Agribusiness giant Cargill announces it is entering an agreement with food tech startup Cubiq Foods to co-develop and commercialize the latter’s plant-based fat technologies.
“We’re poised to accelerate the development of the next-generation plant-based products”
According to Cargill, the agreement is aimed at accelerating wide-scale commercialization of Cubiq’s novel fats, including its innovative Go!Drop emulsion, for plant-based meat and dairy, among other products.
Closing the flavor gap
Through the strategic partnership, Cargill states it will now have access to Cubiq’s existing portfolio of plant-based ingredient solutions, including plant proteins, texturizers and an array of traditional fats and oils. Cargill, the world’s third largest meat producer, says most current plant-based options do not meet consumers’ expectations for taste and quality.
Rather, it believes Cubiq’s line of “smarter” fats helps close the flavor gap by replicating the visual appearance, mouthfeel, and bite of conventional animal fat.
In addition, Cargill asserts Cubiq’s technologies could offer many advantages over the typical animal fats and tropical oils used in food production, including:
- Enhanced flavor
- Improving total fats and saturated fats
- Improving caloric content
- Incorporating essential fatty acids, such as Omega 3’s
“Win for consumers”
“By embracing new technologies, harnessing our full ingredient toolbox and leveraging our global application knowledge, we’re poised to accelerate the development of the next-generation plant-based products,” said Vivek Cherian, Meat and Dairy Alternatives Category Leader for Edible Oils at Cargill.
He continued, “”Ultimately, it will be a win for consumers, as we enable food manufacturers to create products and solutions with an eye toward both people and the planet.”
One of the innovative fats Cargill will be adopting is Go!Drop – a plant-based fat replacer made from an emulsion of vegetable oils and water. First launched by Cubiq in 2021, Go!Drop is said to be a viable alternative to traditional animal fats and can be used across a wide variety of applications.
Cargill first invested in Cubiq in 2022 as part of a $6M bridge funding round.
Ready for scale-up
“Signing the joint development and commercial agreements represents the next phase in our partnership, as our groundbreaking technology is now ready for application development, production scale-up and widespread commercialization – roles that Cargill is uniquely equipped to help us advance,” said Andrés Montefeltro, Cheif Executive Officer at Cubiq Foods. “Together, we’ll help food manufacturers and consumers reimagine what’s possible in the quest for healthy and satisfying foods.”
