Proteins

Hybrid dairy: How can innovators unlock a new category’s potential?

13-Feb-2024 By Flora Southey

Hybrid dairy, whereby conventional dairy is blended with plant-based ingredients, holds ‘considerable appeal’ as a category, according to Mintel, but innovation is rare. What can industry do to win new consumers?

‘Melty and gooey’ plant-based cheese developed after 4 years of R&D: ‘Most on the market don’t melt, just soften’

12-Feb-2024 By Flora Southey

After four years in development, Swedish dairy-free start-up Stockeld Dreamery claims to have mastered the meltability experience of cheese with plant-based ingredients.

‘Insects will be seen as normal food’: How industry is combatting consumer reluctance to eat insect protein

09-Feb-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Insects are not only thought to contain at least as much protein as conventional meat, but are also more environmentally sustainable. However, their novelty on the market poses challenges in consumer acceptance. How do start-ups persuade consumers to...

Commission wants to cut GHG emissions by 90% by 2040, but is agriculture off the hook?

08-Feb-2024 By Flora Southey

In the European Commission’s final text published this week, any mention of methane reduction has been omitted. So have links between dietary patterns and GHG emissions, critics lament.

Unblocking the ‘fermentation bottleneck’: Inside Planetary’s quest to optimise protein production

07-Feb-2024 By Flora Southey

A fermentation bottleneck still exists for the microbial fermentation sector, according to Swiss biotech Planetary, who is working to optimise protein and fat production with not just ‘overall infrastructure, but correct infrastructure’.

Plant-based meat made on the farm? ‘Revolutionary’ short supply chain project backed by EU

05-Feb-2024 By Flora Southey

Could plant-based meat products be made more sustainably? Research trialling a ‘revolutionary’ concept that shortens supply chains and promotes plant protein diversity has received EU support.

'Vegan' labels don't always mean free from animal products

02-Feb-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Despite common public understanding that the word ‘vegan’ means free from animal products, there is no legally binding definition for the term in the UK and EU. This means that products labelled ‘vegan’ can contain trace amounts of eggs or dairy. Furthermore,...

Novonesis: Chr Hansen and Novozymes merge to form €3.7bn ‘biosolutions’ major

02-Feb-2024 By Flora Southey

Just over a year after announcing plans to merge, Danish enzyme and cultures suppliers Novozymes and Chr Hansen have joined forces under a new company name: Novonesis.

How do 'norms perceptions' relate to meat consumption habits?

01-Feb-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Norm perceptions – what one perceives as ‘normal’ – differs between both individuals and groups of consumers, including when it comes to meat consumption. One’s meat consumption habits can affect these perceptions. A new study explores how different groups...

To grow or not to grow: Bovine cells engineered to produce their own growth factors in cultivated meat production

31-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Cultivated meat needs growth factors in order for its cells to grow. These are usually added to the cell culture media at considerable expense, impacting potential for commercialisation. New research, however, has shown that edited bovine cells can produce...

Protein, collagen, non-UPF: Bone broth as a functional food

30-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Broth has been used for centuries as a component of traditional meals such as soups and stews. But many consumers are now attracted to it for a different reason – it has a range of health benefits, and is non-UPF (ultra-processed food). Startup Freja...

‘Plant-based downturn isn’t halting innovation’: Beneo talks 2024 alt protein strategy

30-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

The ingredients supplier outlines its two-pronged alternative protein strategy, which it is betting on to reignite demand for plant-based meat.

NPD Trend Tracker: From blank drinks cans to regenerative agriculture bread

29-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

In this week's NPD Trend Tracker, we have a range of bread made with regenerative agriculture-derived flour. We also have desserts, Valentine's Day doughnuts, a new range of fully loaded brownie tray bakes, and a new version of that classic...

Star ingredients ‘take the spotlight’ of leading 2024 trend

29-Jan-2024 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

The presence of star ingredients will drive purchasing and packaging decisions, Innova Market Insights reveals in its Top Ten Trends for food and beverages in 2024.

Regulatory greenlight for cultivated beef leaves EU sector ‘hopeful’

26-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

The world’s first regulatory approval for cultivated beef has been granted in Israel. For EU cultivated meat stakeholders, is the greenlight yet another sign the EU – which has yet to approve such a product – is falling behind? Or does it hold promise...

Finetuning ‘beany, earthy, and bitter’ off notes in plant-based meat alternatives

26-Jan-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Off notes or flavour challenges in meat-free products has been a headache for the food industry for years, but new research could put that problem to bed once and for all.

Is cultivated meat a threat to farming? EU countries clash over cellular agriculture’s future

25-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

According to delegates from Italy, France and Austria, cellular agriculture practices represent a threat to primary farm-based approaches and ‘genuine’ food production methods.

‘In today’s market, the price of food is decisive’: Plant-based’s quest to achieve price parity with meat

25-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Despite some progress being made, price parity between meat and plant-based meat products has still not been achieved everywhere. Price remains a key consumer concern when it comes to plant-based meat. But why do plant-based meat producers struggle to...

‘Mass customisation’: New 3D printing tech brings more flexibility to alternative meat and seafood production

23-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Austrian start-up Revo Foods is well known for its 3D-printed fish and meat whole cuts. Now, it has announced technology that can work continuously and produce a variety of products simultaneously, introducing significant flexibility into the production...

Protein ‘made from air’ enters snacks category

23-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

A collaboration between two Finnish companies – Solar Foods and Fazer – has seen protein ‘made from air’ added to a chocolate snack bar for consumers in Singapore.

The race to meet the EUDR deadline is intensifying, so what help is available?

22-Jan-2024 By Donna Eastlake

December 30, 2024 marks the day by which supply chain stakeholders, including producers, importers, manufacturers, brands, and retailers within the European Union must ensure they are selling, importing and exporting EUDR compliant cocoa, coffee, palm...

Cultivated eel that ‘melts in your mouth’? How Forsea mimics ‘tender, succulent’ texture of fish and seafood

22-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

Eel meat is unlike any other: it is fatty, tender, and ‘almost melts in your mouth’, explains Roee Nir, co-founder and CEO of Forsea Foods. The start-up is working to mimic these attributes with stem cells in a lab.

What is the ‘protein transition’? Untangling the narratives

19-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Talk about a ‘protein transition’ is rife in the world of food. But what exactly is a protein transition? A study by Nature Food identifies three narratives through which a protein transition is interpreted, and three potential drivers of change.

Food & beverage trends: M&A activity points towards major shifts in consumer behaviour

19-Jan-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Increased production costs and changes in consumer preferences have both played a key role in how the industry evolved and developed in 2023, so what are these changes and how will they affect the industry going forward?

COP28: Was food high enough on the agenda? And what's on the menu for COP29?

18-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

Just over one month has passed since COP28 closed its doors in Dubai, UAE, giving members of the Food4Climate Pavilion time to reflect on the climate change conference. Was food high enough on the agenda? And what’s on the menu for COP29?

Diversified protein sourcing is on the 2024 agenda: What's the path to mainstream adoption?

17-Jan-2024 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

While the alternative protein scene continues to pursue widespread uptake and acceptance, in 2024, expect to see new and evolving concepts, technologies and regulatory support to progress towards attaining resilient food systems.

EU cultivated meat player seeks market approval in ‘logical choice’ Singapore

12-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

European cultivated chicken ingredients may soon be winging their way to Asia if Vital Meat is successful in its novel food regulatory submission to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

Do consumers want to eat upcycled food?

12-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Upcycling food is a good way of putting food to use that may otherwise have gone to waste. However, not all consumers will eat food that has been upcycled. A new study takes a broad look at 37 research articles on consumer acceptance, or lack thereof,...

Preserving meat with natural alternatives? It's possible, confirms research

11-Jan-2024 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

As a new Chinese study supports the role of natural alternatives in meat preservation, does this have the potential to expand Europe’s approved preservatives list?

Plant-based 3D printed eel: ‘Complex texture’ achieved with precision layers in industry first

11-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

Steakholder Foods, which claims the launch is a ‘world first’, says its proprietary tech allows the start-up to closely mimic the taste, texture and appearance of traditional meat and seafood.

Is the UK bar for insect protein entry too high?

10-Jan-2024 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

As we head into 2024, the focus turns to where the European landscape on insect protein is currently and how it may evolve in the coming year.

Using the PEKILO process to produce mycoprotein: Start-up taps updated version of 50-year-old fermentation technique

10-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Finnish biotech start-up Enifer will open its first factory in order to develop its mycoprotein ingredient, following its receiving of €12m in funding. To develop these ingredients, it will use PEKILO fermentation, a process developed in the 1970s by...

Processed plant-based meat: Clearer communication on the horizon, predict experts

09-Jan-2024 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

European producers in 2024 will focus on informing consumers about processed and ultra-processed foods and drinks, potentially lowering content in formulations to encourage plant-based meat or dairy alternatives uptake.

How ingredients suppliers manage global struggles: From disrupted supply chains to cost-of-living pressures

08-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

As we leave behind a troublesome 2023, we reflect on some of the unforeseen challenges faced by ingredients companies. From supply chain disruptions to cost-of-living pressures, how have suppliers changed tact to meet manufacturers’ demands?

NPD Trend Tracker: 'Veganuary' special

08-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

January is a time where many people abstain from indulgent things, from alcohol to chocolate. Meat and dairy, increasingly linked to climate change and animal suffering, are other products those taking part in 'Veganuary' also abstain from at...

Givaudan and UC Berkeley release new research on maximising alt-protein efficiency

04-Jan-2024 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

The duo’s latest white paper, “10 Alternative Protein Pathways: Opportunities for Greater Efficiency”, provides insights into how the sector can make plant-based products more affordable and sustainable.

From ‘travelling through taste’ to cognitive health: The 2024 trends predicted to shake-up food and beverage

03-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

What food and drink trends have been predicted for 2024? We catch up with ingredients suppliers ADM, Arla Foods Ingredients, and Prinova Europe to ask how they’re preparing for the year ahead.

Beef can stimulate muscle protein synthesis more effectively than plant-based proteins, says study

22-Dec-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Protein consumption is vital to our muscles, as it stimulates the process of producing new muscle proteins, also called muscle protein synthesis. A new study suggests that this process is stimulated to a higher extent following the consumption of a meal...

Is the ‘healthy indulgence’ production trend out, the immunity diet one in for 2024?

22-Dec-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

With the increasing emphasis on consumer health and wellbeing, a food futurologist shares the top 2024 dietary trends that will make a big impact—and interesting fruit and veg choices and eating occasions are getting a big appearance.

FIE Innovation Award winners on solutions in plant-based fat: ‘We'll help advance the whole food sector'

21-Dec-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

At Food Ingredients Europe this year, the ‘Plant-based Innovation Award’ went to MirrorTissue, a plant-based ‘fatty lipid solution’. Here the producers discuss their triumph

How to produce higher value alternative proteins with less cost, waste and energy

20-Dec-2023 By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager

Innovative processing and sequential extraction and purification hold the key, believes NIZO Food Research.

Producers boost plant-based meat’s nutritional value

19-Dec-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

Plant-based meats role in public health will be boosted by the addition of ingredients such as vitamin B12.

NPD Trend Tracker: From LeBron James-backed tequila to Harry Kane crisps

18-Dec-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

As Christmas approaches, we have the launch of a Harry Kane-fronted crisp product, the UK listing of a LeBron James-backed tequila, and the release of plant based chicken nuggets to celebrate the release of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. We also have...

Lower-impact protein and dietary swaps benefit climate change and health

18-Dec-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

Making simple substitutions by swapping animal-based products for plant-based alternatives and opting for lower-impact protein supports climate change efforts and personal health goals, a new study reveals.

Beyond meat and dairy analogues: What can plant-based protein do?

15-Dec-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Plant-based protein isn’t just about meat and dairy analogues. At Food Ingredients Europe in Frankfurt last month, FoodNavigator spoke to companies doing a range of things with alternative proteins outside of simply adding them to plant-based burgers,...

New association to promote plant-based food launched in Finland

14-Dec-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

A new association in Finland brings together a range of companies to promote the consumption of plant-based meat, and educate the public about its benefits.

Geographical Indicators and Wales: Food and drink producers helped by Welsh Government to acquire coveted accreditations

13-Dec-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Be it for Welsh lamb and beef or single malt Welsh whisky, geographical indicators are a vital part of ensuring products are tied to their geographical region. The Welsh Government has provided industry stakeholders with vital support in attaining these...

Sustainability focus shifts from future goals to real-world changes

11-Dec-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

Food sustainability actions need to transition away from future aims to real-world change processes to help the global food system reach its targets, new research suggests.

Disrupting cow, sheep, goat & donkey milk: Cell cultivated start-up Senara emerges from stealth

11-Dec-2023 By Flora Southey

After 18 months in stealth mode, German start-up Senara is emerging to disrupt the conventional milk market (derived from cow, sheep, goat, donkey and more) with cell cultivation.

Alternative protein producer Farmless plans expand production, maintain protein production efficiency

08-Dec-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Farmless, a startup producing protein using a feedstock which combines hydrogen, nitrogen, CO2 and renewable energy, is planning to build a pilot plant after a new injection of funding. Its purpose is simple – cutting down on the land used to create protein,...