The ingredients majors have combined expertise and technologies to develop their ‘vegurt’ offerings. FoodNavigator asks Chr. Hansen and CP Kelco about the challenges they’ve overcome to create ambient, plant-based yoghurt alternatives.
How does the sustainability performance of plant-based alternatives stack up against conventional meat and dairy? Is the category worthy of its ‘sustainability halo’? FoodNavigator investigates.
OCEANIUM has developed a high-fibre seaweed-based one-for-one methylcellulose replacement for plant-based meat which can be used in other products applications including gluten-free breads and beverages. Farmed seaweed also boasts numerous environmental,...
Unilever has said it is exploring making ‘cow-free’ ice cream and is hoping to soon launch a product made with dairy proteins made via precision fermentation, but admitted there’s a danger they will be ultimately be rejected by shoppers if they are perceived...
New research suggests passion fruit peel offers ‘significant potential’ to preserve fresh fruit and fresh cuts in an edible coating thanks to high levels of antioxidants and polyphenols. This could help reduce food waste and decrease our reliance on plastic...
Tate & Lyle has expanded its sweeteners toolbox with ERYTESSE erythritol, which provides 70% of the sweetness of sucrose, a similar temporal profile, and zero calories.
Spain's Bio2Coat is hoping to solve the twin problems of food waste and plastic waste coming from packaging materials with a 100% natural, edible coating that extends shelf-life of fruits and vegetables and a 100% natural, edible packaging material...
For food to be ‘natural’, do consumers need to know where it came from? Can it be ‘natural’ if it was grown in a lab? And is defining ‘natural’ even important, anyway?
A French start-up has unveiled a urine-based fertilizer to limit the use of chemical ones and make use of valuable nutrients lost when we flush. Toopi Organics claims the solution has many environmental benefits and is cheaper for farmers.
A range of flavours free from citrus-derived molecules, fractions and oils, has been developed by IFF to overcome challenges in the citrus supply chain.
Food and beverage manufacturers are looking for ingredients that can tap into demand from end consumers for natural solutions associated with mental wellbeing benefits, FoodNavigator hears.
By René Floris, Food Research Division Manager at NIZO
Meeting consumer expectations for alt meat is a complex mission. How can ingredients and processes help take plant-based protein products to the next level?
Nutritional labelling and government-backed dietary guidelines are designed to deliver the greatest good, to the greatest number of people. But this nutritional advice and information is often based on flawed or incomplete data. Scientists at Aberystwyth...
The Danish ingredients supplier is celebrating a ‘solid’ financial performance for 2021/22, despite a ‘volatile’ macroeconomic and geopolitical climate. We ask CFO Lise Mortensen how the Ukraine-Russia conflict is impacting business.
Givaudan has developed a ‘radical approach’ that it says can assist efforts to reduce the amount of sugar in products: ‘holistic profiling’. FoodNavigator hears more about how this new technique represents a departure from conventional approaches to cutting...
The partnership will see The Kraft Heinz Company team up with agri-food tech accelerator StartLife to help meet consumer expectations across its portfolio, Miriam Ueberall, VP R&D International, Kraft Heinz, tells FoodNavigator.
Vegetarian diets are often characterised as healthy options delivering higher nutritional quality. But the surge seen in recent years of plant-based analogue products that many classify as ultra-processed has placed this reputation under pressure. Are...
CSM Ingredients has entered into a strategic partnership with Allozymes, a Singapore-based start-up that leverages proprietary tech to develop novel enzymes, FoodNavigator can reveal. In this global exclusive, we catch up with CSM CEO Aldo Uva to learn...
Food technology company Aliga Microalgae progresses its plans to scale the microalgae ingredient, chlorella, as an alternative protein after buying an existing production facility in Holland.
As calls to lower sugar levels in food and beverages louden, formulators and brands centre their efforts on improving taste, testing and technology in sugar-reduced products.
AINIA, the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, and Productos Lácteos Romar embark on a new project to turn citrus, watermelon and kaki waste into functional food items.
Nestlé Cereals has conducted research into consumer attitudes to nutritional labelling in the UK. The results are in. “Our research shows many consumers do not understand how to interpret the nutritional labelling information,” FoodNavigator hears.
Mycoprotein supplier ENOUGH is opening its flagship production facility in a move the company says will deliver ‘game-changing’ additional production capacity in the animal-free protein market.
From pea protein substitutes to whole cut meat alternatives and pet food, the versatility of mycelium is helping to attract a growing number of start-ups to the space. How are entrepreneurs innovating to bring this sustainable ‘root-like’ structure to...
Italian researchers are urging front-of-pack labelling systems to take into account processing methods as well as nutritional composition after their work linked ultra-processed food with an increased mortality risk.
Allulose, a novel rare sugar, is currently making its way through the Novel Foods process to gain regulatory approval in Europe. Does it have the characteristics that European shoppers are looking for in sweeteners?
Scientists have identified the key chemicals found in vanilla bean extract and combined this with sensory data to understand what consumers want from vanilla flavours.
Supporting gut bacteria and bowel health may not be the most appealing claims to market on-pack, but ingredients experts say consumer perceptions can be changed – if they haven't already.
Most of us know that dietary fibre is good for us – and still the majority of people don’t eat enough. What implications does this have for our microbiomes? And how does this relate to issues like cardiovascular disease, digestive disorders and colon...
German start-up Bioweg claims its bio-based hydrocolloid made from bacterial cellulose can improve taste, texture, and appearance of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives.
Safe Food Advocacy Europe has long been campaigning for an official definition of the term ‘natural’. Yet not all industry players are on board, we are told. How could a legal definition benefit both consumers and the planet?
Growth in the plant-based space has been fuelled by the development of products that mimic meat with increasing accuracy. But formulation challenges remain as the industry works to develop high quality analogues that are also clean label. Could a synergistic...
The ‘clean label’ trend does not remain stagnant. Mintel’s Emma Schofield, Associate Director, Global Food Science, reveals how the trend is evolving in the face of changing regulation, interest is degrees of processing, and environmentally friendly consumers.
British start-up Clean Food Group is developing a bio-equivalent cultivated alternative to palm oil. FoodNavigator hears from CEO Alex Neves to find out how.
Ice cream maker NORTHERN BL°C is growing rapidly as its plant-based treats resonate with UK consumers. With things on the up-and-up, we ask how the brand differentiates itself in an increasingly crowded category.
Israeli start-up Gavan Technologies has developed a novel continuous extraction method that utilises the entire plant. FoodNavigator caught up with CEO Itai Cohen to learn more.
Cambridge University spin-out Impossible Materials has developed a cellulose-based, white pigment to replace titanium dioxide in food applications. FoodNavigator catches up with CEO Lukas Schertel to find out how.
Children are more likely to prefer food they perceive as ‘natural’ over processed or lab-made alternatives, a new study from scientists in Scotland and the US has found.
Swiss plant-based food maker Eatplanted has entered into a partnership with food writer and TV chef Gizzi Erskine to challenge perceptions about the plant-based segment.
