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Green peas in close up

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The Pea Project: £1 Million Mission to Replace Soy’s Reign With “Flavourless” Peas in the UK

A £1 million climate-smart project in the UK will research new pea varieties to sustainably produce a local and reliable pea protein source to replace soy in human food.  The Pea Project is a collaboration between grass and forage seed specialist Germinal and seed breeders. It is part-funded by Defra’s Farming Innovation Pathway via Innovate UK, which is part of UK Research and Innovation. Germinal will deliver the project with IBERS at Aberystwyth University, the John Innes Centre, and PGRO.  Replacing soy with UK protein The programme also aims to reduce the country’s reliance on soy imports, reaching four million tonnes annually for use in human and animal feeds. Innovate UK states vegan and vegetarian foods use half a million tonnes.  Peas are suited to the UK …

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NUS researchers develop 3d-printed edible scaffolds that will accelerate cultivated meat bio manufacturing

Image credit: National University of Singapore (NUS)

Edible Scaffolds For Cultivated Meat With “Fibrous Qualities” Developed by Singapore Scientists

A research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has successfully used plant proteins from corn, barley, and rye flour to 3D-print edible scaffolds for the cultivated meat industry.  Led by Huang Dejian, deputy head of the NUS Department of Food Science and Technology, the team claims the new development will help to accelerate the biomanufacturing process of cultivated meat.  “By using readily available cereal prolamins as biomaterials for high-precision 3D printing technology, we open up a new method for manufacturing edible and structured scaffolds to produce cultured muscle meat slices with fibrous qualities,” Dejian said. 3D-printed edible scaffolds Scaffolds are three-dimensional constructs used in cultivated meat that provide structural support for cells to multiply and develop into tissues. But they are typically made from …

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Organisations and Brands:National University of Singapore (NUS)
Tufts University Team creates first and only publicly available fish muscle cell line from the Atlantic mackerel

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Scientific Team Creates First and Only Publicly Available Fish Muscle Cell Line From the Atlantic Mackerel

The Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture (TUCCA) has announced a new scientific paper published in Nature, where Michael Saad, a PhD student at Tufts University, and his team explain how they created what they claim to be the first and only publicly available fish muscle cell line from the Atlantic Mackerel.  Called Continuous fish muscle cell line with capacity for myogenic and adipogenic-like phenotypes, the study provides the first spontaneously immortalized fish muscle cell line for research, ideally serving as a reference for subsequent investigation.  “Here, we established and characterized a continuous Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) skeletal muscle cell line (“Mack” cells),” says the report. Without genetic engineering According to TUCCA’s announcement, these cells are immortalized without genetic engineering and can turn into muscle and fat. …

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3D-printed vegan nose

© Swansea University

Scientists Develop 3D-Printed Vegan Nose for Victims of Cancer or Accidents

Scientists at Swansea University in the UK are developing a 3D-printed vegan nose for patients who have lost their own due to cancer or an accident. Existing methods of creating new noses involve taking cartilage from patients’ ribs, which is not ideally suited as it is more brittle than that found in the nose. The procedure can also cause long-term health complications, since up to three ribs may need to be removed. Funded by medical charity The Scar Free Foundation, the new technology involves creating cartilage from nanocellulose hydrogel (a type of softwood pulp) and hyaluronic acid (a bacteria-derived ingredient often used in skin creams). This flexible material can be 3D-printed to achieve the precise shape required. The vegan cartilage is then immersed in a …

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Organisations and Brands:Swansea UniversityThe Scar Free Foundation
Alt protein innovation centre to be built at Wageningen Campus

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ADM & Marel to Open Alt Protein Innovation Centre in the Netherlands

ADM has announced that it will be partnering with food processing solutions provider Marel to build an alt protein innovation centre. The centre will be based at Foodvalley’s Wageningen Campus in the Netherlands. It will allow food manufacturers, scientists, and culinary professionals to develop and manufacture new alternative protein products, with pilot production capacity available for novel techniques. Trainings and workshops will also be held on site, helping to inspire more alt protein solutions. The innovation centre is expected to open in 2024, with ADM occupying a temporary laboratory in Wageningen Campus’ Plus Ultra II building until then. The future of food “The future of alternative proteins doesn’t stop with plant proteins. We’re exploring mycoprotein, cultivated meat, and precision fermentation as technologies which could play …

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Organisations and Brands:Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)Marel
steakholder foods' cultivated meat

© Steakholder Foods

Steakholder’s New Study Shows Cultivated Meat & Beef Have Same Nutritional Value

3D-printed cultivated meat company Steakholder Foods, formerly MeaTech 3D, says its cultivated meat has the same nutritional value as beef. According to the company, its biology team analysed already developed cultivated muscle, testing 17 amino acids and comparing it to native tissue. The results demonstrated that cultivated meat grown in-house has the same biochemical composition as conventional meat, potentially providing similar nutritional value and taste. “The amino acid profile has two important roles in Steakholder Foods’ cultivated beef products; taste and nutritional value,” says the company.  3D bioprinting technology Steakholder Foods differentiates from other cultivated meat companies because it integrates cultivated meat — animal cells transformed into bio-ink — with 3D bioprinting technology that is scalable and designed to produce tailor-made whole cuts. The company …

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Organisations and Brands:Steakholder Foods
fermentation-derived beef fat

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Researchers Upcycle Agricultural Waste to Produce Fats for Alt Meat

Researchers from Connectomix Bio are investigating a method to transform agricultural waste into lipids for use in meat alternatives. The method will involve turning discarded parts of crops, such as corn husks, into a gas. This gas will then be used to feed microbes, which will produce lipids via fermentation. The resulting fatty acids could be added to cultivated and plant-based meats, improving their taste and texture. The researchers will tailor the lipids to particular applications, such as chicken, beef, or pork alternatives. They will also investigate different processes — for example, the biogas that is initially produced could be converted into another type of gas or a liquid to make the method more economical. Funded by GFI, the project will be run by a …

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Organisations and Brands:Connectomix BioThe Good Food Institute (GFI)
cacao fruit

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Boston’s Ayana Bio Pledges $3M to Accelerate Cacao Bioactives Through Plant Cell Tech

Boston-based Ayana Bio, a spinoff from Gingko Bioworks, has announced a $3 million investment to accelerate the production of cacao bioactives using plant cell technology to make consumer products for markets such as health and wellness, F&B, and cosmetics. Ayana Bio will utilize the capital to expedite commercialization of its cacao ingredients and prioritize R&D of the benefits of different cacao varieties as well as possible usages and applications to expand partnerships with CPG companies. Producing high polyphenol cacao extracts  Ayana Bio leverages plant cell technology —growing plant cell lines in bioreactors rather than agricultural production — to discover and produce plant and fungal bioactives that support and improve human health. According to the biotech, cacao contains biologically active compounds that support healthy digestion, cardiovascular health, cognition, …

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Organisations and Brands:Ayana BioGingko Bioworks
believer meats' cultivated chicken dish

© BELIEVER Meats

Groundbreaking Findings From BELIEVER Meats “Break That Big Wall of No” For Cultivated Chicken

A new study led by BELIEVER Meats as published in Nature Foods unveils a comprehensive, cost-efficient GMO-free production method for cultivated chicken. According to BELIEVER Meats, in the study conducted by its founder and CTO Professor Yaakov Nahmias, researchers have found answers to some of the industry’s challenges regarding cost-efficiency and transparency in cultivated chicken production. “These findings break that ‘big wall of no’ described by Paul Wood and David Humbrid in last year’s The Counter article that challenged the feasibility of lab-grown meat,” BELIEVER Meats states. The production of non-GMO immortal cell lines, new standards for transparency in the field According to the cultivated meat company, the study shows that producing non-tumorigenic cell lines without genetic engineering and long-term stability is possible. BELIEVER Meats says researchers …

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Organisations and Brands:Believer Meats
a cellzero meat scientist in a lab looking at a computer

© Thomas Häntzschel / nordlicht

CELLZERO Meat Emerges to Develop Sustainable Solutions for Cultivated Meat Industry

Germany’s Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN) and other partners have established what they claim is the country’s first multidisciplinary research consortium, called CELLZERO Meat. With €1.19 million in funds from The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), CELLZERO Meat sets out to solve issues and develop sustainable process solutions for the cultivated meat industry. The research network includes the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Research and Technology Greifswald (MV), the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Bernburg (Saxony-Anhalt), and PAN-Biotech GmbH in Aidenbach (Bavaria). Cultivated meat’s unresolved hurdles “There are several unresolved scientific hurdles that have so far delayed the production of cell-based meat alternatives and thus the emergence of a market. We want to contribute to overcoming these,” FBN scientist and CELLZERO Meat’s project …

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The founders turning carbon dioxide into protein

Arkeon founders. © Arkeon

Arkeon Biotechnologies Secures Over €‎10M to Convert CO2 Into Food

Vienna’s Arkeon Biotechnologies, a startup converting CO2 into functional, carbon-negative ingredients for food; raised seed funding of €‎6.5 million last March and now announces it has secured another four million euros. Arkeon’s technology uses gas fermentation to transform CO2 into proteins and the process, according to the company, generates all 20 essential amino acids using a microorganism that produces them in just one fermentation process. The resulting proteins require 99% less land and only 0.01% of the amount of water used by conventional agriculture. New investors include ICL, aws Gründerfonds, FoodHack and Tet Ventures, with the fresh funds going towards the expansion of its proprietary technology as well as the planning of a new R&D centre. “We are very pleased to have the support of …

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Organisations and Brands:arkeon biotechnologies
New culture range will keep alt-meat products fresh

© Chr. Hansen

Chr Hansen and Novozymes in Largest Ever Danish Merger

The merger of Novozymes and Chr. Hansen Holding, set for Q4 in 2023, will reportedly be the largest ever Danish merger. Bioscience supplier Chr. Hansen will join with Novozymes, the world’s largest provider of microbial technologies and enzymes, to “create a strong biosolutions group with a broad biological toolbox and a diversified portfolio across markets”. Novo Holdings, the largest shareholder in both companies, states that the transaction will create a global leader in biosolutions that would capitalize on attractive growth opportunities while serving societal needs. The combined group will benefit from an expanded global presence and shared ambition to provide answers to the biggest challenges facing society. According to the press release, the newly formed group will “be equipped to stand stronger in addressing global …

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Organisations and Brands:Chr. Hansennovozymes
Tender Pulled Pork Sandwich

©Tender

Meet Tender: A Startup Using Cotton Candy-Like Technology For “Superior” Plant-Based Pork

Tender, a plant-based meat startup in Boston, is using old-school technology to create ultra-realistic alternatives to pork and other structured cuts of meat.  Utilizing processes similar to those found in cotton candy machines, the company spins plant proteins into fibers to create products it says are “just better” in taste and texture than most plant-based offerings on the market.  “Our goal is to create superior quality in alternative meats”, Tender co-founder and CEO Christopher Chantre told the Boston Globe. “That’s really what we’re going after – is that next-level quality of texture.” First developed in a Harvard laboratory, Tender officially launched in 2020 in Greentown Labs in Somerville, MA. The company was initially founded as a graduate project by Chantre, who reportedly spent nine years …

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© Ivy Farm

UK Government Commits £16M to Sustainable Protein Research

The UK’s Biotechnical and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has joined forces with Innovate UK for a £16 million funding call dedicated to novel foods and sustainable protein research. This will include alt proteins such as cultivated meat, plant-based foods, and products made using precision fermentation. The two government funding bodies intend to support research that enables novel, resource-efficient, and low-emission food production systems. Selected British companies and projects will be able to use the funding to scale up production and bring their sustainable proteins to market. The news comes after the BBSRC reported in September that it planned to jointly allocate £20 million to alt protein research and development. UK government support for alt proteins While the UK government has previously provided funding to …

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Organisations and Brands:BBSRCinnovate uk
a cultivated beef hamburger in a petty dish held by a man's hands

David Parry/PA, image courtesy of Mosa Meat

EU’s Horizon Europe Grants €25M to Cultivated & Fermented Protein Research

The EU’s flagship research and innovation program, Horizon Europe, has announced €25 million in funding for three projects working on cultivated and fermented proteins. The projects are: Cultured meat and cultured seafood – state of play and future prospects in the EU. This project will receive €7 million to research how the cost of cultivated meat can be reduced, and how production can be economically scaled up. It will also look at consumer acceptance and the potential role of farmers. Microbiome for flavour and texture in the organoleptic dietary shift. Receiving €9 million, this project will use fermentation-derived ingredients to improve the properties of alt protein products. It will also pilot new precision fermentation and biomass production methods. Impact of the development of novel foods based …

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Organisations and Brands:horizon europe
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