131M in total funding to date, helping it breach over 8,000 foodservice and 8,700 retail locations across Europe.

    “Our goal is to quickly bring innovative products from our fermentation platform to the market – in particular the Planted steak, which currently uses our most advanced and disruptive fermentation technology in terms of scalability, flavour and product quality,” said Böni.

    “The investment in the additional production site enables us to meet the rapidly growing market demand and produce even closer to our German consumers,” Böni added. In Germany, the company is one of the top 10 best-selling meat analogue makers.

    The production of each Planted steak produces 97% fewer emissions and requires 81% less water per kg than conventional beef. At the new factory in Memmingen, this will bring savings equivalent to the annual emissions of half the city’s residents.

    Germany is Europe’s leading vegan market in terms of sales, with the sector growing in value by 42% since 2022. In 2023, production of plant-based meat expanded by 17% from the year before amid increasing consumer demand for these analogues. A survey earlier this year revealed that 30% of Germans want to eat more plant-based meat in the next couple of years, just as meat consumption fell to record lows in 2023.

    In March, Germany updated its dietary guidelines to recommend slashing meat consumption by half and making 75% of diets plant-based. Only two months later, the German Nutrition Society doubled down on this by acknowledging that veganism is a “health-promoting diet” with proper supplementation.

    Moreover, Germany’s government allocated €38M in its 2024 budget to promote alternative protein consumption and a switch to plant-based farming, as well as open a Proteins of the Future centre.

    The post For Its New Factory, Planted Zeroes in On Germany’s Leading Plant-Based Market appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Vegan Domino’s, Plant-Based Dairylea & A KitKat Copycat

    fry's formable meat
    4 Mins Read

    In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Fry’s Family Foods’ formable mince, Domino’s vegan cheese collaboration in Australia, and upcycled food startup Reduced’s Series A fundraise.

    New products and launches

    Fry’s Family Foods has launched what it says is the UK plant-based industry’s first ‘formable’ mince. The Shape and Sizzle SKU can be made into meatballs, koftas, burgers and sausages, and is available at Tesco for £2.50 per 300g.

    Mondelēz International has released a plant-based version of its Dairylea cheese Dunkers in Morrisons in the UK, with the garlic- and onion-flavoured crunchy tubes now accompanied by a coconut- and oat-based cheese dip.

    Mycoprotein giant Quorn has rolled out a new foodservice menu solutions department called QuornPro, launching through a partnership with Good It’s Gluten Free to include gluten-free meals in foodservice.

    Also in the UK, vegan chocolate brand Buttermilk has introduced the Choccy Wafer Bar, a dairy- and gluten-free replica of KitKat Chunky made from rice. It’s available online and at Sainsbury’s for £1.70.

    vegan kitkat chunky
    Courtesy: Buttermilk

    Speaking of replicating famous chocolates, fellow British brand NOMO has released a vegan coconut-chocolate bar in the style of Mars’ popular Bounty offering.

    Canada’s Else Nutrition has rolled out vegan Ready-to-Drink Kids Shakes in chocolate and vanilla flavours at 19 Bristol Farms locations in Southern California. Suitable for ages two to 13, they’re made from a base of almond butter and buckwheat flour.

    Icelandic brand Good Good has launched a vegan lemon curd with no added sugar in the US, which is available on its website and on Amazon for $9.99 per 330g jar.

    domino's vegan
    Courtesy: Made With Plants/Domino’

    And in Australia, Domino’s has partnered with local startup Made With Plants to introduce vegan and gluten-free mozzarella cheese for its plant-based pizzas.

    Finance and company developments

    Swedish precision fermentation startup Melt&Marble has achieved a manufacturing milestone, completing a demo-scale production of 10,000 litres of fermentation for its animal-free fat.

    Swedish agrifood company Lantmännen has poured in 1.2 billion Swedish kronor ($116M) towards a new plant protein factory in Lidköping, which will be able to produce 7,000 tonnes of concentrated protein from peas and fava beans annually.

    future food quick bites
    Courtesy: Martin Kaufmann/Reduced

    Also in the Nordics, Copenhagen-based food waste startup Reduced, which creates upcycled food ingredients, has announced the second closing of its Series A funding round, which now totals €8M ($8.8M).

    The Climate Bonds Standard, a certification scheme for green debt instruments, has added alternative proteins to its criteria to help drive investment into the sector.

    Artisanal vegan cheesemaker Climax Foods has secured bridge funding from existing investors to extend its runway for the rest of the year, after a challenging few months that has seen a majority of employees furloughed, given unpaid leave, or take voluntary salary cuts.

    climax blue cheese
    Courtesy: Climax Foods

    In England, the Stroud Farmers’ Market has closed its monthly vegan market, citing a lack of footfall and decreasing stalls each month.

    Policy, research and awards

    South Korea’s TissenBioFarm has received the Cultured Meat Product of the Year honour at the 2024 AgTech Breakthrough Awards for its marbled cultivated steak.

    cultivated meat regulatory approval
    Courtesy: TissenBioFarm

    In India, 69% of consumers find plant-based proteins to be as effective as meat, according to a survey by Wonderful Pistachios.

    The Newcastle City Council in the UK has introduced a trial to generate renewable energy and fertilisers from food waste. Households will receive two new containers and caddy bags for food waste, which will then be recycled.

    Another local government in the UK, the Nottingham City Council, has announced it will only serve vegan food and drinks at internal meetings from the end of September.

    oshi vegan salmon
    Courtesy: Oshi

    Finally, Israeli alt-seafood player Oshi has received its trademark in the US, weeks after partnering with Lewis Hamilton-backed vegan chain Neat. It recently relocated production to California, spotting a bigger market for its plant-based fish in the US.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Vegan Domino’s, Plant-Based Dairylea & A KitKat Copycat appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Food Tech Funding ‘Bouncing Back’, But Investor Doubts on Alternative Proteins Still Persist

    mosa meat funding
    5 Mins Read

    As inflation eases, food tech investments are showing signs of recovery, but companies within the alternative protein ecosystem are treading different paths.

    While food tech venture capital dipped by 48% in 2023 (reaching $15.3B), investor interest in this sector is bouncing back, according to a new report by French strategy consultants DigitalFoodLab.

    In the first half of 2024, food tech startups already attracted $7.9B – just over 50% of the 2023 total, indicating that the industry is no longer suffering from the funding declines of the last two years.

    “The slight bounce back that we observed in the first half of the year is mostly due to a handful of larger deals in delivery startups,” says Matthieu Vincent, co-founder and partner at DigitalFoodLab. “At the end of the day, it shows that there is renewed trust in this ecosystem (delivery) as inflation is slowing down.”

    food tech investments 2024
    Courtesy: DigitalFoodLab

    Despite early-stage investments remaining strong in 2022 and 2023, the first six months of this year saw seed funding rounds fall dramatically from $2B in 2023 to less than $700,000. The wave of food tech financing driven by late-stage deals – at $3B, Series D+ and private equity deals nearly matched last year’s total of $3.3B.

    “This is only a point of attention, but it could become worrying if it continues, as early-stage investments are fundamental in developing a healthy ecosystem,” the report notes.

    Alternative proteins charting different courses

    digitalfoodlab report
    Courtesy: DigitalFoodLab

    After the 2020-21 peak, when funding was at record levels, inflationary concerns and high interest rates combined to lower investor interest. But now, as the situation normalises, investment activity has reached a “new plateau”.

    While delivery is still king, upstream and midstream technologies are taking centre stage. This includes AgTech and Food Science startups (the latter comprises alternative proteins and new food products) – and there has also been a surge in collaborations between companies in these two segments.

    Food Science players made up 28% of the industry’s investments last year, reaching $4.7B. In the first half of 2024, these startups have already raised $2B, thanks to large rounds like Meati‘s $100M Series C and Perfect Day‘s $90M pre-Series E.

    Investments into brands showcasing new food and drink products are helping the overall category, but “there is a wave of doubts about the ability of alternative protein startups to deliver results in the short term”, according to the report.

    Vincent explains that the alternative protein ecosystem is encompassing three “increasingly different paths”. For brands making plant-based analogues, sales have decreased despite consolidation in the category. “We can’t have a call with an investor without hearing: ‘We don’t want to look at that space,’” says Vincent.

    “However, we still feel optimistic about this space and expect that as inflation decreases, consumers will go back to experiment with these products, but maybe not before mid-2025.”

    Then there are the companies dealing with precision fermentation or cultivated meat. “Doubts are still running high on the ability of the startups to ever reach price parity, and more importantly on their ability to fund their scale-up (or build the facilities),” Vincent explains.

    But on the positive side, functional ingredient makers – innovating with sugar, fats, egg proteins, and more – are enjoying sustained interest. “This category is actually doing really well with increased investment, lots of partnerships with large companies and a significant appetite from investors,” says Vincent.

    “That’s why we see more and more startups rebranding themselves from ‘protein producer’ to ‘specialty or functional ingredient manufacturer’,” he adds.

    Investors eye Europe as Asia suffers

    food tech investments
    Courtesy: DigitalFoodLab

    No region was spared from the investment declines over the last couple of years, but this year, Europe is surging forward. According to the report, the region was “slightly less affected” by the challenges.

    This builds on previous research focused on climate-centric food tech companies, which found that Europe overtook the US in funding for the first time last year, making up 58% of global investments. This is also seen in the alternative protein world – Europe has accounted for 48% of all venture capital in this space in the first half of 2024.

    “Europe had been ignored for some time, maybe due to the old continent being slow to structure its innovation ecosystem (incubators, business angels, etc.),” says Vincent. But the emergence of large delivery startups with an international focus has “definitely helped put the continent on the global food tech map”.

    Meanwhile, despite India receiving the second-largest sum of money between the start of 2023 and the first half of 2024 (behind only the US), Asia – once the leader in food tech investments – is witnessing a decline in its share of funding.

    Vincent ascribes this to two factors: a strong decline in delivery investments, where Asian (and specifically Chinese) startups were among the first to raise huge amounts of money; and “doubts from foreign investors about their ability to invest in China”. He adds: “We should note that there are many bright spots in Asia, from Singapore to Indonesia.”

    Despite the global trends this year, Vincent is exercising caution. “We expect the same levels of investments, maybe slightly lower, due to the current economic and political situation,” he says. “However, we expect a visible bounce back for 2025.”

    According to the report, this revival will begin in the US and eventually materialise in Europe, though the speed of movement will be slow as the number of “fundable startups” has decreased and investors have upped their requirements. “We may have to wait for 2026 (at least) to see a substantial uptick where we could come back to the levels of funding of 2020,” the report says.

    The post Food Tech Funding ‘Bouncing Back’, But Investor Doubts on Alternative Proteins Still Persist appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Beyond Meat: Why Alt-Meat Maker is Going Beyond Plant-Based to Embrace Mycelium for Clean-Label Steak

    beyond meat mycelium
    6 Mins Read

    Beyond Meat will soon launch a fermentation-derived mycelium steak to address consumer demand for clean-label products, with a likely launch through a health-focused restaurant chain.

    One of the world’s most famous meat analogue makers is turning to fungi to attract health-conscious consumers and revitalise its faltering sales.

    As misinformation about the health impacts of plant-based meat takes hold of consumer wallets – with messaging around ultra-processing and long ingredient lists particularly successful – Beyond Meat is responding by venturing into an entirely new product category.

    The Californian company will roll out a clean-label, whole-muscle steak product made from mycelium, which will likely be launched via a partnership with a restaurant chain known for serving healthy food, according to CNBC, which first reported the news.

    Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown said he imagined the mycelium steak as an alternative to chicken, a salad topping, and a burrito filling. “The focus on this has been a very small number of ingredients, very high protein, very low saturated fat,” he explained.

    The company is also introducing a reformulated version of its chicken analogue, in line with the recent health-forward changes made to its beef and sausage ranges. While the company looks to turn around its fortunes – having suffered nine consecutive quarters of year-on-year revenue declines – Brown confirmed to CNBC that the vegan pioneer isn’t open to an acquisition.

    Latest example of Beyond Meat’s health spotlight

    beyond steak
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    Beyond Meat’s move into mycelium is a surprise pivot, but there have been signs all along. Ever since the company switched its marketing focus from planetary to human health, it has dug deep into R&D to come out with products better suited to what consumers want today.

    And what they’re asking for are foods with shorter ingredient lists and better health credentials. Research shows that clean-label and natural ingredients were the factors that gained the most importance for CPG purchases between 2020 and 2022. And after the brand itself, the most important on-pack details driving food purchases are the ingredient list, ingredient claims, nutritional information, and health claims.

    Beyond Meat based an entire marketing campaign on the heart-healthy certification of its existing Beyond Steak portfolio by the American Heart Association (AHA) last year. This has since extended to its Beef Lite and Beef Crumbles.

    The company also unveiled a major recipe change for its flagship beef and burger as part of the Beyond IV platform, which swapped coconut and canola oils for avocado fat, and added fava beans and red lentils to the ingredient list. Compared to its predecessor, the new Beyond Burger features 60% less saturated fat, 20% less sodium, and 20% more calcium per serving.

    beyond meat ingredients
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    So diving headfirst into health has been intentional: after all, 55% of Americans eat meatless diets out of health concerns. Polling shows that health is also the most important driver of plant-based meat consumption in the country.

    This is also why Beyond Meat debuted a new kind of sausage – one that isn’t meant to replicate meat, a first for the company. The Sun Sausage lineup is comprised of vegetables, grains and pulses, and contains 46% less fat (and 70% less saturated fat) than the pork-imitating Beyond Sausages, and that’s after the latter was revamped to the Beyond IV standard.

    Mycelium, meanwhile, is low in fat and high in fibre (a nutrient Americans are underconsuming), and has 20-30% of protein content in dry matter, alongside all essential amino acids. It’s also a source of essential micronutrients like iron, zinc and vitamin B12, which are typically found in animal-sourced foods. A three-week early intervention trial has suggested that 190g of mycelium per day can lower LDL cholesterol by 21% on average versus animal protein.

    Brown encapsulated the health strategy to investors in the Q2 earnings call, saying: “I believe it will be arguable whether Beyond Meat is, at its core, a plant-based meat company that delivers health and wellness, or a health and wellness company that makes plant-based meat.”

    Beyond Meat moves into attractive mycelium market

    alternative protein investment
    Courtesy: GFI

    Fermentation-derived proteins are the talk of the alternative protein industry right now. There are a host of companies working on mycelium meat alone, including The Better Meat Co, Prime Roots, Libre Foods, Mush Foods, and Meati. So Beyond Meat is entering a highly competitive mycelium market, which was valued at $3B last year.

    Fermentation has also represented the bulk of investor interest in alternative proteins this year. While plant-based proteins and cultivated meat have been slow to recover from last year’s funding slump, fermentation startups have brought in $398M in the first half of this year, an amount three times higher than the former two sectors. This is also only $45M short of the segment’s 2023 total.

    Investors’ waning interest in the market also coincided with a sales decline, with Americans spending 19% less money on refrigerated meat analogues in the 52 weeks to May 19, compared to the same period a year ago.

    Beyond Meat, which accounts for a 7% share in refrigerated meat analogue sales in the US, suffered simultaneously. To enable a turnabout, it withdrew its poor-selling jerky line, brought production in-house, and hiked the prices of its products. The result? A 23% sales increase, a 10-point gross margin improvement, and 40% lower operating expenses from Q1 to Q2 this year.

    So the higher markups are showing signs of working for the business, although whether it continues to attract consumers, only time will tell. Research has shown that cost is the biggest detractor of plant-based meat consumption in the US, driving away 53% of Americans.

    plant based consumer survey
    Courtesy: 84.51°

    At the same time, around half of global consumers say they’d pay more for clean-label products, prompting products like Elmhurst 1925’s single-ingredient TerraMeat chicken and Nosh.bio’s upcoming Koji Chunks, also made from just one (fermented) ingredient).

    Despite doing well in Europe, Beyond Meat’s partnership with McDonald’s, which saw the fast-food giant sell its alt-beef patty in the McPlant burger, has failed to live up to expectations in the US. So partnering with a health-focused restaurant chain to launch its mycelium steak represents a concerted effort to revive its foodservice performance, where sales dipped by 19% in Q2 2024, compared to the same period in 2023.

    “Our strategy today is to offer a somewhat more premium product, and that’s generating the restoration margins,” Brown told CNBC about the company’s recent moves. “It’s clear messaging around health. So it’s not a direct route, it’s not linear, but we’ll get there.”

    The post Beyond Meat: Why Alt-Meat Maker is Going Beyond Plant-Based to Embrace Mycelium for Clean-Label Steak appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Bezos Earth Funds Opens Third Alternative Protein Centre at National University of Singapore

    bezos earth fund singapore
    8 Mins Read

    The Bezos Earth Fund has inaugurated its third Centre for Sustainable Protein at the National University of Singapore, labelled as an “absolute powerhouse” of alternative proteins.

    Biomass fermentation, microalgae innovations, and hybrid meats are all on the menu at Bezos Earth Fund’s latest Centre for Sustainable Protein.

    The third of its kind, this site was always going to be in Asia, as reported by Green Queen in June. And today, the fund inaugurated the research hub at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

    “The decision to do this in Singapore was a simple one,” Andy Jarvis, director of Bezos Earth Fund’s $1B Future of Food initiative, tells Green Queen. “Singapore is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to alternative proteins – it was way ahead of so many other countries in the world.”

    “The government has made the strategic decision to focus on this and [has] invested. You have an incredibly dynamic innovation ecosystem on alternative proteins, and you had the government take the lead in regulating cultivated meat two years before the rest of the year of the world,” he adds.

    It follows the establishment of its sister centres at North Carolina State University in May and Imperial College London in June. Like the other two hubs, the Singapore Centre for Sustainable Protein has been set up with a $30M investment, as part of a total commitment of $100M for alternative proteins. The remaining $10M will go towards an ancillary grant.

    bezos earth fund center for sustainable protein
    Courtesy: Rocío Lower/Bezos Earth Fund

    The Singapore Centre for Sustainable Protein will primarily focus on microalgae and biomass fermentation, alongside research into cultivated meat and plant-based tech, with a view to creating what the fund calls “ultimate proteins”: hybrid meats that combine cultivated cells with plant- and fermentation-derived ingredients to match conventional proteins on taste, price and nutrition.

    The hub at NUS – a top 10 university globally – will also integrate cross-cutting platforms covering nutrition science, safety, and consumer acceptance in its research.

    “The decision particularly to fund the NUS was through a process where we invited a number of proposals from a number of different institutions, and those were evaluated,” says Jarvis. “We went in total around the world to 14 different universities, and we felt this proposal from the National University of Singapore’s absolutely first class.”

    Nutrition and consumer research at the forefront

    bezos centre for sustainable protein
    Courtesy: NUS FST

    Bezos Earth Fund’s latest alternative protein centre will zero in on regional preferences and battle food insecurity – globally, nearly 10% of people go hungry every day – amidst a population that will number 10 billion by 2050.

    To do so, it will work closely with industry, government and academic partners. One of these is alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI), which played a key role in helping the fund develop its vision for the alternative protein centres.

    “By connecting Singapore’s brightest scientific minds with their counterparts in other global innovation hubs, the Bezos Centre at NUS has the capacity to fully unlock the enormous economic and ecological potential of sustainable proteins,” said Mirte Gosker, managing director of GFI APAC.

    The NUS centre aims to conduct clinical trials to evaluate the metabolic and health benefits of alternative proteins, particularly in Asian populations. Researchers will also develop cell- and computer-based technologies to explore these foods’ effect on humans, with the ultimate aim of building a next-generation risk assessment framework in collaboration with regulators and industry stakeholders.

    bezos earth fund
    Courtesy: Rocío Lower/Bezos Earth Fund

    Consumer acceptance is another key aim, spanning risk communication and behavioural research to help encourage the adoption of sustainable proteins. The centre will analyse methods to incorporate scientific rigour in public communications on novel foods, understand the current demand for these proteins, and amp up their preference over conventional meat.

    “NUS and the Bezos Earth Fund are united by a shared commitment to actively combat climate change. The world’s growing appetite for meat has put a huge strain on our global food system, and we need to develop sustainable food solutions with researchers, government and industry,” said NUS president Tan Eng Chye.

    Sir Andrew Steer, president of the Bezos Earth Fund, stated that Asia is “pivotal to the future of sustainable proteins”, and Singapore leads the way: “The new Centre at NUS harnesses the region’s influence and expertise to drive solutions that can reshape food systems globally, with significant potential impact for East and South-East Asia’s 2.3 billion consumers.”

    Biomass fermentation and hybrid meat research go hand-in-hand

    centre for sustainable protein singapore
    Courtesy: NUS FST

    Asked why biomass fermentation is a central focus area, Jarvis says it’s an area that represents “enormous opportunity”, since it often uses biomass sourced from food industry sidestreams. “It has the promise to be an incredibly cost-effective way of producing high-quality proteins for this market,” he notes.

    One example of this promise is the NUS hub’s research on using soy whey from tofu waste to feed algae and create proteins. “It’s a fascinating idea,” says Jarvis. “How can we use a byproduct from tofu – that liquid – and then use particular strains of microalgae that can make use of that liquid and produce a high-quality protein?

    “The university has been looking at this and is ahead of the game. They have some strains that they believe are really promising and the work of the centre will really go in and comprehensively analyse those processes.

    “The idea, as with all of these Bezos Centres for Sustainable Protein, is to make this research and this knowledge open-access, and then any company or startup can take that knowledge and process, and put it into products they take to market.”

    hybrid meat
    Hybrid meat skewers with cultivated pork | Courtesy: Ants Innovate

    But this is among a number of other things the centre is doing. “We’re not only focused on biomass fermentation – that alone is unlikely to solve all of these problems,” explains Jarvis. This is why the centre will look into creating microbial proteins that can be further developed into hybrid meat, combining them with plant and/or cultivated proteins to enhance their taste, affordability and health credentials.

    “Hybrid proteins, I think, are important more and more,” says Jarvis, echoing what many investors feel. “We’re seeing you can reach cost parity when you develop these hybrid proteins, and so that will be an additional focus.”

    It’s why the hub will explore cost-effective methods to produce cultivated meat in the kgs for hybrid applications, as well as extract specific plant-based proteins from industry sidestreams to use as cultivated meat scaffolds or be turned into meat analogues via 3D printing and other technologies.

    “I don’t think it’s kind of one over the other,” Jarvis says. “Let’s look at biomass fermentation, and let’s look at how those also combine with other types of sources of protein – cultivated and plant-based – to boost those products.”

    Asia ‘absolutely critical’ for alternative proteins

    bezos earth fund sustainable protein
    Zhou Weibiao, head of the NUS Department of Food Science and Technology | Courtesy: NUS FST

    There are 23 principal investigators who will lead research at the new Centre for Sustainable Protein, from institutions including NUS, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Institute of Technology, and ETH Zurich.

    They will also focus on talent development via education schemes, and venture-building programmes at NUS Enterprise, which will translate research into practical solutions. Doing so will help accelerate the adoption of alternative proteins across Asia-Pacific.

    Zhou Weibiao, head of NUS’s food science and tech department, said the university is well-positioned to host the new Centre, thanks to its extensive research expertise, strong alternative protein partnerships, and its deep understanding of areas like nutrition, safety, and consumer perceptions.

    The first two hubs at NC State and Imperial received co-funding from a range of partners – for example, in addition to the $30M poured in by the Bezos Earth Fund, the London centre benefitted from another $20M from the university as well as other organisations and companies.

    “We’re also looking for co-funding and co-investment from the ecosystem itself here in Singapore,” reveals Jarvis. “It’s no exception, and we continue to dialogue about how to maximise this so that the centre has real buy-in both from within Singapore and around the ecosystem.”

    singapore blue zone
    Courtesy: Timo Volz/Pexels

    In a wide-ranging interview with Green Queen in June, Jarvis had outlined the intention to make all three centres complementary to each other. Expanding on that, he says the idea is to cover many parts of the industry’s challenges and “complete the puzzle of what’s needed to make alternative proteins much better as a technology”.

    NC State had a biomanufacturing focus, while Imperial looked at engineering biology. NUS’s spotlight on biomass fermentation and hybrid proteins aligns with its sister sites, according to Jarvis.

    “It’s also geographically complementary here in Asia. Asia is an absolutely critical market for alternative proteins,” he adds, echoing Steer’s point about East and Southeast Asia being home to 2.3 billion people, making them the two most populous regions in the world.

    “This is where we are seeing enormous growth in the demand for animal-sourced foods,” says Jarvis. “What happens in Asia has global implications, and so having a centre based in Singapore is also very complementary and very important as a geographic hub.”

    The post Bezos Earth Funds Opens Third Alternative Protein Centre at National University of Singapore appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Smoked Garlic Butter, Plant-Based Tikkas & A Mushroom Farm

    flora smoked garlic butter

    3 Mins Read

    In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers a first-of-its-kind alt-butter, the popularity of Silk plant-based milk, and the transformation of a former chicken farm.

    Dutch CPG giant Upfield has expanded its Flora Plant B+tter range in the UK with a limited-edition Smoked Garlic-flavoured vegan block butter, which it describes as an “industry-first”. It will be available at 250 Sainsbury’s stores from September 29.

    Swiss plant-based meat pioneer Planted has announced it will showcase its vegan steak at SIAL Paris (October 19-23). The product will also into French foodservice and retail in the coming weeks.

    In the UK, vegan egg startup OGGS has rolled out a lemon loaf cake topped with aquafaba meringues. They’re available at Tesco and on Ocado.

    Doughnut chain Krispy Kreme has added three new flavours to its vegan range in the UK: Salted Caramel Sensation, Blueberry Bubble Bliss and Cinnamon Swirl.

    gooddot plant based
    Courtesy: Bademiyan

    In India, Mumbai restaurant Bademiya has introduced a range of plant-based meat dishes using GoodDot‘s meat analogues. Menu highlights include Soya Bhuna Masala, Soya Kadhai, and Soya Chilli.

    Israel’s SimpliiGood has announced it will launch its spirulina-based smoked salmon in Europe early next year, featuring 40% protein and fewer than 10 ingredients.

    And Sigma-owned meat analogue brand Better Balance has launched its new pea-protein-based Better Dog at all 27 Gelson’s Markets locations across Los Angeles County.

    Company and finance updates

    After Swedish mycoprotein producer Mycorena was rescued from bankruptcy by Nalpasol, there were questions about what this would mean for its employees. Mycorena founder and CEO Ram Nair has now confirmed that he has left the company.

    mycorena bankruptcy
    Courtesy: Mycorena

    ProVeg International has launched its Food Innovation Challenge for students in Asia to develop an innovative plant-based food product for the Asia-Pacific market. Winners will get a portion of the $10,000 prize money and the chance to partner with brands like Beyond Meat, Mars, Unilever and Monde Nissin.

    Scottish food tech startup Nandi Proteins, which is developing an egg white replacer for gluten-free bakes and mycoprotein-based meat alternatives, has attracted €500,000 via a convertible loan, with participation from state investors like UK social innovation agency Nesta and Scottish Enterprise. This comes ahead of a £1M equity funding expected to close later this year.

    Research and manufacturing developments

    Derek Sarno, co-founder of Wicked Kitchen, has converted a chicken farm in Norfolk, England to a sustainable mushroom farm, in collaboration with The Little Mushroom Co. and Smithy Mushrooms.

    The world’s largest dairy producer is also the world’s largest alt-dairy consumer, according to Statista. Nearly a third (32%) of Indians regularly drink oat milk and eat almond yoghurts – followed by Thais and Emiratis (both 29%).

    most popular plant based milk
    Courtesy: Statista

    Statista also found that Silk is the leading milk alternative in the US, with 34% of Americans having tried it, followed by Almond Breeze (30%). These two are also the most likely to make people come back for more, with 86% saying they’d purchase Silk again, and 84% saying so for Almond Breeze.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Smoked Garlic Butter, Plant-Based Tikkas & A Mushroom Farm appeared first on Green Queen.

  • 21st.Bio Earns Self-Affirmed GRAS Status in US for Precision-Fermented Whey Protein

    21st bio precision fermentation
    6 Mins Read

    Danish bioproduction company 21st.Bio has secured self-determined GRAS status for its animal-free beta-lactoglobulin in the US, paving the way for market entry.

    Labelling itself as a “launchpad for proteins produced with precision fermentation”, 21st.Bio’s recombinant whey protein is entering the US market, following its self-affirmed Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) in the US.

    The Danish company’s animal-free beta-lactoglobulin, called BLG Essential+, has already attracted “considerable” interest from food producers in the country, which can now start selling products made from the ingredient.

    “We have experience in the GRAS process and our technology has a strong track record of being safe. Therefore, we know what is expected to deliver a safe product and make proper documentation,” 21st.Bio co-founder and CEO Thomas Schmidt tells Green Queen.

    “We appreciate that the GRAS process is transparent and allows for an informed and constructive dialogue. Following the self-affirmation, 21st.Bio has submitted a GRAS notification,” he adds.

    21st bio gras
    Courtesy: 21st.Bio

    Notifying the Food and Drug Administration is seen as a longer process that involves extensive reviews by the agency and is seen as an even more robust form of approval – but self-determination entails compliance with FDA requirements, so businesses can still sell their product.

    Schmidt outlines 21st.Bio’s ambition to help clients with application, business development, low-cost production, and innovation. It does so by derisking product development and supporting customers with strain development, fermentation processes, purification protocols, pilot production, upscaling guidance, as well as regulatory approvals.

    A technology with decades of development

    Founded in 2020 by Schmidt and CSO Per Falholt, 21st.Bio licences part of its precision fermentation technology from biosolutions giant Novonesis (formerly Novozymes).

    “We have an exclusive license to probably the world’s most advanced expression technology developed through decades by Novozymes,” explains Falholt. “Our strains have been optimised for over 40 years and are already used to manufacture countless products for the market, particularly in the food industry.”

    “For beta-lactoglobulin, we have optimised a filamentous fungus from our technology platform that results in very high titers of the protein. We believe that this will be the winner in the market. Today, we continuously improve our production strains and processes, ensuring the highest possible titers for our customers to stay ahead of the market [in the] long term,” he adds.

    21st.Bio, which opened a pilot plant in Copenhagen with a fermentation capacity of 3,000 litres, has leveraged these capabilities to go from the initial development of its strain and production process to regulatory approval in less than two years.

    precision fermentation whey
    Courtesy: 21st.Bio

    Its unique business model involves offering its technology to companies, which can manufacture the protein and develop products for the market. The BLG Essential+ ingredient can be produced via a “relatively standard fermentation process”, followed by “some simple filtration and polishing steps”, according to Schmidt.

    “21st.Bio supports our customers to get the protein to large-scale production by using our highly performing production strains, the production and downstream processes we have developed, and receiving guidance to take their production to an industrial scale,” says Schmidt.

    “In parallel, 21st.Bio continues to optimise both the strain and the processes. In that way, we make sure that our customers are always at the forefront of the market – cost and quality-wise. And we let our customers focus on effective protein manufacturing and developing tasty products filled with high-quality nutrition.”

    Betting on beta-lactoglobulin’s health and functional properties

    Beta-lactoglobulin is the major whey protein found in cow’s and sheep’s milk, comprising 65% of dairy’s whey content. It is said to be nutritionally superior to most proteins, and has gelling, foaming and emulsification properties that improve the mouthfeel and texture of a range of food and beverage applications.

    Several precision fermentation companies are choosing to focus on this protein, including Californian pioneer Perfect Day, Israel’s Remilk and Imagindairy, as well as Dutch startup Vivici. The former three have all received a ‘no questions’ letter from the FDA, and Vivici is expecting one by the end of the year too.

    Beta-lactoglobulin contains a larger amount of essential and branched-chain amino acids than other whey proteins. For example, it has 45% more leucine – an important element for muscle synthesis – than commercially available whey protein isolates.

    The protein is also tasteless, stable across a wide pH range, and heat-tolerant. 21st.Bio expects BLG Essential+ to be incorporated into foods like dairy alternatives and baked goods, as well as nutrition products for sports, weight management, and clinical and elderly health.

    21st bio
    Courtesy: 21st.Bio

    “Our product can be in powder form and liquid, depending on the application,” notes Schmidt. “Some manufacturers may choose to use the concentrated liquid protein directly in their nutritious formulations, as the protein is very soluble and has broad flexibility in product formulations. Some may need the protein in powder form for their solid or powder formulations.”

    21st.Bio is helping its clients scale up production to full-scale manufacturing. While it isn’t disclosing its partners, Schmidt says several companies are engaged in its beta-lactoglobulin development programme. “Our customers can span from food tech startups, to food ingredient manufacturers, dairy companies, and food and beverage manufacturers,” he adds.

    Asked about the protein’s costs, Schmidt explains that the fermentation tech his company offers hasn’t previously been used to produce bulk proteins. “The technology has been developed over decades and optimized in a way that enables us at 21st.Bio to deliver high productivity much faster than competitors,” he says.

    “That is how we empower our customers to lead the cost curve when they manufacture with our technology. We deliver better results faster – and continue to optimise and release improved versions to our customers.”

    Sustainability and investments deliver wins for fermentation

    21st.BIO is concurrently working on many different projects with customers in nutrition, biomaterial, agriculture, and even biomining sectors, but BLG Essential+ is the first food protein from a larger portfolio of ingredients it intends to bring to market.

    “In food, in addition to beta-lactoglobulin, we are looking into developing precision fermentation production technology for a portfolio of dairy proteins, including caseins,” says Falholt. “We are also working on several other innovations via our customer-exclusive development projects, working for one specific customer.”

    Touching upon life-cycle assessments (LCA) for its protein, Schmidt says these are better done by the clients who manufacture the whey with its production tech, in order to “encompass the full process”.

    “Fermentation technology has already in several studies shown to be far more efficient than animal production, both in terms of CO2 emissions, water, energy and land use,” he notes. For example, an independent LCA of Perfect Day’s beta-lactoglobulin found that it produces up to 97% fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, uses up to 99% less water, and requires 29-60% less energy than conventional whey.

    21st bio whey protein
    Courtesy: 21st.Bio

    “Further, there is a massive potential for further optimising the production processes in terms of re-usage of energy, biomass, etc., once one of few players is producing bulk protein with precision fermentation at a large scale. This is underway in several regions,” adds Schmidt.

    “We already have robust revenue on projects that will take customers to market with real products,” he says. “And we have further with this capital established our R&D sites in Davis, California and Denmark, including a pilot capacity with tanks up to 1,200 litres.”

    European fermentation startups are becoming increasingly attractive to investors, who poured more money into this sector in the first six months of 2024 than all of 2023. In 2021, Novo Holdings – the parent company of Novonesis (and Ozempic producer Novo Nordisk) – pledged to invest €86M $97M (at the time) in 21st.Bio, against an ownership share.

    “The next funding round will be used for further scaling the business globally, and solidifying our footprint across several industries that are in demand for products produced sustainably with biology,” says Schmidt.

    The post 21st.Bio Earns Self-Affirmed GRAS Status in US for Precision-Fermented Whey Protein appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • How An Ancient Mould Can Turn Food Waste Into Michelin-Starred Dishes

    fungi food waste
    7 Mins Read

    Researchers at UC Berkeley are betting on fungi strain Neurospora intermedia to turn food destined for the bins into haute cuisine.

    Who knew mould could be the secret to saving food waste?

    In a new research paper, that’s what scientists at UC Berkeley are proposing, arguing that food waste could be turned into gourmet meals fit for Michelin-starred restaurants through the use of fungi.

    In Copenhagen, for example, two-starred eatery Alchemist has been serving up orange mould grown on rice as a dessert, while at New York restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns (which also has two Michelin stars), you might soon order a burger made from mould grown on oat milk pulp, or a piece of mouldy bread that taste like a grilled cheese sandwich when fried.

    The mould in question is Neurospora intermedia, a multicellular fungi strain used for centuries in Indonesia to make oncom, a fermented plant protein derived from okara (the pulp leftover from soy milk production). The researchers are betting on its proven status as a staple food to highlight its potential to curb food waste in the West.

    food waste mold
    Courtesy: Patrick Farrell/UC Berkeley

    A third of all food is lost or wasted globally, resulting in up to 10% of global emissions – that’s five times higher than the entire aviation industry. “It isn’t just eggshells in your trash. It’s on an industrial scale,” said research lead Vayu Hill-Maini.

    “What happens to all the grain that was involved in the brewing process, all the oats that didn’t make it into the oat milk, the soybeans that didn’t make it into the soy milk? It’s thrown out.”

    A chef-turned-chemist, Hill-Maini has been collaborating with Blue Hill for the last two years to grow the fungus on grains and pulses. He has also been part of a research effort transforming koji mould into better-tasting meat analogues.

    From fungus to food in a day and a half

    Hill-Maini was introduced to oncom by a fellow chef from Indonesia. “This food is a beautiful example of how we can take waste, ferment it and make human food from it,” he recalled thinking. “So let’s learn from this example, study this process in detail, and maybe there [are] broader lessons we can draw about how to tackle the general challenge of food waste.”

    In West Java, there are two kinds of oncom. The red-coloured one is made from fermenting okara, and the black oncom is grown on the leftovers from peanut oil pressing. What caught Hill-Maini’s attention was that the fungi can transform indigestible plant material – such as pectin and cellulose – into digestible and nutritious food in under two days.

    He found that the fungus in red oncom is primarily Neurospora intermedia. “What was very clear is, wow, this fungus is probably dominant and maybe sufficient for making this food possible, growing on the cellulose-rich soy milk waste and making the food in 36 hours,” he said.

    “The fungus readily eats those things and in doing so makes this food and also more of itself, which increases the protein content. So you actually have a transformation in the nutritional value. You see a change in the flavour profile. Some of the off-flavours that are associated with soybeans disappear. And finally, some beneficial metabolites are produced in high amounts.”

    That said, it’s not just soy or oat milk pulp that this fungus can transform. The research revealed that Neurospora intermedia can grow on 30 different agricultural sidestreams without producing any toxins (which can accumulate in certain mushrooms and moulds).

    These byproducts include sugarcane pulp, tomato pomace, coffee grounds, almond skins and hulls, pineapple cores, banana peels, brewers’ spent grain, and wheat bran – though the level of growth on each waste product varies.

    food waste fermentation
    Courtesy: Nature Microbiology

    Chefs – and patrons – impressed by Neurospora

    Hill-Maini’s exploits inspired Blue Hill to install an incubator and tissue culture hood in its test kitchen this summer. this will enable the eatery to put more focus on fungal foods. Andrew Luzmore, chef in charge of special projects at Blue Hill, has tested many Neurospora experiments, but said his favourite is made from stale rice bread.

    “The most important thing – especially for me as a chef – is: ‘Is it tasty?’” said Hill-Maini. “If it doesn’t have sensory appeal, if people don’t perceive it positively outside of a very specific cultural context, then it might be a dead end.”

    He collaborated with Alchemist co-owner and head chef Rasmus Munk to present red oncom to 60 people who had never tried it before. “We found that, basically people who never tried this food before assigned it positive attributes – it was more earthy, nutty, mushroomy,” he recalled. “It consistently rated above six out of nine.”

    The team at Alchemist also grew the mould on peanuts, cashews and pine nuts, which too received positive feedback. Different substrates impart their own flavours – rice hulls or apple pomace lend fruity notes to the Nuerospora. “Its flavour is not polarising and intense like blue cheese. It’s a milder, savoury kind of umami earthiness,” explained Hill-Maini.

    food waste climate change
    Courtesy: Daniel Jensen/24Copenhagen

    Underlining this potential, Munk added a Neurospora dessert to the menu: it’s a plum wine jelly topped with unsweetened rice custard that’s inoculated with the mould and left to ferment for 60 hours. Served cold, it’s topped with a lime syrup made from roasted leftover live peel.

    When grown on starchy rice, the fungus secretes an enzyme that liquifies the rice and makes it intensely sweet. “We experienced that the process changed the aromas and flavours in quite a dramatic way — adding sweet, fruity aromas,” Munk said.

    “I found it mind-blowing to suddenly discover flavours like banana and pickled fruit without adding anything besides the fungi itself. Initially, we were thinking of creating a savoury dish, but the results made us decide to instead serve it as a dessert,” he added.

    Solving food waste through fermentation

    We’ve been fermenting food for millennia, but the technique has taken on increased interest from companies who are using it in novel ways and consumer looking for products that are better for their tastebuds, better for the climate, and/or better for their guts.

    The enthusiasm can be encapsulated by the hike in investor appeal – fermentation-derived food startups have surpassed the total capital they raised in 2023 within the first half of this year. In the latter period, the segment made up 57% of the total investment in the alternative protein sector.

    “In the last few years, I think, fungi and moulds have caught the public eye for their health and environmental benefits, but a lot less is known about the molecular processes that these fungi carry out to transform ingredients into food. Our discovery, I think, opens our eyes to these possibilities and unlocks further the potential of these fungi for planetary health and planetary sustainability,” said Hill-Maini.

    “This is a new tool in the chef’s toolbox,” he added. “It’s a new way of cooking, a new way of looking at food that hopefully makes it into solutions that could be relevant for the world.”

    Hill-Maini hopes to discover just how Neurospora produces the flavours and aromas it does, while continuing his efforts to take food out of the waste stream.

    neurospora intermedia
    Courtesy: Patrick Farrell/UC Berkeley

    “The reason why we have loved working with Vayu is because he embodies so much of where we are going as an organisation,” said Blue Hill’s Luzmore. He added that the restaurant is evolving into “a new type of research centre that treats the study of food and farming as one subject”, with an innovation sandbox in the works.

    Similarly, at Alchemist, Munk has opened a food innovation centre called Spora, which is initially focusing on upcycling food industry sidestreams and creating diverse protein sources.

    “We have said from the start that Alchemist’s ambition is to change the world through gastronomy, and this project has that kind of potential. I am very excited to see what other culinary applications this research can lead to in the future and using other waste products from the food industry,” Munk said.

    According to climate non-profit Project Drawdown, reducing food waste is the top climate solution to reduce emissions in line for a 2°C future – the hopes of keeping temperature rises to 1.5°C are slimming by the day. Estimates also suggest that we could feed a quarter of the world’s population (two billion people) with all the food that’s wasted and lost.

    The post How An Ancient Mould Can Turn Food Waste Into Michelin-Starred Dishes appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Solar Foods Earns Self-Affirmed GRAS Status in the US for Solein CO2 Protein

    solar foods us gras
    5 Mins Read

    Finland’s Solar Foods, which makes Solein protein from air, has obtained self-affirmed GRAS status in the US, taking it a step closer to commercialisation in the country.

    Solar Foods is inching closer to bringing its Solein protein to market in the US, after earning self-determined Generally Recognized as Safe (SAFE) status.

    The Finnish startup’s fermentation-derived ingredient is made by feeding microbes on carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen (instead of sugar). The orange-yellow powder can be used in products from meat, dairy and egg alternatives to pasta and beverages.

    Following the GRAS determination, the company now need to register its production facility in Vantaa, Finland – called Factory 01 – with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This would enable it to begin exporting its protein to the US, something it suggests could happen by the end of this year.

    ”Obtaining self-affirmed GRAS status is the first step towards entering the United States,” said Solar Foods chief commercial officer Juan Benitez-Garcia. “We will shortly be able to launch commercial activities in this significant new market, including marketing and sales operations, and drive our growth.”

    The company will also endeavour to notify the FDA of its GRAS determination, with the aim of receiving a “no questions” letter. Its Solein protein is already on the market in Singapore, which approved the ingredient back in 2022.

    Why Solar Foods will notify the FDA of its GRAS determination

    solein protein
    Courtesy: Solar Foods

    Since Solein is considered a novel food – much like the precision-fermented heme ingredient in the Impossible Burger, or any cultivated meat – it needs to go through a regulatory testing process before it can be sold as part of food and beverage formulations.

    For the self-affirmed GRAS status, Solar Foods conducted large-scale scientific research and published food-safety-related results in peer-reviewed journals. A qualified panel of experts have additionally compiled a statement on Solein’s safety and intended use based on the determined food categories and ingredient concentrations.

    The next step – facility registration with the FDA – requires the company to present a food safety plan fulfilling the specific requirements and any other applicable requirements. This would allow it to market Solein in the US. Based on the company’s timeline, we could see products made from Solein protein in the US as early as next year.

    After that, the startup will look to obtain the “no questions” letter from the FDA, for which it is required to make a notification with necessary reports on the safety of the product, which would be evaluated by the food safety body.

    There are multiple reasons to do this. Self-affirmed GRAS determination doesn’t legally require FDA review, meaning companies aren’t required to disclose safety data publicly, helping maintain confidentiality around proprietary information and trade secrets.

    It’s an easier, cheaper and faster way to commercialise. But it does mean companies are making their own safety assessments independently from the FDA (while complying with its requirements). On the contrary, GRAS notification is a much more rigorous process that includes both positive and negative studies on the ingredient. This is viewed as a more transparent process with publicly available data, and breeds both market and consumer confidence.

    Outlining this, Solar Foods explained that FDA GRAS notification could “widen the possibilities” for Solein as some potential customers “may require the go-through of this procedure”. It estimates that it will receive the FDA letter by the end of 2026.

    A year of milestones for Solar Foods

    solar foods fda
    Courtesy: Solar Foods

    It has been a big year for Solar Foods, which is planning to go public with a technical listing on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market in Helsinki.

    At the start of the year, the Solein protein was part of a Taste the Future chocolate snack bar released by Fazer – a majority shareholder of Solar Foods. And last month, Japanese food conglomerate Ajinomoto unveiled mooncakes and ice cream sandwiches where Solein replaced the dairy, while it won the international Phase 3 category in NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge.

    The startup, which has attracted €43M in equity funding and €30M in debt financing, opened Factory 01 in April, with the daily ability to produce as much protein as a dairy farm with 300 cows. The manufacturing plant was facilitated by €34M in grants from Business Finland, which has pledged a further €76M to support Factory 02 if built in Europe.

    Solein is said to have “the lowest carbon footprint compared to all other known protein sources” when produced via renewable energy, with emissions equal to just 1% of those generated by conventional meat, and 20% of plant proteins. The ingredient also has 65-70% protein, 5-8% fat, and up to 15% dietary fibre, while containing iron and vitamin B.

    Solar Foods has previously said that regulatory approval in the US will provide “significant benefits” in authorisation processes in other markets – it has filed dossiers in the EU and the UK too.

    ”The United States will be a significant market for us. GRAS status in the US will contribute to advancing Solein’s expansion into other markets that do not grant specific novel food approvals, such as Japan,” explained Benitez-Garcia.

    As Factory 01 churns out Solein and Solar Foods inks partnerships in Singapore and the US, these efforts will determine the prerequisites for earning sales contracts for Factory 02, whose capacity will be 50 to 100 times higher.

    Looking forward, the company anticipates the UK greenlight in 2026, and is also considering filing applications for new products developed alongside Solein.

    The post Solar Foods Earns Self-Affirmed GRAS Status in the US for Solein CO2 Protein appeared first on Green Queen.

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