Chickpea flour in a bowl and a bag of raw chickpeas

© Supplant Foods

India’s Supplant Foods Secures Patent for Functional and Flavorless Chickpea Flour

Supplant Foods, a company based in India that sources, processes, and markets high-quality plant-based ingredients, announces that it has secured a patent for a method to produce a high-performance chickpea flour for plant-based alternatives and gluten-free foods. Developed by Supplant Foods’ team of researchers and experts, the patented process enhances the functionality of chickpea protein, effectively eliminates the compounds responsible for undesired off-flavors, and removes the color, expanding its use for food and beverages. Headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, Supplant Foods has access to raw materials and low-cost quality manufacturing, allowing it to create a long-term, sustained value chain of sustainable products. The company has distribution partners in the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, and Australia, in addition to India.   The taste challenge Despite the health and sustainability …

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Image courtesy of Swan Neck Bio

Swan Neck Bio Launches FlexCell for Fast and Affordable Fermentation Scaling

Swan Neck Bio, a spin-off from White Labs Copenhagen, a global leader in fermentation since 1995, has officially entered the market to unlock the biomanufacturing capacity of precision fermentation and biomass companies. Headquartered in Copenhagen, with supporting labs and production capabilities in the USA (California and North Carolina), Swan Neck Bio leverages a patented “breakthrough” technology developed by White Labs.  Called FlexCell, the technology allows companies to trial, validate, and scale microorganisms from the lab to 1,000 L more quickly and affordably. Fábio Faria-Oliveira, CSO of the company, shares: “Our dream is a world where there are no constraints to the innovative biosolutions our world urgently needs if we’re going to support a constantly growing population.”  Scaling without risks Troels Prahl, a microbiologist with over 20 …

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NIZO Sustainable Protein Innovation Test Centre

© NIZO

NIZO Opens Sustainable Protein Innovation & Test Centre in the Netherlands

Contract research organisation NIZO has officially opened its Sustainable Protein Innovation & Test Centre (SPRINT) in Ede, the Netherlands. The construction of the facility was a two-year project, involving a €5 million investment from NIZO along with further funding from The East Netherlands Development Agency (Oost NL) and the EU. The centre aims to address the challenges of sustainable food production, aiding in the transition from animal-based to plant-based and microbial proteins. Though NIZO already had a pilot plant for food research, it was mainly focused on processing milk and other liquids. After witnessing the increased interest in alternative protein research, the organisation decided to extend its existing facility with the aim of helping companies producing meat and dairy alternatives to scale up. SPRINT is …

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Nestlé opens plant-based facility in Serbia

© Nestlé

Nestlé Opens Plant-Based Facility in Serbia to Manufacture Garden Gourmet Products

Nestlé has officially opened a facility in Serbia to produce its plant-based Garden Gourmet products. Sited next to the company’s existing facility in Surčin, the site cost 80 million CHF (around $91.3 million) to build and has created 220 new jobs. The opening ceremony was attended by the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić, along with other notable politicians. The guests were given a tour of the 18,440-square-meter facility, which includes environmental initiatives such as insulation panels made from recycled Nestlé packaging and an on-site wastewater treatment plant. Nestlé has pledged to empower Serbian farmers by using locally-produced ingredients at the facility. The company has already established a partnership with a local soy protein producer, and has helped it switch to regenerative agriculture to strengthen natural ecosystems. …

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Van Heron Labs has raised $1.1 million in a seed round to develop precision nutrition strategies for maximizing cell growth in biomanufacturing.

Image courtesy of Van Heron Labs

Van Heron Labs Raises $1.1M to Revolutionize Cell Growth with Precision Nutrition Strategies

Van Heron Labs, a US biotechnology company developing precision nutrition strategies for maximizing cell growth, has raised $1.1 million in a seed round led by FoodLabs, an early-stage VC investor in food, health, and climate solutions. Van Heron Labs aims to support the growth of the emerging bioeconomy by using the power of genetics, bioinformatics, and AI to address critical industrial challenges, such as cell growth, in food, materials, cancer therapeutics, and vaccine biomanufacturing. With the newly raised funds, the company will further improve its technology platform and commercialize existing offerings and services.  “We are excited to lead the funding round in Van Heron Labs, as we firmly believe that their innovative approach to optimizing cellular nutrition has the potential to revolutionize multiple industries, including biopharma, biomanufacturing, …

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Vivici fermentation unit

© Vivici

Global Biomanufacturing Capacity Must Grow 20X to Reach Industry Growth of $200 Billion by 2040, Says New Report

A recent report, co-authored by the New York-based biotech firm Synonym and Boston Consulting Group, has outlined a roadmap for the biomanufacturing industry, predicting a potential explosion to a $200 billion market in specialty sectors over the next ten years. The report Breaking the Cost Barrier on Biomanufacturing encourages the transition to biomanufacturing to address issues of sustainability and cost-efficiency in current industrial production methods. However, the report’s estimated $200 billion market value is focused on precision fermentation to produce food ingredients, chemicals, and chemical precursors. According to the authors, the figure is considered conservative and reflects only a fraction of the potential for growth within the industry. “The big problem—and the reason that precision fermentation remains an underused technology despite continuing advances in genome engineering and …

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© Handtmann

Handtmann Showcases Molding System Suitable for Production of Vegan Products at AnugaFoodTec

Handtmann, a specialist in forming, portioning, dosing, and packaging systems for the food industry, is to present a new option for producing molded and filled products at the AnugaFoodTec show this March. The new Handtmann all-in-one molding system FS 525 offers manufacturers of snack and convenience products a new option to further expand the possibilities in the production of molded products: the co-extrusion function. The molding system offers flexibility for both free molding and for molding and separating vegetarian and vegan alternative products, among others. The additional co-extrusion function now enables the production of a wide variety of filled products. The FS 525 forming and cutting system combines two different forming principles for maximum flexibility in industrial applications (perforated plate forming technology for freely shaped …

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Float Foods now offers its "revolutionary" technology for producing plant-based egg ingredients to food manufacturers.

© Image courtesy of Float Foods

Float Foods Introduces Licensed Technology for Plant-Based Egg Yolk Manufacturing

Singapore’s plant-based egg brand, Float Foods, known for its OnlyEg products, including Eg Yolk and OnlyEg Patties, announces that it has received the FSSC 22000 License (Food Safety System Certification) for its already Halal-certified facility.  After this manufacturing milestone, Float Foods now offers its “revolutionary” technology for producing plant-based egg ingredients to food producers seeking to eliminate hen eggs from their production processes. Float Foods has developed a “machine” to create alternatives to eggs that are said to have the same taste and texture as traditional eggs: yolks that ooze and egg whites with bouncy elastic texture and elasticity. They can be served ‘raw’ or used as an ingredient in multiple applications, including pasta, noodles, sauces, pastries, mayonnaise, and baking products. Vinita Choolani, Float Foods’ founder …

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Anton Paar Offers “Field Guide to Plant-Based Food Analysis”, an Indispensable Whitepaper for Plant-Based Food Manufacturing

Get the free e-book In response to the burgeoning demand for plant-based alternatives in the food industry, Anton Paar proudly presents an invaluable resource for professionals and enthusiasts alike: the e-book on Plant-Based Food Analysis. As the global landscape shifts towards sustainable and healthier dietary choices, understanding the complexities of plant-based ingredients and products becomes paramount. Anton Paar’s analytical instrumentation portfolio offers a cutting-edge solution to expedite the formulation, development, production, and quality control of novel plant-based foods. This comprehensive e-book delves into the essential facets of plant-based food analysis, providing a wealth of knowledge for those navigating the evolving landscape of plant-based diets. With a focus on safety, consistency, shelf life, and taste, Anton Paar‘s expertise shines through as it addresses the challenges and …

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GEA

© GEA

GEA Announces $20 Million Investment in Wisconsin Alternative Protein Technology Center

GEA, a global leader in engineering systems for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, has revealed plans to invest EUR 18 million (approximately USD 20 million) in a state-of-the-art technology center focused on alternative proteins in Wisconsin, USA.  The new facility, to be located on the GEA Campus in Janesville, will specialize in piloting microbial, cell-based, and plant-based food technologies. The construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2024, and with an anticipated opening in 2025, the center aims to bridge the current gap in the market for industrial-scale production of alternative proteins. The technology center will help gear the company up to support the industry’s anticipated growth, as indicated in a GEA survey last year, which found that chefs expect a quarter of meals …

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Alpro new branding

©Alpro

France: Danone Completes Conversion of Dairy Yogurt Plant to Oat Milk Production

French multinational food corporation Danone has converted its dairy yogurt plant in Villecomtal-sur-Arros to oat milk production. The company announced it was planning the conversion in 2021, as the French market for plant-based products continued to increase. Jobs at the plant will be retained following the transition, which required two years of work and a €43 million investment. The facility will mostly produce oat milk for Danone’s plant-based brand, Alpro, which the company acquired in 2017. Initially, around 100,000 litres per day will be produced, but this could eventually rise to as much as 300,000. Around 90% of this will be exported, mainly to other European countries. Danone now has four plant-based milk facilities across Europe — the others are in Issenheim (France), Lunnarp (Sweden), …

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Alpha Foods is using HME in a different way to make meatier plant-based chicken.

Image courtesy of Alpha Foods

Alpha Foods Unleashes the Power of HME Technology to Make the “Most-Meat Like” Plant-Based Chicken Strips

California-based Alpha Foods, a popular plant-based brand known for its frozen burritos, wraps, tamales, and nuggets,  launched plant-based Homestyle Chik’n Strips last year to cater to consumers from vegans to flexitarians to meat lovers. The company, now part of the The LIVEKINDLY Collective, says that its plant-based chicken strips shred, taste, and cook just like chicken and describes them as the “most meat-like” plant-based chicken.  To satisfy consumer demands for a plant-based product that provides a meat-like eating experience, the company leverages High Moisture Extrusion (HME) technology but uses a unique processing approach.   Alpha Foods explains that its HME method mixes and cooks soy and wheat in an extruder at specific temperatures. Through this process, the plant proteins melt and fold into strands that resemble the fibers responsible …

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Handtmann's InotecWolf machinery

© Handtmann

Handtmann to Showcase Food Processing Innovations at Anuga FoodTec

German food machinery manufacturer Handtmann, which recently unveiled a manufacturing innovation to create marbled and fat-layered meat alternatives in partnership with Planteneers, is set to showcase its latest innovations at Anuga FoodTec next month. At the event, which takes place in Cologne from 19 – 22 March, Handtmann is set to unveil a suite of food processing technologies aimed at enhancing the production capabilities for a wide array of food products and pet food. The offerings encompass modular process solutions spanning from product preparation to the final transfer to packaging solutions, catering to operations of all scales, from startups to fully automated, high-capacity industrial production setups. Highlights include the debut of the Handtmann Inotec IW series grinder, capable of handling up to nine metric tons …

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A plant-based steak with marbled fat

Image courtesy of Planteneers

Plant-Based Steak 2.0: Planteneers & Handtmann Unveil Manufacturing Innovation for Marbling and Fat-Layering

Plant-based food pioneer Planteneers and global leader in food processing technology, Handtmann, are joining forces to revolutionize the market with a manufacturing innovation to create marbled and fat-layered alternatives to meat: the plant-based steak 2.0.  To address the need for more realistic plant-based meat alternatives, the collaboration involves integrating Planteneers’ functional systems and Handtmann’s equipment to create alternatives that mimic the appearance of traditional meat and have an “authentic, fibrous structure.”  Advantages over other processes By combining a newly developed attachment for Handtmann’s filling and portioning systems with Planteneers’ fiildMeat and fiildTex series, manufacturers can achieve the desired fat ratio and adjust the size and shape of the final products to meet customer preferences. In addition, this flexible coextrusion system in production also enables a more realistic asymmetrical fat marbling. …

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21st.BIO's team

© 21st.BIO

21st.BIO Opens Access to its Large-Scale Production Platform for Animal-Free Dairy Proteins

21st.BIO, a Danish bioproduction firm offering integrated end-to-end services, announces that it is granting access to its precision fermentation technology platform to produce animal-free dairy proteins. The new service aims to offer ingredient manufacturers, from startups to leading companies, cost-effective solutions to accelerate the development of sustainable dairy proteins at a competitive cost. 21st.BIO states it has the industry’s most advanced precision fermentation technology platform for large-scale production. Its fermentation technology is partly licensed from Novonesis (a merger of Novozymes and Chr. Hansen Holding), which has developed its platform over several decades to produce food-grade ingredients. Thomas Schmidt, CEO of 21st.BIO, comments: “We founded 21st.BIO with one simple mission: to make precision fermentation technology accessible to as many companies as possible, so they can successfully take their …

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IFF has invested in high-moisture extrusion (HME) technology systems to support manufacturers in creating fibrous plant-based whole cuts.

Image courtesy of IFF

IFF Installs High-Moisture Extrusion Systems to Drive Innovation in Plant-Based Meat Market with Whole Cuts

Food and beverage leader IFF (NYSE: IFF) announces that it has invested in high-moisture extrusion (HME) technology systems to support manufacturers in creating fibrous, plant-based whole cuts. The newly acquired HME systems, designed and manufactured by the global leader in extrusion technology, Coperion, feature exact powder and liquid feeders, ensuring high-quality production and remarkable flexibility, explains IFF.  They have been installed and are already operational at the company’s innovation hubs across Europe, the USA, and Singapore. According to the company, this initiative is part of its continuous efforts to offer solutions and services to the plant-based meat and fish industry. “Consumer demand for plant-based products that offer an experience akin to eating meat is huge, and HME is one of the best ways to meet it. …

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3D rendering of facility Liberation Labs

3D rendering of facility © Liberation Labs

Liberation Labs to Launch Biomanufacturing Workforce Program with Ivy Tech Community College in Richmond, Indiana

Liberation Labs, a large-scale precision fermentation contract manufacturer, and Ivy Tech Community College-Richmond have joined forces to create a novel biomanufacturing workforce training program.  The initiative aims to equip approximately 30 employees with the necessary expertise in precision fermentation to work at Liberation Labs’ plant in Richmond, Indiana, USA, which is set to commence operations later this year. The recruitment will begin in Spring 2024, with training starting in late Summer before employees join the facility. Liberation Labs’ technical team will work with Ivy Tech curriculum designers and instructors to create a program that combines specific skills with the educational expertise in education of Ivy Tech Community College: training in biotechnology and fermentation, covering key principles, manufacturing practices, and safety protocols.  “Best of all, we will …

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Rebellyous Foods is accepting proposals from food facilities to operate its new system that manufactures plant-based meat at price parity with animal products.

© Rebellyous Foods

Rebellyous Foods Calls on Food Facilities to Revolutionize Plant-Based Chicken Prices with Mock 2

Rebellyous Foods, a Seattle-based startup working to make plant-based chicken affordable, raised $9.5 million last February to build Mock 2, a production system that is said to be capable of producing plant-based meat at 60% lower cost than all available methods.  The food tech, which has recently unveiled the technology, now announces that it is accepting proposals (RFP) from USDA or FDA food facilities to install and operate the production system to make its plant-based chicken and potentially other companies’ products, starting in early Spring 2024.   Mock 2 consists of a fully continuous, automated, and chilled dough system that is said to improve and simplify the mix-and-form process, thus saving electricity and labor resources. According to the food tech, it can produce from 2,500 to 3,700 pounds per hour, with the …

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MYCO's future facility

Image courtesy of MYCO

MYCO Announces “Food Industry First” Site for Oyster Mushroom Protein to Meet Demand for Sustainable Meat Alternatives

MYCO, a UK producer of Hooba, an oyster mushroom protein, announces that it has secured a 20,000 square feet former facility in Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, with plans to transform it into a vertical farm unit and a product development plant for sustainable meat alternatives. The plant will be specifically repurposed to support the company’s next growth phase, creating 70 jobs in the next few years “to cope with the expected influx of demand for plant-based foods.” According to the company, it will be the first site of its kind in the UK. “This new site is a food industry first, and the concept of combining both the growing of the raw materials and the manufacturing of the finished product under one roof will pave …

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The Planteat noodles in boxes

©The PlantEat

Korea’s The PlantEat Uses AI to Make Soybeans Better-Tasting & More Digestible

Korean food tech company The PlantEat has used artificial intelligence to develop a variety of soybeans that is said to address several challenges commonly faced by plant-based food manufacturers. The new variety — called Hayoung — is non-GMO and does not have the off-taste and indigestibility often associated with soybeans. As reported by The Chosun, it also improves yields, with 100 beans producing 32.3 grams after processing compared to 21 grams for conventional soybeans. Additionally, The PlantEat claims that the beans do not contain the proteins that typically cause soy allergies. Hayoung was developed by using AI to analyze over 4 million food data points, significantly speeding up the R&D process. The project was funded by the Korean Food, Agriculture, and Forestry R&D Information Service. …

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