red algae close up

Red algae ©Danita Delimont

Ingredients

Coloring the Future of Plant-Based: v2Foods’ Color-Changing Algae, Exberry’s Realistic Red for Alt Meat, and ADM’s Pistachio Greens

What will future plant-based foods look like? Here we highlight v2food‘s new red algae-derived ingredient that changes color while it cooks; EXBERRY‘s Compound Red which creates realistic color changes in the cooking process of plant-based meat; and ADM’s color and flavor trends for 2024. v2food’s color-changing algal tech Plant-based meat company v2food has unveiled RepliHue, a new color system made from red algae for plant-based meat at Australia’s renowned discovery stage South by Southwest. According to v2food, RepliHue’s red algae is produced sustainably, capturing carbon dioxide and harnessing light as an energy source. RepliHue is a new type of ingredient that is said to be capable of mimicking the color of meat during different cooking timings. It reacts to heat exposure, displaying different pink and brown shades …

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Fresh green broccoli on orange background

©New Africa-stock.adobe.com

Ingredients

Demand for Plant Protein Ingredients Outgrows Soy, Giving Rise to Innovations from Peas to Upcycled Broccoli

The demand for plant protein is growing worldwide due to consumer interest in alternative proteins, awareness of the benefits of plant-based diets, and the environmental impact of animal agriculture. In response, the global market for plant protein ingredients is projected to reach US$ 11 billion by 2033, according to a Fact-MR report. Some of the key drivers of the market include the increasing demand for plant-based meat and dairy, the growing popularity of protein beverages and supplements, and the rising interest in natural and organic food products. Key players, recent launches Ingredient companies make isolates or concentrates, using technological advancements such as new extraction methods and looking for novel plant sources for protein. Soy is the most studied and widely used source of plant protein …

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ADM's new innovation center in Manchester, the UK

Image courtesy of ADM

Company News

ADM Opens New Center in the UK for Innovations in Alt Protein and Other Foods

Agribusiness leader ADM (NYSE: ADM) has opened an innovation center in the UK for alt protein and other categories such as sweet, dairy, alternative dairy, and beverages. Located in Manchester, the Customer Creation and Innovation Center (CCIC) will be a UK hub fostering collaborations with food manufacturers, brands, and food service to create novel products. The 800-square-meter facility includes a state-of-the-art kitchen, a chef’s presentation theater, and flavor development lab, where ADM’s team will explore and expand its culinary capabilities and solutions into developing food innovations for the UK.  Expanding in alt protein At CCIC, ADM will offer its expertise (technology, ingredients, and solutions) for formulating and developing plant-based offerings that meet consumers’ high sensory expectations and health demands, said the company in the announcement.  Other ADM initiatives in …

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Air Protein and ADM join forces to commercially laungh landless proteins to make alt foods

Image courtesy ADM

Fermentation

Air Protein & ADM Partner to Bring Alt Meat Made With “Landless Protein” to Consumers

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and Air Protein are partnering to develop and launch consumer products using novel landless proteins.  The two parties have companies signed a strategic development agreement whereby ADM will provide researchers, ingredients knowledge, technologies, and strategies, to help Air Protein scale its protein ingredients platform for the development of new cost-effective and nutritious products, among them alt meats. The partnership also includes mutually exclusive rights for ADM and Air Protein to collaborate to build and operate a commercial-scale landless protein plant. A new protein to feed a growing population Players in the emerging field of air proteins include Finland’s Solar Foods, with its protein Solein, and Dutch startup Farmless, though Air Protein is arguably that with the highest profile. Co-founded by Lisa Dyson and John …

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ADM and Brightseed to develop synbiotic products for microbiome optimization

© Image courtesy of ADM & Brightseed

Ingredients

ADM and Brightseed Partner to Develop Synbiotic Products for Gut Health

US ingredients leader ADM has announced a partnership with bioactives company Brightseed to develop evidence-based functional synbiotic products that target microbiome optimization. ADM, which has invested an undisclosed amount in the venture, aims to offer a range of clinically validated functional ingredients for foods and beverages, dietary supplements, and medical foods by 2025. Synbiotics are gut health solutions in the form of food and supplements, which combine probiotics (health-beneficial microbial strains) with prebiotics (non-digestible fibers and plant substrates that microbes use to grow), explains ADM. AI technology The collaboration involves using Brightseed’s AI technology, Forager, to decipher the molecular interactions between dietary plants and gut microbes and their precise impact on human health. Preliminary profiling has showcased the AI’s ability to discover bioactives in plants and …

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Believer cultivated meats

© Believer Meats

Company News

ADM and Believer Meats Sign MOU to Advance Commercialization of Cultivated Meat

Agribusiness leader ADM and cultivated meat startup Believer Meats announce they have signed a non-exclusive memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on new ways to advance the development and commercialization of cultivated meat products.  Under the terms of the MOU, the companies will work together to explore multiple opportunities spanning the cultivated meat production process. The partnership will focus on utilizing ADM’s vast ingredient pantry and nutrition expertise to improve Believer’s proprietary cell-cultivated meat process. In addition, the non-exclusive agreement also creates a path to further support industry growth, say the companies, by using ADM’s processing expertise to possibly commercialize new products that arise from the collaboration. Expanding the “universe of protein” “With a global population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, ADM is …

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KnwbleGrwn hemp oil

© KnwbleGrwn

Products & Launches

ADM Launches D2C Brand Knwble Grwn

US ingredients leader ADM has launched a D2C plant-based brand, Knwble Grwn. The company claims its products are grown by small or underrepresented farmers using regenerative ag practices. “Consumers are looking for sustainably sourced products and they want supply chain transparency,” comments Goehner, said Jaime Goehner, commercial manager at ADM. The Knwble Grwn range includes flaxseed, hemp seed, flax, hemp, and quinoa. ADM, primarily a B2B business, has been expanding into D2C with other brands like Bio-Kult, a live bacteria supplement brand, and linseed oil LinSheen. The company, which has ambitious environmental goals to reduce scope 3 emissions and the environmental impact of its supply chain, says regenerative agriculture is part of such efforts. “ADM’s supply chain leadership enables us to source ingredients from farmers who share our …

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Alt protein innovation centre to be built at Wageningen Campus

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Protein

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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Marie-Benedicte-Charpentier, ADM

Marie-Benedicte-Charpentier, © ADM

Interviews

ADM: “The Future of Alternative Proteins Doesn’t Stop With Plant Proteins”

In the alt protein space, ADM has been increasingly making moves and entering new collaborations, including some of the most well-known names in the industry. For example, with Eat Just to accelerate production in its GOOD Meat cultivated chicken division; with New Culture as part of a strategic partnership to accelerate the commercialization of alt-dairy; and with Japan’s next-gen materials company Spiber to support the adoption of regenerative farming practices for Spiber’s Brewed Protein, to name a few. Additionally, in October last year, ADM and Marfig Global Foods announced plans to expand their joint venture, PlantPlus Foods, from Brazil into the US. We spoke with Marie-Bénédicte Charpentier, Marketing Director EMEA, at ADM, to find out more. What were the company’s highlights in 2022? Throughout 2022, …

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Ingredients

Sponsored Post

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adm workers in a farm field during the day

© ADM

Market & Trends

ADM Reveals Eight Global Consumer Trends Driving Product Innovation for 2023

From health and wellness for people and their pets to environmental concerns, ADM‘s third annual outlook identifies eight global consumer trends that will serve as anchor points to inspire innovation in the F&B and pet food industries in 2023. Below are the eight global consumer trends that ADM’s research predicts will drive product and service innovation in the next year. 1. Expanded protein choices More than half (52%) of global consumers now consider themselves flexitarians, incorporating animal and plant-based or other alternative proteins into their diets. Within that 52%, nearly two-thirds define their eating style as “trying to use more plant-based foods,” leading to more demand for expanded protein options. As technology natives Gen Z and Gen Alpha grow up, acceptance of using scientific advancements to …

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PlantPlus Foods Burger

©PlantPlusFoods

Company News

ADM and Marfig to Launch PlantPlus Foods Brand in the US

As reported by Bloomberg, Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) and Marfig Global Foods are to expand their joint venture, PlantPlus Foods, into the US. PlantPlus Foods launched in 2020 and is currently active in Brazil, where it supplies plant-based burgers to both retailers and food service outlets. This includes a partnership with Burger King. The brand is set to launch in the US by the end of this year, though the burger recipe will be altered to cater to American consumers’ tastes. Strategic acquisitions In January of this year, PlantPlus acquired Canadian plant-based food producer Sol Cuisine for about $100 million. The move came just two months after PlantPlus purchased Eat Drink Well LLC, the parent company of US plant-based brand Hilary’s. PlantPlus said it hoped that the …

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spiber spider silk

Brewed Protein silk© spiber.jp

Materials

ADM and Spiber Sign New Agreement to Support Regenerative Farming of Brewed Protein in Iowa

Agribusiness leader ADM and biotech company Spiber announce a new joint agreement to support the adoption of regenerative farming practices for Spiber’s Brewed Protein™. Through the agreement, the companies will work with corn farmers in Iowa to implement sustainable farming practices for the production of Spiber’s biomaterials.  Made from corn-based dextrose, Brewed Protein is a next-generation polymer that replaces petroleum-derived materials in a variety of applications, ranging from clothing to car seats. ADM and Spiber first partnered in 2020 to build a manufacturing facility in Clinton, IA to convert corn dextrose into Brewed Protein using ADM’s massive microbial fermentation capabilities.   Now, both companies are working to expand the environmental impact of Brewed Protein by encouraging Iowa farmers to adopt regenerative farming practices such as the …

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Bond Pet Food Founders

Tony Day, CTO, Rich Kelleman, CEO, and Pernilla Audibert, CSO©Bond Pet Food

Investments & Finance

Bond Pet Foods Raises $17.5M in Series A From Sia and Top Investors to Scale Fermented Meat Proteins

Bond Pet Foods, a biotech startup using fermentation to create meat proteins for pet food, announces it has completed its Series A fundraising round totaling $17.5M. The startup has also broken ground on a new 15,000 sq. ft. production facility in Boulder, CO.  The oversubscribed round included top global agribusiness companies ADM Ventures (Archer Daniels Midland Company) and Cavallo Ventures (Wilbur Ellis), as well as institutional funds Genoa Ventures and Lever VC; and food/tech and sustainability investors Thia Ventures and iSelect Fund, among others. Musical icons Sia Isabelle Furler and Joan Jett also participated in the round. A key trend   The startup plans to use the new funding to expand its portfolio of meat proteins and begin scaling production at a new 15,000 sq. ft. …

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New Culture Fermented Mozzarella Cheese

© New Culture

Company News

ADM and New Culture Announce Strategic Partnership to Scale Animal-Free Mozzarella and Dairy Products

Agribusiness leader ADM and animal-free dairy company New Culture are forming a strategic partnership to accelerate the commercialization of alt-dairy foods. The partnership will include joint product development and scaling of New Culture’s animal-free casein and dairy innovations, which are expected to launch in US food service in 2023.  Founded in New Zealand, New Culture creates animal-free dairy products using precision fermentation techniques that produce casein, one of the primary proteins found in cow’s milk. By making casein without cows, New Culture offers cheese and other foods that are indistinguishable in taste and texture from traditional dairy. The new partnership will utilize ADM’s broad product development resources to accelerate New Culture’s applications. The startup will also have access to ADM’s full pantry of sustainable, plant-based …

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Juan Benitez-Garcia_President-Global_Savory_ADM

Juan Benitez-Garcia © ADM

Interviews

ADM: “We’re Looking Forward to Supporting the Future of the Alternative Protein and Plant-Based Space”

ADM has been in the alternative protein headlines almost constantly this year, announcing: $300 million investment to expand its alternative protein production facilities in Ilinois in April; a partnership with Eat Just in May to accelerate its cultivated line GOOD Meat; a new firm called ScaleUp Bio in Singapore earlier this month; and most recently, a strategic partnership with Benson Hill to scale ultra-high soy protein. Juan Manuel Benítez-García, President, Global Savoury at ADM, spoke with vegconomist about such partnerships and how the company fits into the plant-based space. In which areas does ADM offer alternatives? We have a long legacy in plant-based protein solutions development, and we support brands across the food and beverage industry seeking to expand their alternative and plant-forward options, including …

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ADM chef presenting a beautiful dish

Image courtesy of ADM

Ingredients

ADM Enters Strategic Partnership With Benson Hill to Scale Ultra-High Protein Soy

Agri-food giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has entered a strategic partnership with Benson Hill to scale the food tech company’s proprietary ultra-high soy protein for the North American food ingredients market. Since inventing textured vegetable protein in 1965, ADM has led the way in the market for plant proteins and has consistently modified its products to meet shifting customer preferences. Following the invention of the soy vegetable burger three decades ago, soy protein is still an integral part of the company’s rise in the global plant protein ingredients market. Last year, ADM reached an agreement to acquire Sojaprotein, a leading European provider of non-GMO soy ingredients, to enhance ADM’s production capacity and meet the fast-growing global demand for plant proteins. In addition, the agri-food giant …

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ADM chef presenting a beautiful dish

Image courtesy of ADM

Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

ADM Co-Founds ScaleUp Bio to Accelerate Precision Fermentation Startups

Agri-food giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has joined forces with Asia Sustainable Foods Platform to create a new firm called ScaleUp Bio. In collaboration with A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology, ScaleUp Bio will open a Singapore-based pilot laboratory for precision fermentation startups. The facility will provide contract development and manufacturing services, featuring co-working spaces and test kitchens alongside fermentation and extrusion equipment. It is set to begin operating in the first quarter of next year, providing startups with up to 100L of fermentation capacity. Successful startups will then be able to transition to ScaleUp Bio’s larger facility, which will have up to 10,000L fermentation capacity and should be in operation by mid-2023. ADM and alt-proteins In recent years, ADM has increasingly been moving …

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Eat Just cultivated chicken curry

©Eat Just/ GOOD Meat

Cultivated Meat

Eat Just & ADM Announce “First-of-its-Kind” Partnership to Accelerate GOOD Meat Cultivated Chicken 

Eat Just, the US food tech leader, has entered into a joint development agreement with agrifoods giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) to accelerate production in the GOOD Meat cultivated division. The partnership marks ADM’s first strategic partnership of its kind in the cultivated meat sector, as the US multinational food corporation continues to diversify in the alt protein sector.  Eat Just, famous for its JUST Egg brand, started its GOOD Meat division in 2017 and became the first in the world to sell its cultivated chicken to diners, as well as becoming the most funded company in the emerging industry. The company states its first-of-its-kind partnership with ADM highlights how startups like Eat Just can work with established industry leaders to reach their joint mission …

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Product developer preparing a burger and fries_Shanghai-5285

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Agriculture / Agribusiness

ADM Announces $300M Investment to Grow Alt-Protein Production and Open Protein Innovation Center

Agrifoods giant Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM) announces the company is investing approximately $300 million to expand its alternative protein production facilities in Decatur, IL, in addition to opening a new state-of-the-art Protein Innovation Center. Once completed, these and other investments are expected to grow ADM’s global alternative protein production capacity by more than 30%, the company says.  Major increase in production ADM says increased production is needed to meet strong and growing consumer demand for quality plant proteins. The expansion of its Decatur-based complex, scheduled to be completed in Q1 of 2025, will significantly increase the company’s soy protein concentrate capacity and double its extrusion capabilities. ADM will also use the latest technology and processes to conform to its environmental sustainability standards.  “Protein partner …

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