Cultures, enzymes, yeast

Cultivated fat: a solution to the plant-based sensory gap?

15-Dec-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Cultivated or cultured fat could be the key to improving the taste and texture challenges of plant-based meat alternatives, according to one player in this market.

Remilk prepares to scale with $11.3m investment: ‘We estimate regulatory approval to be granted sooner than most expect’

15-Dec-2020 By Flora Southey

Alt milk start-up Remilk, which makes dairy alternative products through microbial fermentation, has closed a funding round worth $11.3m (€9.2m).

Nestlé’s net zero roadmap: ‘We have no time to lose’

04-Dec-2020 By Katy Askew

Swiss food giant Nestlé wants to halve its emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050. “We have no time to lose,” CEO Mark Schneider told journalists at an event detailing how the company plans to get there.

The case for processed foods: ‘Zero processing doesn’t work for today’s food choices’

02-Dec-2020 By Flora Southey

With backlash mounting over ultra-processed foods, a research professor from Ghent University has balanced out the argument – making a strong case for processing where appropriate.

‘Mega trends’ in clean label revealed: ‘It’s what’s not on the label that’s important’

26-Nov-2020 By Flora Southey

For today’s consumers ‘clean label’ is less about the ingredients featured back-of-pack and more about what isn’t listed, be it preservatives, genetically modified ingredients or artificial sweeteners, according to L.E.K. Consulting.

DuPont ties-up with food futurists at IFTF to ‘better navigate uncertainties in the future’

24-Nov-2020 By Katy Askew

DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences is advancing its innovation strategy through a partnership with non-profit research organisation the Institute for the Future (IFTF). The collaboration targets ‘far sighted’ innovation and will allow the company to ‘better...

Lab-grown meat prices to ‘reach parity with regular meat before analogues’

19-Nov-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Aleph Farms, the Israeli cultured meat start-up backed by food and retail giants Cargill, Migros, and the Strauss Group, says it believes its lab-grown products will reach cost parity with conventional meat quicker than most plant-based meat alternatives.

‘We’re helping to advance the frontiers of yogurt making’: Chr Hansen on its latest range of cultures

18-Nov-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The Danish supplier says it has cracked the challenge of helping manufacturers create luxurious and indulgent yogurts with a healthier profile.

From immunity and sustainability to plant-based and clean label: Top trends out in force at Fi Europe CONNECT 2020

18-Nov-2020 By Katy Askew

Fi Europe is a red-letter event for the European food sector. This year, COVID-19 means things will be a little different. But the need to share ideas and innovation – as well as networking and business opportunities – has ‘never been more important’.

Kraft Heinz partners with APC Microbiome Ireland to unlock the ‘ultimate natural and clean label opportunities’

28-Oct-2020 By Katy Askew

The Kraft Heinz Company has entered into a research partnership with APC Microbiome Ireland aimed at developing new natural cultures for fermented foods. This could unlock the ‘ultimate natural and clean label opportunities’ for product development, the...

Cultured meat start-ups celebrate M&A milestone

28-Oct-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Peace of Meat says its tie-up with Meat-Tech 3D marks a breakthrough for the small but blossoming lab-grown protein sector.

Microbiome Search Trends: Getting under the skin of prebiotics

22-Oct-2020 By Nikki Hancocks

The interest in probiotics for immunity has passed its peak but a 24-month rise in internet searches for prebiotics and skin health is more than a passing trend, according to new insights from Lumina Intelligence.

‘We want to make sure that when people live on Mars, we’ll be there too’: Aleph Farms plans to accelerate cell-based meat production in outer space

21-Oct-2020 By Oliver Morrison

After its first experiment producing meat on the International Space Station a year ago, cultured meat company Aleph Farms has announced its new ‘Aleph Zero’ programme, which aims to accelerate ‘extra-terrestrial food production’.

Chr. Hansen CEO on M&A, ‘extraordinary’ dividends, and its ‘cautious’ financial outlook

08-Oct-2020 By Flora Southey

After a ‘defining’ financial year, in which Chr. Hansen acquired three businesses and divested one, CEO Mauricio Graber outlines the drivers behind its ‘cautious’ 2020/21 outlook.

Food waste upcycling ‘ripe for innovation’: report

30-Sep-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Food waste upcycling is an area ripe for innovation, says Oakland Innovation. Its report aims to show how food and beverage manufacturers can make upcycling a viable and effective solution to address the food waste challenge.

Stabizym secures EU patent for ‘safer and more efficient’ liquid transglutaminase

14-Sep-2020 By Katy Askew

German supplier Stabizym, the European arm of Shanghai-based Kinry Food Ingredients, has secured a European patent for the ‘first stable liquid transglutaminase preparation’.

British craft brewers reassure consumers after investigation links Japanese owner to military crimes in Myanmar

11-Sep-2020 By Oliver Morrison

British craft brewers controlled by Japanese producer Kirin have assured drinkers that any profits from their beer will remain in the UK following an investigation into the funding of human rights abuses against Rohingya people in Burma.

Gen Z not ready to eat lab-grown meat: study

09-Sep-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Australian research claims consumers aged between 18 and 25 view cultured meat “with disgust”, despite concerns about the environment and animal welfare being rife within the cohort.

New culture for pizza cheese reduces degree of browning ‘by up to 100%’

01-Sep-2020 By Flora Southey

Chr. Hansen has developed a culture to help pasta filata makers produce mozzarella type cheeses with a tailored level of browning for foodservice. The culture was “designed to offer added control without a compromise to authentic functionality”, the company’s...

4 ways food tech can lead to more resilient and sustainable food systems

26-Aug-2020 By Oliver Morrison

With COVID-19 exposing fragile food chains and putting scrutiny on the ways we consume and produce foods and approach our own health, now is the perfect moment for food tech startups to step up and lead the way, says venture capitalist and entrepreneur...

Chr. Hansen reviews Natural Colors division, boosts focus on plant-based fermentation

25-Aug-2020 By Flora Southey

In its newly launched 2025 Strategy, Chr. Hansen plans to increase focus on its microbial and fermentation technology programmes. Non-microbial assets therefore, such as its Natural Colors division, are not central to the new strategy, CEO Mauricio Graber...

Grain fermentation can produce a cost-effective, vegan alternative to B12 fortification

10-Aug-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Grains fermented with Propionibacterium freudenreichii – the bacteria usually used as a ripening culture in Swiss-type cheese -- have enough vitamin B12 to be nutritionally significant and could potentially be cheaper than fortification, according to...

ADM talks the evolution of ‘gut health’ and the innovation opportunity in everyday foods

15-Jul-2020 By Katy Askew

Consumers are increasingly aware of the importance of gut health for overall wellbeing. Microbiome interventions have been associated with positive health outcomes, from immunity to improved cognition and mood. The key to success is regular consumption...

Meet the brand ‘making kefir explode as a category’ in mainstream dairy

15-Jul-2020 By Flora Southey

UK-based Biotiful Diary is bringing kefir to the masses with 2,000-year old cultures sourced from founder Natasha Bowes’ native Russia.

Kombucha body launches code of practice to standardise manufacturing practices

15-Jul-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Kombucha Brewers International (KBI), the trade association committed to promoting and protecting commercial kombucha brewers around the world, has released the industry’s first Code of Practice, a food safety and quality standard for kombucha producers...

Palsgaard invests €100m to double capacity

29-Jun-2020 By Jim Cornall

Emulsifier manufacturer Palsgaard A/S, which creates a variety of products for the dairy industry, has announced the investment of €100m ($112.5m) to more than double production capacity at its Danish facility by 2024.

Protera CEO talks AI-developed proteins, closing €5m Series A, and relocating to France

17-Jun-2020 By Flora Southey

Chilean biotech Protera Biosciences is heading for the city of lights, having closed $5.5m (€4.9m) Series A financing led by Sofinnova Partners. Europe, Protera CEO Leonardo Álvarez tells FoodNavigator, is known for its ‘vast expertise’ in producing enzymes...

Fazer’s low-FODMAP bread: ‘When patented innovation becomes meaningful innovation’

05-Jun-2020 By Katy Askew

Finnish food group Fazer has developed LOFO, an enzyme-based solution that unlocks the door to low-FODMAP baking. The first breads made using this patented innovation have hit the shelves in Finland.

Fermented foods: How many lactic acid bacteria actually reach the gut?

04-Jun-2020 By Flora Southey

Fermented foods are a rich source of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which are potentially probiotic. But when such foods are consumed, how many LAB become part of the microbiome?

Alt milk start-up taps microbes, not plants, to ‘reinvent the meaning of dairy’

06-May-2020 By Flora Southey

Israeli start-up Remilk hopes to replace cows as ‘food factories’ with its microbe-based ‘milk’. Co-founder Aviv Wolff tells FoodNavigator the product is functional, versatile, and ‘behaves the same way as cow’s milk’.

Feeding plant-based innovation: ‘Fermentation is the future of the alternative protein industry’

30-Apr-2020 By Katy Askew

The development of fermentation technologies will help the plant-based manufacturers deliver products that are healthier and tastier, Dr David Welch, director science and technology at the Good Food Institute (GFI) suggests.

Consumers willing to pay nearly 40% more for cultured meat over regular meat: study

20-Apr-2020 By Oliver Morrison

A study at Maastricht University claims people are prepared to pay more for lab-grown meat after being told of its perceived benefits.

Coronavirus will boost clean meat trend, says supplier

17-Apr-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The cultured meat sector is set to eventually be buoyed by the coronavirus crisis as consumers become more interested in food solutions seen as sustainable and safe, believes the co-founder and managing director of cultured meat supplier Peace of Meat.

Microalgae start-up grows ‘super crop’ for baby food and sports nutrition

15-Apr-2020 By Flora Southey

Israeli start-up Yemoja has developed a ‘super intensive’ growing platform for microalgae, which CEO Eyal Shalmon says he hopes will bring the ‘super crop’ into the mainstream.

Waste bread used to feed microbes for fermented foods: ‘The technology is extremely simple’

05-Mar-2020 By Flora Southey

Researchers are repurposing waste bread into a medium that can kick start fermentation in food and beverage products, such as sourdough, yoghurt, and wine.

A new competitor to the Quorn category? Start-up brings mycoprotein product ‘one step closer to market’

13-Feb-2020 By Flora Southey

Swedish start-up Mycorena has developed a fungi-based ingredient for vegan products. Targeting the B2B – rather than the B2C – market, the mycoprotein producer is hoping to make a splash in a category largely dominated by alternative protein brand Quorn...

Tate & Lyle, Zymtronix team up on ‘revolutionary' enzyme immobilization technologies: ‘This will make our processes more efficient’

11-Feb-2020 By Katy Askew

Tate & Lyle is partnering with Zymtronix, the developer of ‘revolutionary enzyme immobilization technologies’ in a move that the company says could make its manufacturing processes more efficient and accessible.

How has global food supply changed in 50 years?

23-Jan-2020 By Flora Southey

Researchers have noted ‘clear shifts’ in global food supply since the 1960s, including a decline in the supply of animal sourced foods and sugar in high-income English-speaking countries.

Vegan ‘yogurt’ fermented with lactic acid bacteria from plants an industry first, claim researchers

15-Jan-2020 By Flora Southey

Scientists in Denmark have developed a plant-based ‘yogurt’ made from just three ingredients: soy drink, brewer’s spent grain, and lactic acid bacteria from plant materials.

Solar Foods claims ‘food made from air’ could price match with soy

09-Jan-2020 By Flora Southey

When Solar Foods is producing its novel protein Solein at full-scale production, and using the cheapest source of renewable energy to do so, the start-up believes it ‘could match soy’, CEO Pasi Vainikka tells FoodNavigator.

DuPont-IFF merger will create €40 billion nutrition and flavour business

16-Dec-2019 By Nathan Gray

A mega-merger between International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (IFF) and DuPont nutrition & biosciences unit will create a new industry giant worth more than $45 billion (€40.4 billion), say those involved in the deal.

Dairy protein without the cow? ‘Cell factories do all the work’

05-Dec-2019 By Katy Askew

Danish researchers have developed ‘cell factories’ that can produce food ingredients from the by-products of food production that would otherwise be wasted.

Nestlé eyes Gen Z for disruption in the coffee-to-go space

14-Nov-2019 By Oliver Morrison

An army marches on its stomach, said Napoleon. Today, however, it’s coffee that keeps young people moving, according to Nestlé, which has spotted opportunities in the out-of-home coffee machine sector.

Could yeast be a viable alternative to soy and pea protein? ‘It has all the essential amino acids, is readily available and affordable’

29-Oct-2019 By Flora Southey

Israeli start-up FFW is championing yeast as a ‘major protein source’ – offering an alternative to soy and pea protein in the plant-based space, founder Leonardo Marcovitz tells FoodNavigator.

Chr Hansen CFO Søren Westh Lonning talks innovation, investment, and Q4 disappointment

11-Oct-2019 By Flora Southey

The Danish ingredients supplier has rounded out an overall ‘solid’ 2018/19 with a challenging quarter, CFO Søren Westh Lonning tells FoodNavigator.

Smart Protein: Barilla, AB InBev, Thai Union et al. collaborate on EU-funded novel protein project

08-Oct-2019 By Flora Southey

Pasta residues, bread crusts, and brewer’s spent yeast are the focus of a new project funded by the European Union, which sees 33 players collaborate to develop novel proteins from industry by-products.

Fighting food waste with a clean label: DuPont launches protective cultures for fermented plant-based products

04-Oct-2019 By Katy Askew

Danish ingredients supplier DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences is launching a new dairy-free protective culture that, it says, builds on key sustainability objectives around tacking food waste and improving plant-based formulations – all with a clean...

‘Where consumer insight, nutritional know-how and good-tasting products come together’: FrieslandCampina Ingredients sees blurring of boundaries between food and nutra

03-Oct-2019 By Katy Askew

Dairy cooperative to ingredients manufacturer FrieslandCampina recently set out its innovation priorities for its ingredients arm: gut health, personalised nutrition and protein. Divisional head Kathy Fortmann tells FoodNavigator more.

Clean labels and the sustainability agenda: Does the drive for natural food hurt nature?

17-Sep-2019 By Katy Askew

Consumer interest in clean label or natural ingredients continues to rise. However, given our finite natural resources, is this inhibiting the development of products that could be better for the environment?

Chr. Hansen ‘future proofing’ innovation might with new R&D centre

29-Aug-2019 By Katy Askew

Danish ingredient supplier Chr. Hansen has said it wants to ‘future proof’ its innovation capacity through the development of a new research and development centre.