Soy Protein

soy bean farm

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Ingredients

Canada Takes Steps to Secure Soybean Supply Chain with New Soy Powder Pilot Facility

Protein Industries Canada has announced a new initiative aimed at increasing the domestic processing of Canadian-grown soybeans, in partnership with Alinova Canada Inc., Marusan Ai Co., Earth’s Own Foods, and YOSO (Flamaglo Foods). The project, which will establish a pilot-scale soy powder facility in Ontario, is expected to add value to Canada’s soybean crops, which are primarily exported for processing abroad. Alinova Canada Inc., a joint venture between DJ Hendrick International Inc. (DJHII) and Marusan Ai Co., will lead the project to develop and commercialize a new soy powder. This effort builds on the success of a previous Protein Industries Canada initiative, which explored the feasibility of a commercial soy powder processing plant in Eastern Canada. The new facility will be located in Ontario, which …

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Market & Trends

Consumer Demand for Plant-Based Foods is Surging After a “Lackluster” Year, Amid Protein Supply Challenges

Mintec by Expana, a global price reporting agency and market intelligence company, has released its Plant-Based Protein “Monthly Market Insight,” revealing that consumer demand for plant-based foods is beginning to increase after a previously “lackluster year.” According to the report, there is an 18-37% year-over-year growth in plant-based purchases and a shift from animal products “across all categories” by new buyers. Meanwhile, the Plant-Based Food Association noted increased spending on plant-based milk, frozen meat, and frozen meals, indicating growing customer loyalty, Mintec notes. And according to GFI’s latest analysis, plant-based food sales in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK reached €5.4 billion in 2023, up 5.5% from 2022, while volume sales were up 3.5%. Higher prices for pea and soy proteins Mintec …

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Bunge to build soy protein concentrate facility

© Bunge
Agriculture / Agribusiness

Bunge Breaks Ground on $500M Facility to Supply Soy Protein for Plant-Based Foods Market

Global agribusiness firm Bunge announces it has begun construction on a new $500M soybean processing facility in Morristown, Indiana. Opening in mid-2025, the “fully integrated” plant will produce soy protein concentrates and textured soy protein concentrates for the plant-based foods market.  The new facility is adjacent to Bunge’s existing soybean processing plant in Morristown, which focuses on processing soy for animal feed and byproducts like soybean oil. Once operational, the new plant will employ 70 workers and be able to process 4.5 million bushels of soybeans every year.  According to Aaron Buettner, president of food solutions at Bunge, the success of Bunge’s first processing plant influenced the company to re-invest in the Morristown community.  “It’s really the relationship that we have with community and the …

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President, North America

©Equinom
Company News

Equinom Appoints New President of North America and CSO As It Prepares to Launch First Products

Israeli ingredients company Equinom announces the appointment of Ephi Eyal as its new North America President and Adi Costa as Chief Science Officer. Eyal and Costa join the company as it prepares to accelerate the commercialization of its minimally-processed plant proteins and continues to develop its Manna™ technology platform. According to the company, Eyal brings significant leadership experience in the food and nutrition industries, where he helped drive growth and innovation for specialty ingredients companies like J.M. Huber, CP Kelco, and Innovative Food Processors. At Equinom, Eyal will oversee the North American commercial and farming operations as the company scales up its seed, grain and ingredients through different strategic partnerships. “Equinom is on a quest to become the food industry’s end-to-end ingredient innovation partner starting …

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Bunge to build soy protein concentrate facility

© Bunge
Manufacturing & Technology

Bunge to Invest $550M in US Soy Protein Concentrate Facility

Bunge, a global agribusiness firm and food and ingredients producer, is planning to invest around $550 million in a new US facility for soy protein concentrate. The facility will be adjacent to Bunge’s soybean processing plant in Morristown, Indiana, and will process almost 4.5 million additional bushels of soybeans per year. Both regular and textured soy protein concentrate will be produced, suitable for use in plant-based foods and various other products. Construction is set to begin in the first quarter of next year, and the plant is expected to become active in mid-2025. Bunge already has a soy protein concentrate operation in Bellevue, Ohio, but the new facility will add scale, efficiencies, and non-GMO capability. It will also create about 70 full-time jobs. Bunge also …

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Soy plants/ crops

© Equinom
Investments & Finance

Equinom Closes $35M in Funding to Scale Minimally Processed, Non-GMO Plant Protein

Israeli nutrition company Equinom announces the close of $35M in funding to bring its more optimized plant proteins to market. The round brings the company’s total funding to date to $71M.  Equinom will use the capital to accelerate the commercialization of its plant protein ingredients, which will be sold to food companies via established multinational suppliers.  Equinom specializes in breeding new non-GMO varieties of important proteins used by the plant-based industry, such as soy and pea, that are optimized for food production and require less processing. These improved proteins are said to offer better taste and nutrition while reducing production costs and complexities. According to Equinom, this thus enables food companies to develop tastier and more affordable alternatives to meat and dairy. “Today’s food system …

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Purdue Soy Innovation

©Purdue University
Ingredients

Purdue University Receives $1.1M Grant to Advance Soy Product Innovation

The United Soybean Board (USB) announced it has awarded $1.1M to the Purdue University Food Entrepreneurship and Manufacturing Institute (FEMI), in partnership with the University of Arkansas and the University of Missouri. The joint project, which launched on Oct. 1st, seeks to build infrastructure and connectivity for small- and medium-scale processing of soy-based value-added products.  Co-funded by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, a federal organization focused on addressing key problems in agriculture and food security, the year-long project will be led by Purdue associate professor and FEMI director Dharmendra Mishra. According to Purdue, the project was born out of a national discussion on the soybean value chain. Its work will concentrate on phenotyping for compositional traits in novel value-added applications, trials to eliminate …

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UNLIMEAT-upcycled-food-low

© UNLIMEAT
Products & Launches

UNLIMEAT Plant-Based Meat Gyudon Now Available at 450 Sukiya Restaurants in China

Sukiya, a global chain restaurant specializing in Japanese gyudon, is now serving UNLIMEAT’s Plant Energy Don Series at all of its restaurants in China. UNLIMEAT is a South Korean brand focused on developing alternative plant-based meat using a percentage of upcycled products in its production process, thus contributing to food waste reduction. Nine months ago, UNLIMEAT partnered with the restaurant chain to introduce its plant-based meat gyudon at 15 locations. Following the success of the menu items, both parties decided to expand the offer to all the restaurant chain locations in China, with the expansion coming into effect on September 15th. The Energy Don Series The Plant Energy Don is a plant-based version of gyudon, made with UNLIMEAT’s plant-based Korean BBQ meat. Gyudon is a …

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Next Meats skirt steak bowl

© Next Meats

Food & Beverage

Japan Sees Soybean Boom in Plant-Based Food & Drink Production

Soy and tofu have been staples in Japan for around 1,300 years, traditionally consumed by Buddhists and initially introduced to the country by Chinese monks. Asia News reports today that use of the soybean in food and drink production has increased significantly over the past two years, and additionally, Japan Times states this week that “soy-based alternatives to animal-based sources of protein appear to be growing on Japan”. Aside from its traditional soy-based food items such as tofu, soy milk, soy sauce, and soy-based condiments; many of Japan’s meat-processing companies are starting to develop soy-based meat alternatives. This is attributed to increasing demand for healthier food options post-pandemic as well as  and the government’s drive for net-zero carbon emissions. The rise of soy milk Despite …

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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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Nature's Prime Chicken Tenders

©Improved Nature
Food & Beverage

Improved Nature Creates Plant-Based Meat Option for Meal Kit Companies

Improved Nature, a plant-based protein company, announces it is now offering its Nature’s PRIME products in smaller sizes designed specifically for meal kits. Available in four varieties, the new 4 oz. packages offer a quick and simple plant-based meat alternative for meal subscription companies. Nature’s PRIME is a dehydrated, neutral-flavored plant protein that recreates the texture and experience of eating meat. Made from non-GMO soy, the product is created from a proprietary process and comes in four varieties for meal kits: slices, bits, shreds and mini pieces. Once rehydrated, Nature’s PRIME can be easily seasoned, marinated or spiced to replace meat in nearly any recipe.  The product is also highly economical – a 4 oz. package of Nature’s PRIME becomes 1.25 pounds of plant protein …

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Product developer preparing a burger and fries_Shanghai-5285

Image supplied by ADM
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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Zero Egg Liron Nimrodi

Liron Nimrodi © Zero Egg
Interviews

Zero Egg: “We Believe Zero Egg is a Game-Changer in the Egg Category”

Zero Egg is a plant-based egg made with a combination of sustainable plant proteins including soy, potato, chickpea, and yellow pea protein. Shortly after launching, the brand announced it had secured $5 million in Series A funding; plant-based egg is the fastest-growing category in plant-based and these products are highly sought after.

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Dr Levenberg

Prof. Levenberg, head of the Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Lab, director of the Technion Center for 3D Bioprinting, director of the Rina and Avner Schneur Center for Diabetes Research, and Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering.
Food & Beverage

Scientists Make Breakthrough in the Production of ‘Slaughter-Free Steak’ Using Soy Protein as a Scaffold to Grow Tissue

Researchers from Technion and Aleph Farms in Israel have achieved a breakthrough in the production of cultivated meat. As reported in the journal Nature Food, soy protein has been found to be efficient in the use of scaffolds for growing bovine tissue outside of an animal’s body.

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