Motif FoodWorks has today announced an exclusive research collaboration with Dr. Alejandro Marangoni for formulating lipids and fiber-forming ingredients in plant-based meats and dairy products that “have the potential to enable unprecedented taste and texture improvements.”
Under this collaboration with the University of Guelph, Ontario, and Dr. Alejandro Marangoni, founder of Coasun Inc; Motif FoodWorks will work to close major gaps in taste, texture, and appearance that are critical to the creation of plant-based foods that consumers crave.
Prof. Alejandro Marangoni is a prolific scientist with over 400 research papers, 85 book chapters, 13 books and 40 patents to his name. He is the Editor in Chief of Current Opinion in Food Science and Current Research in Food Science. Under the exclusive evaluation period with the University of Guelph and Marangoni, Motif can exercise options to acquire or license these technologies.
Over a 12-month period, Motif will assess a set of promising technologies that aim to improve animal-free fats to make consumer favorites like plant-based burgers, sausages and cheese more delicious, including:
- Replacing saturated fat with an animal-free emulsion system that exhibits the physical properties of saturated fat at room temperature
- Replicating critical animal fat structures, such as the pockets of fat in meat products that produce marbling
- And improving the texture of plant-based cheeses, to be more meltable and elastic.
“Understanding how to properly structure fat in plant-based food is mission-critical for the food industry,” said Marangoni. “We are excited to work alongside Motif to determine how some of the newest and most exciting technologies will work in new food products to improve the sensory experience of plant-based meat and dairy on a broader scale.”
Motif states that the evaluation of these new fat technologies will help the company to further its mission to make plant-based foods better tasting and more nutritious, thereby creating new options that benefit consumers and the planet.
“Creating the right kind of fat structures in plant-based foods is one of the most significant — and exciting — challenges in the category because fat plays such a critical role in what makes some of our favorite food experiences so satisfying,” said Mike Leonard, CTO at Motif FoodWorks. “In our work with Marangoni and the University of Guelph, we will evaluate technologies with the potential to serve as critical new building blocks in plant-based food design.”