Compared to other plant-based products such as cheese and meat, plant-based milk alternatives have been around for some time and many consumers are already well familiar with milk alternatives like soy and coconut milk. In Germany 93% of consumers already buy plant-based milk alternatives, which is higher than in any of the other plant-based product categories.
Korea’s The PlantEat Uses AI to Make Soybeans Better-Tasting & More Digestible
Korean food tech company The PlantEat has used artificial intelligence to develop a variety of soybeans that is said to address several challenges commonly faced by plant-based food manufacturers. The new variety — called Hayoung — is non-GMO and does not have the off-taste and indigestibility often associated with soybeans. As reported by The Chosun, it also improves yields, with 100 beans producing 32.3 grams after processing compared to 21 grams for conventional soybeans. Additionally, The PlantEat claims that the beans do not contain the proteins that typically cause soy allergies. Hayoung was developed by using AI to analyze over 4 million food data points, significantly speeding up the R&D process. The project was funded by the Korean Food, Agriculture, and Forestry R&D Information Service. …