Kara E. Leong’s Post

A brief history of re-inventing food For those who just tuned in: AlgaeCore - SimpliiGood had developed a game-changing technology that enables the reconstruction of meat and fish out of Spirulina filaments instead of animal cells. That is special because unlike working with denatured plant proteins Spirulina brings innate texture and bite, higher nutritional values (up to x2 protein and iron), zero off-flavors, great functionality and thermal behavior, clean label and as much as x10 lower environmental footprint. It is also very scalable, efficient and cost effective while proving to be one of the closest versions of the real thing (as can be seen in the attached photo from the company's labs - no! it is not real salmon, it is mostly made out of our DSP ingredient). The Superfood derived ingredient range is also super versatile. Working our way up from mince to nuggets to sausages to chicken to Salmon is just the beginning... the possibilities are truly endless - this is not even scratching the surface. As we set out to introduce our new technology to the world this year (starting NOW), we are confident many more secrets are about to unfold. On a mission to re-invent meat or fish? have an idea for a potential collaboration? need some information and samples? want to get our brand new(!!) 2024 ingredient catalog and application portfolio? send me a DM and let's talk. Happy 2024 everyone #foodtechnology #alternativeprotein #microalgae #Spirulina #innovation #salmon #aquaculture A special thanks to our innovation leaders and the amazing teams which work meticulously to make this dream a reality: AZOULAY David דוד אזולאי Lior Shauder

"Marine Cheese Substitute" Catchy headline and interesting from an evolutionary science perspective (why would seaweed have a milk clotting enzyme activity?). But what problem does this research solve? This "marine cheese substitute" does not actually replace cow milk to make cheese but rather the rennet enzyme used to coagulate cow milk. Milk clotting enzymes from non-animal sources are already abundantly available, commercially and sustainably produced for decades in common bacteria or fungi, by IFF (see: https://lnkd.in/gJRCkTh4) and others. Why deplete the oceans of seaweed for the purpose of extracting enzymes for which more sustainable biotech-enabled alternatives are already available? Now if the seaweed could be used as plant-based substrate to curdle it into cheese, that might be a different story. And yes, plant-based cheese is a possibility, with help from IFF (https://lnkd.in/g5kPJiKA) #plantbasedcheese #sustainablesolutions #biotechnology #nonanimalalternatives

Exciting News in Plant-Based Meat Innovation! Read more about how UK scientists are revolutionizing the taste and texture of plant proteins. #plantbased #plantbasedprotein #plantbasedmeat

Cargill invests in mycoproteins. ENOUGH - Scottish company uses fungi to create meal-like alternative The Minnesota-based agribusiness recently invested an undisclosed sum into Enough, a Scottish company rapidly expanding the use of fungi and fermentation to create meat-like mycoproteins (the “myco” comes from mycology, the study of mushrooms and fungi). Enough makes a high-protein, high-fiber meat substitute out of yeast in a facility next door to a Cargill plant in the Netherlands. Cargill is already providing the company grain sugars to feed the yeast in a process similar to making beer. The brand Quorn pioneered the use of #mycoproteins decades ago, and Hormel Foods partnered with mycoprotein maker The Better Meat Co. in 2021, though the category is still a sliver of alternative protein sales as the technology evolves. “When you look at what’s coming in this space, and how do we get things that are more nutritious, more healthful and with a better cost, taste and texture, this kind of checks all those boxes,” Cargill’s head of alternative proteins, Elizabeth Gutschenritter, said in a recent interview. “The fibrous nature of it really helps with texture, and it’s got a really neutral profile.” https://lnkd.in/dFB4BWPd #fermentation #fermented #fermentedfoods

German Scientists Study Mung Beans as Promising Climate-Resilient Solution for Plant-Based Meat New research carried out by German scientists at The University of Bonn and Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV into plant protein extraction methods highlights the potential use of climate-resilient crops, such as mung beans, for plant-based meat. According to the researchers, soy is still the most commonly used legume for protein. However, the acceptance of mung bean protein isolate as a novel food by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has created an opportunity to explore an alternative option, thereby expanding the protein sources. #mungbean #foodsystems #plantmeat #climatechange

Belgium-based biotechnology start-up, Paleo, has published a world’s first patent application for the use of its non-animal derived precision fermentation myoglobin, eyeing the pet food market. Paleo’s ingredient is poised to fill an important market gap in the segment of palatants, offering a solution with the potential to exactly replicate the natural flavor profile of animal-based protein sources pets are familiar with, increasing acceptance and facilitating the transition from animal-inclusive to plant-based foods. ‘’The vegan market projected growth is significant, but still faces challenges that are similar to the ones we have seen in human food: taste and olfactory experience is critical to increase acceptance of plant-based options," said Hermes Sanctorum, CEO of Paleo. "We believe that Paleo’s ingredients have the potential to address this taste gap and exponentially help drive palatability." #foodtech #alternativeproteins #petfood #precisionfermentation

Unlocking the Secrets of Dairy Alternatives: A Journey into Sensory Innovation Sensory challenges like aftertaste, texture and flavor are the significant hurdles for category reformulations, especially in dairy alternatives. Drawing insights from extensive patent analyses, FutureBridge uncovers a wealth of solutions, focusing on sensorial enhancements. Scientific breakthroughs are revolutionizing the sensory landscape with disruptive techniques such as high-pressure processing, enzyme-based purification, and microbe-based fat delivery. One notable approach, developed by Swiss food-tech company, Cultivated Biosciences, involves harnessing the power of yeast-derived fat as a potential animal-fat substitute to transform dairy-free coffee creamers. Through GMO-free oleaginous yeast fermentation, the accumulated fat is seamlessly integrated into plant proteins, delivering enhanced smoothness and creaminess while mitigating undesired aftertaste and texture, along with flocculation. https://lnkd.in/gwvkZczR   #FutureBridge #FoodTech #SensoryScience #Innovation #AlternativeProteins #PlantbasedDairy #DairySubstitutes #HighPressureProcessing #Enzymes #EnzymaticProcessing #PlantProteins #Fermentation #FatSubstitutes #YeastFermentation #dairyfree #CoffeeCreamers #Taste #Texture #Flavor #Sensorials #SensoryChallenges #GMOfree #Flocculation

Check out our latest dataset addition to the platform - lactic acid bacteria!

🥚 Current egg production system needs fixing. "Eggs without chickens – coming right up", says Maija Itkonen and tells Onego Bio's story from lab to commercialisation. 💎 Onego Bio, a food-biotech spin-off from VTT, uses precision fermentation to produce egg protein. No animals needed! Trichoderma reesei fungus was trained to produce ovalbumine, the main protein found in egg white. 💚 The proteins are bio-identical to the foods we know. This can be done by using 90% less resources and without major risks. 🍨 The result is real egg protein without the environmental, ethical and safety-related concerns. #food #protein #sustainability #VTTspinoff #VTTBeyondTheObvious Read also our article: https://hubs.ly/Q029JBT30 #food #protein #sustainability #VTTspinoff #VTTBeyondTheObvious

Here’s what you can find in this week's edition of the Better Bioeconomy newsletter: BIO BUZZ: 🇮🇱 Israel’s Aleph Farms receives world's first regulatory approval for cultivated beef | Didier Toubia 🇬🇧 Multus opens the “world's first” commercial-scale facility for affordable, serum-free growth media for the cultivated meat industry | Cai Linton 🍫 Solar Foods partners with Fazer Group to launch chocolate snack bar made with air protein in Singapore | Heli Anttila, Pasi Vainikka 🇳🇿 Daisy Lab has successfully produced animal-identical whey proteins in 10 L fermenters | 🌱 Irina Miller 🥛 Imagindairy acquires an industrial-scale production plant, boosting its production capacity to 100,000 L of animal-free dairy proteins | Eyal Afergan, Ph.D 🇨🇭🇯🇵 planetary partners with KONICA MINOLTA, INC. to reduce the production costs of fermented proteins | David Brandes, Ryutaro Mori 🤝 IFF partners with Unilever, Wageningen University & Research to improve the flavour of plant-based meat alternatives 📈🌱 Despite media reports suggesting a decline in veganism, some companies in the UK and Europe report an increase in plant-based sales 🍔 Europe continues to be Beyond Meat’s strongest market MACRO STUFF: 🇨🇭 Over half of Swiss consumers are now 'substitarians', consuming plant-based alternatives to meat, dairy, and seafood | Coop 🇯🇵 Japan is shifting its approach to novel foods, including cultivated meat, by redistributing responsibilities | Megumi Avigail Yoshitomi 💪🏾 Established food giants are expected to dominate the US plant-based meat market, outperforming exclusively plant-based brands 📉 Republicans in Arizona have proposed two new bills prohibiting the “misbranding” of meat alternatives and banning cultivated meat entirely 🥩🌱 Blended meat, combining plant-based and animal meat, could face challenges due to consumer preferences and quality perception BIO BUCKS: 🇺🇬 FiberFoods & PrimeJack receives funding from FoodSparks by PeakBridge and EIT Food | Inez van Oord, Ineke Aquarius 🇮🇱 The Mediterranean Food Lab (MFL) secures $17M series A funding to advance its AI-powered solid-state fermentation technology | Yair Yosefi, Omer Ben-Gal 🇦🇺 v2food acquires the plant-based ready meal brand Soulara, aiming to expand into D2C sales | Tim York 🧃 Better Juice secures series A funding to transform sugars in fruit juice into dietary fibers and non-digestible sugars | Eran Blachinsky, Gali Yarom SOCIAL FEAST: 🧠 Good Judgement: Angel investor shares the #1 trait he looks for in a founder | Ryan Grant Little 💰 Consumer spending drives 70% of the US economy, but investing in food CPG is tough. Here is what investors need to know | Daniel Gluck 🍴 Eating meat for the first time in over 10 years, CEO of Cellular Agriculture Australia shares his experience trying cultivated meat | Sam Perkins #bioeconomy #foodtech