Myodenovo aims to grows cultivated meat using plant-based scaffolds

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Cultivated Meat

ProFuse Technology Unveils Innovation That Enables 48-Hour Cultivated Meat Growth

Israeli biotech ProFuse Technology, a company at the forefront of muscle tissue growth, announces a tech breakthrough that it claims will mark a new era of cultivated meat production. According to the company, it has developed a scaffolding 3D growth technology that, along with its cell culture media and growth protocols, can accelerate muscle growth time fivefold. ProFuse Technology claims this advancement allows cultivated meat production within 48 hours, reducing the usual time by 80%. Moreover, this innovation enhances the protein content of muscle tissue by five times that of traditional meat, resulting in a more protein-rich alternative and achieving these improvements without using genetic modification. Dr. Tamar Eigler Hirsh, CTO of ProFuse Technology, says: “ProFuse Technology’s proprietary media supplements and protocols achieve effective muscle production …

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Meatafora meatballs

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Cultivated Meat

New Research Collaboration Accelerates Meatafora’s Product Development

Meatafora, an Israel-based cultivated meat company, announces its latest technological advancements, positioning the food tech company one step closer to a consumer product launch.  The company’s mission is to provide a premium cultivated meat product that is highly nutritious and cost-efficient using a scaleable process that it claims can reduce costs by up to 50 percent.  Unlocking new research The company’s recent collaboration with Technion Israel Institute of Technology has provided access to new research, which has been instrumental in Meatafora’s technological developments. The procurement of research breakthroughs from the leading research university has yielded two pivotal milestones for the company. The first involves the successful development of an oleogel fat substitute that replicates the characteristics of animal-derived fat while offering improved nutritional value. This …

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Israel's BioBetter has opened its first food-grade pilot facility to accelerate the production of growth factors

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

BioBetter Opens Pilot Facility to Pave Way for Cultivated Meat through Molecular Farming

Israeli biotech startup BioBetter has opened its first food-grade pilot facility to accelerate the production of growth factors for the cultivated meat industry.  BioBetter pioneers a unique protein manufacturing platform that uses molecular farming to produce tobacco plant-derived growth factors (GFs) and bovine insulin-expressing plants. The company claims it has reached commercial-scale cultivation and can process 100 kg of tobacco plants daily at the new plant, aiming to process five tons by 2025. With these ambitious goals, the company has doubled its team to 50 workers to advance the plant’s operations, adhering to ISO2200 and HACCP standards. BioBetter says that since the plant meets all regulatory requirements for producing food-grade growth factors, it is awaiting approval from the Ministry of Health for food manufacturing licensing. “We stimulate …

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Steakholder cultivated steak on plate

image credit Shlomi Arbiv

Company News

Steakholder Foods Submits Patent for Immortal Bovine Cell Line, Says “It’s a Paradigm Shift” for Future Food

Israeli deep tech Steakholder Foods Ltd., known for its 3D printing technology, yesterday announced it had submitted a provisional patent for immortal bovine cell lines, with the purpose of providing a stable, renewable source for generating different tissues. Steakholder announced back in August 2022 that it was working on the development of cultivated pork products using a new line of porcine stem cells. It states that this current move represents a “significant step in making commercial-scale cultivated meat production a reality”, claiming it paves the way for scale, repeatability, and growth. The patent is said to present immortal cell lines that can generate a broad array of tissues including both muscle and fat, and to enhance the growth capacity of bovine cells resulting in immortalization …

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SuperMeat's chicken cell line process meets Kosher meat Mehadrin standards

The Chicken @ SuperMeat

Company News

SuperMeat’s Cultivated Chicken Receives Kosher Certification, Making Sustainable Proteins Accessible to Millions

Israeli startup SuperMeat announces that OU Kosher, the world’s largest kosher certification agency, has determined that its chicken cell line process meets Kosher meat Mehadrin standards — which are said to be the most stringent level of kosher supervision. This approval of SuperMeat’s cultivated chicken signifies a pivotal moment for developing novel foods and indicates a broad consensus among Jewish religious factions for the first time, explains SuperMeat. Furthermore, a Kosher certification provides access to sustainable meat for individuals worldwide who abide by religious dietary and food safety guidelines, and it opens the door for other certifications, such as Halal.   According to Co-founder and Executive Director of Agronomics, Jim Mellon: “This development opens up a considerable global market opportunity, with an estimated $11bn a year being spent …

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Steak MeaTech

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Printed Technology

Steakholder Foods Unveils Customizable 3D Modeling Software for Clients

Israeli deep-tech food company Steakholder Foods Ltd. (Nasdaq: STKH), known for its 3D bio-printing technologies, today announces the launch of its proprietary Light CAD Editor for use by clients. The software works alongside the company’s fusion printers, enabling clients to create, test, and optimize 3D models and fibrous textures for its 3D bioprinters, without the need for third-party software or extensive computer-aided design (CAD) training. After revealing the world’s first 3D bio-printed cultivated fish prototype — a ready-to-cook grouper fillet, printed with customized bio-inks utilizing grouper cells provided by Umami Meats — Steakholder (formerly MeaTech 3D) went on to announce in May its plans to provide 3D bioprinters and bioinks to B2B meat manufacturers and cultivated meat producers. Furthermore, this July the company signed a …

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Jonathan Goshen, CEO of Yeap and an employee

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Protein

Israel’s Yeap Receives Investment from Fermentation Expert Lessafre for Upcycled Yeast Proteins

Israeli startup Yeap announces that Lessafre, a global player in fermentation-derived products, has made a 10% investment in the company to introduce proteins made from upcycled spent yeast to the plant-based market. Yeap was founded by cultivated meat pioneer Didier Toubia, CEO of Aleph Farms, Dominik Grabinski, and Jonathan Goshen, CEO of Yeap, to develop sustainable proteins incorporating a circular economy model. Its shareholders include The Kitchen Hub by Strauss and AgFunder. The company already has several products in the pipeline and is a member of the Upcycled Food Association. Through the new partnership, Lessafre will assist Yeap in completing the development of these proteins made from upcycled yeast. Biospringer by Lesaffre, a leading producer of natural food ingredients extracted from yeast and other microorganisms, will oversee the collaboration. “The product under …

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MadeRight develops fungi-based packaging

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Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

MadeRight Raises $2M for High-Performance Fungi-Based Packaging

Israeli startup MadeRight has raised $2 million in seed funding to further develop its fungi-based packaging solutions. The startup has created a solid-state fermentation process where mycelia turn industrial organic waste into biomass. Materials are then extracted from this biomass to form pellets that can be used in existing packaging manufacturing machines. When combined with bioplastics, the pellets have the potential to significantly improve performance and sustainability. The seed round was led by the incubator Fresh Start, with participation from Arkin Holdings and Arc Impact. It will be used to expand MadeRight’s development team, refine the production process, and enter new markets, with the goal of producing a commercially viable prototype by the end of 2024. “The great potential of MadeRight’s solution is to close …

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Amos Golan, CEO, Chunk Foods

Amos Golan, © Chunk Foods

Interviews

Chunk Foods: “The Feedback from Our Launch with Charley’s Steak House in Orlando Has Been Overwhelming”

Chunk Foods is on a mission to “make delicious, nutritious, plant-based whole cuts that are kind to the environment, and accessible to all,” and has successfully launched its first development, plant-based whole-cut beef steak, utilizing solid state fermentation technology, with further plans to later pork, lamb, and poultry. Recently, the biotech raised $15M in a seed round which it described as the biggest ever seed funding round for an Israeli plant-based company, with the funds set to be invested in one of the largest plant-based whole cuts factories in the world, scheduled for completion in Summer 2023.  Following the huge amount of noise around the steak’s addition to menus in a well-known Florida steakhouse, which attracted press attention around the world (several of them denouncing …

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Imagindairy secures self-affirmed GRAS status for animal-free dairy proteins

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Company News

Imagindairy Obtains Self-Affirmed GRAS Status in the US for Animal-Free Protein, Inaugurates Headquarters

Israeli-based food tech startup Imagindairy announces that its animal-free whey protein has obtained the US self-affirmed GRAS status (generally recognized as safe) in accordance with FDA requirements. Receiving GRAS status means Imagindairy’s animal-free whey protein is considered safe for use in food and beverages. This regulatory approval opens opportunities for new collaborations with companies looking to enter into the animal-free dairy space in the US. Furthermore, it signifies a pivotal step for the commercialization of its ingredients. New headquarters Imagindairy also announces the opening of its new and improved headquarters near Haifa, Israel. The space has been custom-designed to support the company in its next growth phase. Besides the new offices, the new location features a state-of-the-art laboratory for the R&D of ingredient solutions and …

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Aleph Farms launches Aleph Cuts brand ahead of commercialization

Image courtesy of Aleph Farms

Company News

Aleph Farms Submits Dossier to Launch Cultivated Beef Steaks in the UK

Only a few days after becoming the first company to seek regulatory approval for cultivated meat in Europe, the Israeli company Aleph Farms announces it has submitted a pre-market authorization dossier to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to launch cultivated beef steaks in the UK. The news comes just in time to celebrate tomorrow’s anniversary of the world’s first-ever cultivated beef burger, developed by Dr. Mark Post and presented in London ten years ago. Since then, the industry has achieved various milestones in bringing cultivated meat to consumers. While Aleph Farms seeks to launch Aleph Cuts in the old continent, cultivated meat has been available in Singapore since December 2020. And with recent FDA approvals, US consumers can try cultivated chicken at China Chilcano restaurant or at Bar Crenn. …

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Chunk Foods partners with Charly's Steak House

Image courtesy of Chunk Foods

Food Service

Florida Steakhouse Chain Orders 100,000 Units of Chunk Foods’ Plant-Based Steak

The Talk of the Town Restaurant Group, encompassing six restaurants in Central Florida, has partnered with Israeli food tech Chunk Foods to offer a plant-based steak across its locations, starting with Charley’s Steak House, a traditional fine-dining steakhouse. The restaurant group, which says it has been seeking a vegan meat option for years in every food tech event, has committed to the purchase of 100,000 units of Chunk Food’s plant-based steak, confident of its superior quality, reports Business Insider. “We are reshaping the steakhouse experience and catering to the expanding tastes and preferences of today’s consumers. At our core we serve the finest steaks and seafood and we have been searching for over 15 years for a plant-based option for our guests that meets our standards,” said Seth Miller, …

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Aleph Farms publishes its first sustainability impact report

Image credit: Aleph Farms

Company News

Aleph Farms Publishes First-Ever Impact Report Revealing its Sustainability Journey

After becoming the first company to initiate the regulatory approval process for a cultivated meat product in Europe, Aleph Farms announces its first-ever Impact Report 2022. Developed in coordination with sustainability consultancy Anthesis, the study details its sustainability journey from its establishment in 2017 until the end of 2022. It aims to inspire other cultivated meat companies and propel efforts to launch products, explains the biotech company. “As a leader in sustainability and cellular agriculture, it is imperative that we practice transparency, which is indispensable for cultivating trust with stakeholders,” said Dr. Lee Recht, VP of Sustainability at Aleph Farms.  Sustainability for future generations Aleph Farms argues that sustainability needs to be at the center of the production of cultivated meat to build more resilient food systems …

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KaYama Foods logo

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Ingredients

Introducing KaYama Foods: Plant-Based Fat Technology for the Ultimate Meat Analogs

Israel’s KaYama Foods, founded by Gad Harris in 2022, pioneers a ground-breaking fat technology that it claims makes plant-based oils as effective as meat fats in delivering flavors, texture, and aromas during cooking.  According to the startup, animal meat fat tends to melt at a higher temperature range, while vegetable oils have a lower melting point — except coconut oil that has a melting point of 25°C (77°F). This feature (of plant oils) makes plant-based meats lose their oils and thus their flavor and moisture in high-temperatures cooking processes. To tackle this problem, many plant-based formulations include emulsions and emulsifiers to prevent oils from leaking out. Still, they don’t provide the functionality of oil. To solve the taste problem in meat analogs, KaYama Foods has developed a thickening product that raises the …

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Brevel founders

Brevel founders (L to R) Yonatan Golans, Ido Golan, Matan Golan. Image courtesy of Brevel

Investments & Finance

Brevel Raises $18.5M to Fuel the Plant-Based Sector with Sustainable Microalgae Proteins

Israeli fermentation company Brevel announces it has closed an $18.5 million seed funding round to produce and launch into the market its microalgae-based proteins suitable for F&B plant-based applications. Established in 2016 by three brothers, Yonatan (CEO), Matan (COO), and Ido Golan (CTO), Brevel has developed a sugar-based fermentation tech that uses microalgae and light in industrial-scale systems to produce sustainable and functional proteins without using agricultural land. NevaTeam Partners and the European Union’s EIC Fund backed Brevel in this round. Other participants included leading food and climate funds and strategic partners from the food industry. Brevel’s seed funding includes $8.4 million converted from grants and convertible loans into shares. In June 2022, Brevel received funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 program and Israel’s Innovation Authority in the form …

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Oshi salmon

©Oshi

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

Oshi and The Better Meat Co. Receive $1M Joint Grant to Develop Fish-Free Salmon Fillets

Alt protein startups Oshi (the company formerly known as Plantish) and The Better Meat Co. announce the two companies have jointly been awarded a USD $1M grant from the BIRD Foundation.  Intended to promote R&D that mutually benefits both Israel and the US, the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) grant will support the work of Oshi and The Better Meat Co. to develop mycoprotein-based salmon fillets.  According to the companies, human activities like overfishing, dams and logging have severely impacted many wild salmon populations, leading to steep population declines and even extinction. In the Atlantic Ocean, it is estimated that 99.5% of all native Atlantic salmon has disappeared from the wild. Despite this ecological crisis, consumer demand for salmon continues to grow each year.  …

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Steakholder Foods’ cooked 3D-printed hybrid-fish fillet

3D-printed hybrid-fish fillet © Shlomi Arbiv

Company News

Steakholder Foods Signs Multi-Million Dollar Deal for 3D Printing Cultivated Meat Facility in Persian Gulf

Israeli cultivated meat and 3D printing leader Steakholder Foods (NASDAQ: STKH), announces it has signed a multi-million-dollar agreement with an accredited GCC-based governmental body (Gulf Cooperation Council) to establish a ‘first-of-its-kind,’ large-scale production facility in the Persian Gulf.   The partnership aims to address the local food security goals set in the GCC, representing the economic union between Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. In May, Steakholder Foods announced it was launching a new 3D bioprinting business model, promising to advance the cultivated meat revolution. Now the company has signed its first memorandum of agreement for strategic cooperation (MOA). Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Foods, commented: “After intensive years of development, Steakholder Foods is excited to sign this first agreement with a strategic partner, generating …

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Simpliigood unveils high quality chicken analog made with spirulina

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Algae, Microalgae & Seaweed

SimpliiGood Claims New Spirulina-Based Chicken Offers Same Nutritional Value as Poultry

Israeli microalgae innovator SimpliiGood, founded by Algaecore Technologies, reveals a clean-label chicken analog made from its spirulina product, claiming it offers the same nutritional profile as chicken. Spirulina has a rich composition of whole protein and an impressive profile of vitamins and minerals. It is a good source of iron, calcium, B vitamins, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants. “100 grams of SimpliiGood spirulina microalgae provides the equivalent of 200 grams of real chicken in protein load,” explains Baruch Dach, SimpliiGood’s founder and CTO. According to the startup, the new spirulina-based analog, composed of 80% pure, fresh, minimally processed microalgae and prebiotic fibers, solves one of the most significant hurdles of the alt protein movement: highly nutritious, clean-label alternatives. Furthermore, SimpliiGood claims to have a technology capable …

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Liat Lachish Levy, CEO of ChickP

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Interviews

ChickP: “It’s Not Just Buzzwords Anymore; it’s About Real-World Challenges Like World Hunger and the Climate Crisis”

ChickP, an Israeli food tech company specializing in chickpea protein, has this year introduced protein isolates customized for dairy-free ice cream as well as a line of cream and firm cheddar cheeses using traditional cheese fermentation methods. Chickpeas are an incredibly sustainable ingredient, requiring little water, enriching soil, and offering a low carbon footprint. What’s not to love? We were pleased to speak with CEO Liat Lachish Levy, who began ChickP after leading international brands like Kellogg’s, Heinz, Pringles, and Kikkoman. First please tell us about your career to date and your first steps in the company. I possess over two decades of expertise in overseeing worldwide consumer packaged goods (CPG) operations to drive company expansion and establish strong strategic alliances with renowned Fortune 500 …

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Remilk animal-free milk protein

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People

CPG Powerhouses Join Remilk to Create The New Cow-Free Dairy Industry

Animal-free dairy startup Remilk announces the appointment of three CPG powerhouses to its Board of Directors, with F&B execs bringing track records of transformation, innovation, and breakthrough achievements.  Alicia Enciso, recent CMO of Nestle USA; Floris Wesseling, former President of Danone Europe; and Pedro Padierna, former CEO and Chairman of PepsiCo Mexico, join the Israeli company bringing their experience, broad vision, and deep knowledge of the F&D ecosystem. Replacing animal agriculture Remilk, a leader in developing and producing animal-free milk proteins using a proprietary fermentation process, has received regulatory approval in the USA and Israel. The company supplies raw materials, contracting with major food companies worldwide for production and distribution. A recent commercial agreement involves launching a line of dairy products for the Israeli market …

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