Paris-based technology company Umiami just unveiled what it has been working on for the past 18 months: a proprietary texturization process to create plant-based whole cuts of meat and fish. It can now claim that it is one of the very few companies in the world to have invented an alternative to extrusion. What’s more? They plan to make their unique products available to other brands too!
Tristan Maurel, CEO, and co-founder of Umiami, explains: “Until now, there were only two options: dry extrusion to create minced products such as burger patties or sausages, and wet extrusion to create small chicken-like pieces. However, no technology allowed to create thick fibrous whole cuts of meat.” And that’s why, to recreate the fibrous structure of meat in thicker products, they have developed this unique technological platform. Their CTO, Hugo Dupuis, describes the details: “With our process, we can master both the thickness and the direction of the meat-like fibers in our products. It allows us to create a wide variety of plant-based meats and fish.” Their unique process is called “umisation” and they are currently scaling it while working on a wide range of patents to protect it.
Moreover, their products don’t compromise on clean labeling: they contain no texturing agents such as methylcellulose and have excellent nutritional profiles. Their current nugget consists of less than 12 ingredients, including the breading, whereas the market average lies at 30 ingredients.
Umiami sells its products through private label partnerships to established brands that want to include the best-tasting, most clean-label products in their portfolio, while Umiami focuses on tech and production. They have an existing product portfolio and are happy to work with brands to develop new products that harness the full potential of their technology. Umiami is reachable at [email protected].
