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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Ashlen Wilder

Voyage Foods is Creating the Future of Coffee, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate

I don’t want to live a world where coffee and chocolate don’t exist. First off, I love all of these things dearly. Secondly, I imagine if the supply of these precious items runs out, this will lead to utter chaos amongst self-proclaimed coffee and chocolate “addicts.” Unfortunately, climate change threatens the ability to continue to produce these crops to the extent that they are produced today. However, a company called Voyage Foods wants to “future-proof” these foods by creating sustainable alternatives that taste exactly like coffee and chocolate and peanut butter.

To understand how exactly Voyage Foods is doing this, I spoke with the CEO and founder of the company, Adam Maxwell. Founded about a year ago, Voyage Foods focuses on foods that pose environmental, ethical or health issues. Maxwell explained that there are already many companies making vegan products in response to a demand for sustainable products, and said “There is a tunnel vision kind of focus on really where we should put effort in the food system.” So many other parts of the food system are being ignored, and this is why Voyage Foods landed on coffee, cacao, and peanut butter.

The massive global demand for coffee and cacao has led to some negative consequences like illegal deforestation, child labor, and increased water usage. The land available for growing these crops (which can only be grown in certain regions) is shrinking. “The production of these things is going to go down and down,” Maxell said. “The world’s consumption is projected to go up, so part of it’s how can we archive these things for the future?”

While there aren’t necessarily environmental concerns associated with peanut butter, it has other problems; approximately 1 percent of the population in the U.S., or about 3 million people, are allergic to peanuts.

Voyage Foods sent The Spoon a sample of its bean-free coffee and cacao-free milk chocolate bar. I first took a swig of the coffee, and it tasted like a smooth cold brew coffee. It also had unique tasting notes that I had never tasted in coffee, leaving a slight smokey mesquite flavor in the back of my throat (for me, this was a good thing). I appreciated that the coffee had no acidity and thoroughly enjoyed it poured over ice with a splash of oat milk. Maxwell could not disclose what ingredients were in the alternative coffee but did say it still contained caffeine.

The milk chocolate bar was fully vegan and made from a base of grape seeds, shea butter, sunflower meal, and a few other ingredients. It certainly tasted like chocolate and reminded me of the milk candy bars I would eat as a child, like a Hershey’s bar. I am someone who typically only eats dark chocolate, but was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, and was sad when it was all gone.

When asked about how Voyage Foods makes all of its products, Maxwell responded with “A lot of our process and our technology is, how do we manipulate different feedstocks into the same outputs? How do you roast something that is not a cocoa bean, to make it taste like cocoa?”. Voyage Foods starts with whole food ingredients, like sunflower meal or grape seeds, and manipulates them in a certain way to achieve flavors found in the products they are trying to mimic. Maxwell also said the company’s facilities look similar to existing chocolate, coffee, and peanut butter production facilities.

Although I did not get to try it, Voyage Foods’ peanut butter product is made from various grains and seeds. This product is slated to be the first to launch and available for consumers to purchase in early 2022. The chocolate will likely launch in mid-2022. I would love to get my hands on more of Voyage Foods’ coffee, but we will all, unfortunately, have to likely wait until 2023 for this product.

Alt. Protein Round-Up: Red Algae “Blood” and 3D-Printed Sea Bass Fillets

In such a fast-paced industry like future food, news can fly right by you, but we have you covered with this week’s alt protein round-up where we’ve gathered some of the most interesting news of the week.

About Ounje by Yemoja LTD
Yemoja introduces its new ingredient, “Ounje”

Yemoja uses red algae to make burgers bleed

Israel-based Yemoja, a marine ingredient start-up, has discovered a novel way to use red algae (which is grown in photobioreactors) to cause plant-based burgers to “bleed”. The ingredient is called “Ounje”, and not only does it look like blood, but it acts as a binder and allows plant-based meat analogs to brown and sizzle like real meat. On top of improving the texture and appearance, the algae additive contains 20-25 percent protein. Ounje seems to function like Impossible’s plant-based heme, which is instead made from a base of soy.

3D-printed scaffolding used for the structure of the fish fillet

Scientists are working with algae to develop a cultivated sea bass fish fillet

A team of scientists, led by Associate Professor Frederico Ferreira from the University of Lisbon’s Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, are spearheading the project called Algae2fish. The project is funded by The Good Food Institute, and its goal is to develop sea bass fillets made with algae, cultivated cells, and 3D-printed scaffolding. Algae and other plant ingredients will be used as the base for the edible 3D-printed scaffolding. The fish stem cells will be enhanced using electrical stimulation to create muscle and fat components. These components will then be used as bioinks in a 3D printer to create patterns and the texture of a fish fillet.

Spent Brewer’s yeast gets a second life as vegan protein

Sacca, a German-based start-up, is using spent Brewer’s yeast from the brewing industry to develop vegan protein. The company extracts proteins from the yeast byproduct to create a powdered protein product containing 80 percent protein and 20 percent fiber. According to Sacca, the protein is completely flavorless, but the company can add an tural umami flavor if this is desired by the customer. The protein will have many applications, ranging from alternative dairy, meat analogs, baked goods, and sport nutrition products.

Real Deal Milk hopes to use precision fermentation to make animal-based dairy obsolete

When asked if it’s possible to fully replace animal-based dairy, Zoltan Toth-Czifra, the founder and CEO of Real Deal Milk, doesn’t hesitate. “I think the question is not if, but when?” he told me. I had caught up with Toth-Czifra this week to learn more about his Barcelona-based company, which uses precision fermentation to create bioidentical milk proteins. The company, which Toth-Czifra founded in February 2021, is currently in its research and development phase and was recently accepted into the Pascual incubator program, an incubator program focused on innovation in the dairy industry is run by a large dairy producer. Read the full article here.

Motif Foodworks’ New HEMAMI Receives GRAS Status From FDA

Motif Foodworks is on a mission to improve the taste and texture of plant-based foods, and in June 2021, the company raised $226 million USD to do exactly that. This week, the food-tech company made its most recent product called HEMAMI commercially available for large-scale distribution to its customers. HEMAMI appears to be the combination of the words “umami” and “heme”. This novel ingredient is a heme protein derived from yeast, created via precision fermentation. Read the full article here.

Real Deal Milk Hopes To Use Precision Fermentation To Make Animal-Based Dairy Obsolete

When asked if it’s possible to fully replace animal-based dairy, Zoltan Toth-Czifra, the founder and CEO of Real Deal Milk, doesn’t hesitate. “I think the question is not if, but when?” he told me.

I had caught up with Toth-Czifra this week to learn more about his Barcelona-based company, which uses precision fermentation to create bioidentical milk proteins. The company, which Toth-Czifra founded in February 2021, is currently in its research and development phase and was recently accepted into the Pascual incubator program, an incubator program focused on innovation in the dairy industry is run by a large dairy producer.

“It signals that traditional dairy is also looking where we are looking,” says Toth-Czifra. “They see where things are headed and maybe see the future in cellular agriculture, and they want to be part of it. They want to invest in it.”

Real Deal Milk uses precision fermentation technology to “teach” yeast strains to produce bioidentical milk proteins. Dairy milk consists of proteins, sugars, fats, and water, and according to Toth-Czifra, the proteins are the most difficult to replicate. Therefore, the company is focused on replicating whey and casein proteins that can be used in various dairy alternative applications such as milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, and more.

Precision fermentation start-up Perfect Day unveiled the first animal-free whey protein powder last week. Change Foods is another company that also uses precision fermentation to create dairy proteins to be used in cheese. According to Toth-Czifra, there does not seem to be another precision fermentation company focused on dairy proteins in Spain. There are a few others dispersed throughout Europe, like Formo in Germany.

Dairy farming releases large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, such as methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. With the imminent threat of our planet warming due to the greenhouse gas effect, dairy products are often demonized for their high emissions. In regards to climate change, Toth-Czifra said, “I feel climate change is one of the most recognized brands, but with no product.” However, many products are a response to climate change, such as alternative dairy products.

Real Deal Milk’s first product will likely be cheese. The company’s long-term vision is to replace dairy across all categories, including cream, milk, milk powder, and ice cream.

Motif Foodworks’ New HEMAMI Receives GRAS Status From FDA

Motif Foodworks is on a mission to improve the taste and texture of plant-based foods, and in June 2021, the company raised $226 million USD to do exactly that. This week, the food-tech company made its most recent product called HEMAMI commercially available for large-scale distribution to its customers.

HEMAMI appears to be the combination of the words “umami” and “heme”. This novel ingredient is a heme protein derived from yeast, created via precision fermentation. Heme is a molecule that contains iron, and it is found in high concentrations in the blood of animals and humans. According to the company, HEMAMI can be used to improve the aroma and flavor of plant-based meat analogs likes burgers, sausages, chicken, and more.

Plant-based heme (made from a base of soy) is what gives Impossible Burger the realistic meat flavor and its “bleeding” texture. A Chicago-based start-up called Back of the Yards Algae Sciences developed spirulina-derived heme that can be sprayed onto plant-based burgers and other analogs to provide a meatier flavor.

Motif Foodworks’ HEMAMI also received the FDA’s GRAS (generally recognized as safe) letter. In the letter, the yeast-based heme was approved as a flavor and aroma additive for plant-based meat. Motif also submitted a Color Additive Petition for its new ingredient to be used as a color additive, and this is still pending approval.

Many consumers have swapped out meat for plant-based alternatives due to health, environmental, and ethical reasons, but flavor and texture may still be holding them back from doing so. According to the report, “Climate Change and the American Diet”, two out of three Americans would eat more plant-based alternatives if they tasted better. Ingredients like HEMAMI may be the key to unlocking better plant-based meats. Motif has also created an ingredient called APPETEX that mimics the texture of animal tissue using plants, spearheading the common complaint of alternative products having an unrealistic texture.

Interested in trying HEMAMI? Motif Foodworks will be offering samples of plant-based burgers made with HEMAMI at the Plant-Based World Expo in New York on December 9th and 10th.

Alt. Protein Round-Up: Labeling for Cultivated Meat & the Desire for Greater Transparency

Despite how rapidly the plant-based space has grown in the past few years, plant-based meat has hit a sales slump. Market watcher SPINS shared recent data detailing how sales in the overall plant-based meat market dropped 1.8% year over year for the four-week period ending October 3rd. Why is this so? Read more here.

Regardless, the alternative protein space remains robust and constantly evolving. This week, we’ve gathered news from this space on Paleo’s funding round, UPSIDE Food working with the USDA, consumers’ desire for more transparency, animal-free milk at Starbucks, and a plant-based labeling law in Oklahoma.

Alternative protein startup Paleo raises €2M in seed round, prepares series A round of €40M

Paleo, a Belgian-based foodtech start-up, announced in a press release sent to The Spoon that it has raised €2 million (~$2,256,480 USD) in a seed round as it prepares for a future series A round of €40 million (~$45,128,600). Using precision fermentation, the alternative protein start-up develops meat and fish protein that are intended to be used as ingredients in plant-based meat and fish products. The funding will be put towards research and development, and used to open up an R&D center, pilot plant, and experience center.

UPSIDE Foods responds to USDA’s request for comment

Cultivated meat company UPSIDE Foods responded to the USDA’s recent advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) titled “Labeling of Meat and Poultry Products Comprised of or Containing Cultured Animal Cells.” The FDA and USDA are working together to oversee the production of cultivated meat and seafood in order to develop regulations and standardize labeling. UPSIDE, which recently opened a 53,000 square foot production facility, has been working closely with the agencies as its technology is pending regulation. In response to the USDA’s ANPR, UPSIDE said it believes that “cultivated” is the appropriate terminology for meat made from cells, that labeling should be truthful and transparent, and that it should be mandatory to disclose the production process of cultivated meat products.

Photo by Szabo Viktor on Unsplash

Curious What’s in That Faux Sausage? You’re Not Alone: Consumers Want Greater Transparency With Alt-Protein Ingredients

C.O.nxt and Menu Matters recently conducted a survey to analyze consumer opinions and alternative protein trends. One of the main takeaways of this survey was that almost half, or 41.3 percent of consumers, want total ingredient transparency before committing to alternative proteins. Before replacing meat products with alternative protein products, consumers desire to know how exactly alternative products are produced and what goes in them. Read the full article here.

Starbucks is Trialing Animal-Free Milk. I Decided to Try it Out to See If It Tastes & Foams Like Regular Milk

In case you haven’t heard, Starbucks is trialing animal-free milk in the Seattle market. No, we’re not talking Oatly or another plant-based milk, but a milk with cow milk-identical proteins made in a lab. The alt-milk is from Perfect Day, a company that uses precision fermentation to create its proprietary β-lactoglobulin animal-identical milk protein. The company’s protein, which received GRAS approval from the FDA last year, has primarily been sold to consumers in the form of ice cream (and soon cream cheese), but not in the form of a milk product. However, this move could signify that one could be on the way. Read the full article here.

Tofurky and the Plant Based Foods Association Are Challenging an Oklahoma Plant-Based Labeling Law

The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a complaint this month against an Oklahoma plant-based labeling law on behalf of Tofurky and the Plant Based Foods Association. It’s not the first time Tofurky and the Fund have teamed up to challenge plant-based labeling legislation: In the last couple of years, they’ve also filed suits in Louisiana and Arkansas. But there’s something different about the Oklahoma law—and that difference could make it trickier for plant-based producers to challenge. Read the full article here.

B.T. Sweets Unveils Cambya, an Alternative Sugar Made From Plant-Fibers and Botanicals

When serial entrepreneur Dagi Pekatch began showing early signs of developing Type 2 diabetes, he began to study the negative health effects of sugar. His research not only showed him he wasn’t alone – in just the United States, one in three people have prediabetes and worldwide, it is estimated that 422 million people live with diabetes – but also made him realize our sugar addiction represented a huge opportunity for a better alternative. It wouldn’t be long before he co-founded a start-up called B.T. Sweets in 2019, which this week unveiled its first product: Cambya, a sugar alternative made from soluble fibers, botanicals, and monk fruit.

Cambya is a one-to-one sugar replacement, meaning that it uses the same measurements used for standard white sugar. For example, if a muffin recipe called for 1/2 cup of cane sugar, then a 1/2 cup of Cambya could be used instead. Since soluble fibers are one of the main components of this alternative sugar, the company says this improves digestion and increases satiety.

Sugar poses a major problem in our modern society: we eat way too much of it, and it’s making us sick. Of course, while many other alternative sweeteners like stevia, erythritol, monk fruit extract are already widely available, it is well known that many of these zero sugar sweeteners have a bitter or “off” aftertaste. With more consumers choosing to reduce their added sugar intake, the sugar-alternative market is projected to be worth $10.2 billion USD by 2026.

Another start-up called The Supplant Company has a similar idea to Cambya. This company also uses plant fibers to craft a low-sugar, high-fiber sweetener, but what sets Supplant apart is that it uses the fibers of agricultural side streams like corn, wheat, and rice. DouxMatok and BetterJuice are two other companies in the food tech space that have also developed sugar reduction technologies.

Cambya operates on a plug-and-play model where it will work with both new and existing CPG companies to achieve the goal of creating products with lower added-sugar content. Manufacturers have the option to only use Cambya, or blend it with other sugars. According to the company, Cambya has been tested in many confectionery applications, in everything from cake to pudding to ice cream. Cake without all the sugar (and negative health effects!) and sounds pretty sweet to me.

Curious What’s in That Faux Sausage? You’re Not Alone: Consumers Want Greater Transparency With Alt-Protein Ingredients

The past few years have been explosive for the entire plant-based and vegan market. Particularly so for the plant-based meat sector, which was valued at $1.06 billion USD in 2020. Most people don’t strictly follow a vegan or plant-based diet; however, nearly all consumers are at least willing to try alternative protein products. The rise in novel plant-based protein products has also coincided with the rise in consumers desiring more transparency in the products that they consume. Now, customers want to know what exactly goes in the vegan burgers they’re gobbling up.

C.O.nxt and Menu Matters recently conducted a survey to analyze consumer opinions and alternative protein trends. One of the main takeaways of this survey was that almost half, or 41.3 percent of consumers, want total ingredient transparency before committing to alternative proteins. Before replacing meat products with alternative protein products, consumer desire to know how exactly alternative products are produced and what goes in them.

Where does this skepticism arise from? Many processed alternative protein products contain ingredients like pea protein isolate or methylcellulose that are not commonplace in the average consumer’s kitchen. Many turn to plant-based or vegan food for health reasons, and it is unclear whether these ingredients are healthy or not.

Some consumers, especially older generations, have health concerns around alternative protein products. Specifically, the survey makes clear this demographic has questions about the long-term health impact concerns from these products. They also were not clear on if these products are “natural” and are actually better for the environment.

Overall, younger generations are most open to trying all different types of alternative products, including cultivated and precision fermentation products. Environmental concerns are also a motivator for trying plant-based proteins, and 91 percent of consumers reported that planned on reducing some of their consumption of animal proteins in the near future.

The Spoon recently published a piece analyzing why plant-based product sales have been taking a nose dive as of lately. This could be because consumers satiated their first-taste curiosity with plant-based products, or possibly because not enough consumers fully transitioned to a plant-based diet.

If this survey is any indication, increased ingredient and production transparency may be crucial for this category to continue to grow.

MOOLESS: The First Animal-Free Whey Protein Powder Created By Perfect Day & Natreve

Perfect Day, a company that makes animal-identical proteins using precision fermentation, and Natreve, a wellness and nutrition company, have partnered to produce MOOLESS, a protein powder made with animal-free whey protein.

In 2020, the FDA approved Perfect Day’s animal-free whey protein made from β-lactoglobulin (the company’s proprietary protein) for human consumption. This GRAS letter allowed the start-up to sell its alternative dairy protein to CPG companies to create novel products – and that’s exactly what Perfect Day has been doing as of recently. Last month Perfect Day launched a cake mix with animal-free whey through its Urgent Company.

MOOLESS is the most recent product to make use of Perfect Day’s animal-free whey protein, which is molecularly identical to conventional whey protein. According to the companies, this will be the first animal-free whey protein powder on the market that also provides the same nutritional benefits of whey, while also offering a lower environmental footprint. A single serving of the alternative protein powder will provide 20 grams of protein

Whey protein is commonly found in meal replacement shakes, protein powders, and protein bars. Dairy-free and vegan products often use pea, soy, rice, and hemp to boost their protein content, but the protein content can sometimes fall short of what whey protein is able to provide. MOOLESS is a vegan product because it is not animal-based, but it is not suitable for those with dairy allergy.

Perfect Day has proven that precision fermentation is a viable technology for creating alternative protein products that are identical to their conventional counterparts. Other companies, like Formo, Imagindairy, and Change Foods, are also using precision fermentation to produce, but have yet to bring any products to market.

MOOLESS will come in four flavors: Vanilla Bean Cupcake, Cookies and Cream, Strawberry Shortcake, and Chocolate Fudge Brownie. The alternative protein powder is set to launch in early 2022 with a major U.S. retailer as well as on Natreve’s website.

Perfect Day has been on a hot streak as of late. Not only did the company launch their new cake mix last month, but their partnership with Natreve comes just weeks after the news that Starbucks would trial the company’s precision fermented milk at two Starbucks locations in the Seattle market.

Wine Critic Launches Jukes Cordialities, an Alcohol-Free Wine Fit for Oenophiles

If you consider the phrase “non-alcoholic wine” for a moment, it seems that this might just be referring to a glass of unfermented grape juice. Wine is defined as an alcoholic beverage made from grapes or other fruits, but a company called Jukes Cordialities has created wine – sans the fermentation process and alcohol content. Launched by wine critic and writer Matthew Jukes, the company is focused on providing the same complexities and nuances found in a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

There are many reasons one might choose to avoid drinking alcohol – pregnancy, being the designated driver, religion, health reasons, or simply just not being in the mood for a buzz. We’re also entering the holiday season where alcoholic beverages are seemingly always poured, and it’s nice to take a break from the non-stop booze.

I had the opportunity to do a virtual tasting with Matthew Jukes, and try the company’s three different varieties of alcohol-free wine. The alternative wines come in small 30mL (~1 ounce) bottles, which contain two servings. To serve the wine, it’s recommended that half the bottle is mixed with 5oz of still or sparkling water.

The Jukes 1 varietal is meant to mimic a white wine with flavors of peach, citrus, herb, and cucumber. Jukes 8 is rosé-inspired, with flavors of melon, pear, rhubarb, and pomegranate. The dark purple-red Jukes 6 is fruity and spicy, with notes of berries and plum.

Matthew Jukes shows me how to enjoy Jukes 1

All of the varieties are made from a base of organic apple cider vinegar. Each flavor, or varietal, is comprised of over 20 ingredients, including various fruit juices, herbs, spices, flowers, and vegetables. For someone trying to count calories, each serving of Jukes contains 25 calories, while a glass of red wine typically has around 125.

Jukes blends all the ingredients, which are first macerated, in custom-made stainless steel tanks to produce the wines. Although the tanks look slightly similar to brewing equipment, no fermentation takes place. Other non-alcoholic wines are more complicated to create; some are produced just like a standard wine, but the last step is removing the alcohol through vacuum installation or reverse osmosis.

Although I could tell that I wasn’t drinking wine (a good thing because I did the virtual tasting at 9 am) due to the pungency of the apple cider vinegar, it still felt like I was drinking wine. When I drink wine, I often want more of the fruity, smoky, citrusy, and oak-y flavors to shine through. With Jukes, my favorite part was how much of the distinct flavors of fruit and flowers shone through. If I were at a social function where everyone else was drinking, I wouldn’t feel left out if I was sipping on a glass of Jukes.

The alcohol-free beverage space has rapidly expanded and taken a more elevated form in the past few years. Until recent years, you might have been able to snag an O’Doul’s to drink with dinner or while at a bar, but alcohol-free wine was virtually nonexistent. The Spoon has yet to try other 0.0% wines, but a few other brands in this space include AcidLeague, SipCozy, Gruvi, and TÖST.

Jukes are available on the company’s website, and at a few alcohol-free retail stores. A box of nine bottles of Jukes costs $48.50 which is equivalent to three bottles of wine.

Watch Nala Robotics’ Robot Chef in Action

A restaurant that can serve millions of different dishes, is open 24/7, and doesn’t close on holidays sounds like a dream, right? After three years in the making, Nala Robotics has made this dream a reality with its fully automated robot kitchen that opened on November 11th in Naperville, Illinois.

The first automated restaurant/kitchen by Nala Robotics is called One Mean Chicken, and it serves wings and fried chicken. It is manned by multiple robots powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, which do not need human intervention to function. Without the need for humans, Nala’s restaurant can operate throughout the day and night, on holidays, and without social distancing considerations.

Watch this video to see the robots preparing food:

Recipes can be uploaded by the user to the recipes catalog, and the robots can learn to make any dish within just a few minutes. This easily gives restaurant concepts the opportunity to offer multiple cuisines under one roof.

Nala’s use of articulating robotic arms to do everything from prep, cook, and more while handling a variety of cookware and utensils is reminiscent of Moley’s chef robot, which the UK-based company announced general availability for last year. Unlike Moley, Nala is exclusively targeted for commercial foodservice applications, whereas Moley is targeted both towards high-end residential installations in addition to commercial applications.

According to Ajay Sunkara, the founder and CEO of Nala Robotics, “Being AI-powered, the robotic chef gets better and better every single day. The more it cooks, the more it’s going to learn and master these recipes.”

Restaurants around the country have been facing major labor shortages in 2021 due to the aftermath of the pandemic, and over 25 percent have reported that they are struggling to hire line cooks. Automated kitchens like Nala, and others such as Mezli, Spyce, and Cala may prove to be a viable solution to these ongoing shortages.

Nala Robotics will soon open two more restaurant concepts in the same location as One Mean Chicken (in Naperville’s Mall of India). The next to be launched will be Nala’s Thai 76 (Thai food) and then Surya Tiffins (South Indian food). In 2022, Nala plans to open 10 restaurant locations, and then 100 locations by 2024.

Big Idea Ventures Unveils Start-ups in Newest Accelerator Cohort

Big Idea Ventures is an early-stage investor in food technologies, and this week the firm announced the list of start-ups that are a part of its bi-annual accelerator program.

For this cohort, 17 start-ups focused on food and climate challenges were selected to receive pre-seed investment through the firm’s offices in New York, Singapore, and Paris. This is the first cohort for the Paris program and the fourth cohort for the New York and Singapore programs. The accelerator program is part of Big Idea Venture’s New Protein Fund, which invests in alternative protein products and ingredients.

Here’s more info about the selected companies:

New York Program

Fybraworks Foods – grows real animal meat proteins with microbes and is the first company to develop recombinant muscle protein for food applications.

De Novo Dairy – the first African company to use precision fermentation technology, this start-up is replicating dairy to create animal-free cheese, yoghurt, and ice cream.

Prosel Biosciences – uses microalgae to produce bioidentical food proteins and selenoprotein-modified industrial enzymes.

BetterMilk – using mammary cells and a genetic engineering platform, the B2B company will sell their alternative milk and milk ingredients to companies in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry.

Liven Proteins – produces animal-free protein ingredients through the fermentation of agriculture and food industry by-products (gelatin is the company’s first product).

Maya Milk – uses precision fermentation to produce animal-free dairy proteins and fats with the same sensory experience that animal-based dairy provides.

Singapore Program

Phyx44 – using precision fermentation, the start-up is producing animal-free dairy proteins & fats to recreate milk.

LILO Desserts – sourcing fruit waste and low-grade fruit not fit for grocery stores, LILO is creating snacks and desserts, such as plant-based cheesecake.

Fisheroo – the first to use cellular agriculture technology to create surimi, a minced fish paste commonly found in East Asian cuisine.

Mogale Meat – with its proprietary biobank of stem and satellite cell lines, Mogale is producing cultivated meat analogs, with a focus on African game meat.

Paris Program

Bright Biotech – with the goal of bringing cell-based meat to consumers quicker, this start-up has developed a plant-based technology that uses chloroplasts as chassis to manufacture large amounts of affordable growth factors.

Green-On – developing saturated fat and fatty acids to replace palm oil using only carbon dioxide, electricity, and, water. 

Little Bandits – developing non-dairy, soy-free products for children.

Luyef Biotechnologies – a cell-based meat company that has developed myoglobin protein to provide the flavor and aroma of real meat for plant-based meat alternatives.

The VERY Food co. – creating plant-based ingredients for cooking, including eggs, cream, and butter.

YOFI – creating organic plant-based milk alternatives with peas.

MOA foodtech – transforming food waste and agriculture byproducts into a “next-generation protein” through the use of artificial intelligence and biotechnology.

Maya Milk’s milk protein product

Amongst the selected start-ups, developing alternative dairy is one of the predominant focuses. The alternative dairy market is the most developed category in the plant-based space, and it is expected to reach a value of $54 billion by 2028. YOFI, The VERY Food Co., and Little Bandits are entering this crowded space using explicitly plant-based ingredients to develop their alternative products. On the other hand, Maya Milk, Phyx44, and De Novo Dairy are each using precision fermentation to create animal-free dairy products, while BetterMilk makes alternative milk using mammary cells and its’ genetic engineering platform.

In 2020, $366 million in funding flowed to companies developing alternative meat using cellular agriculture. Cultivated meat and seafood, a global market expected to be worth $25 billion by 2030, is another theme in this cohort. Fybraworks Foods, Luyef Biotechnologies, Bright Biotech, Mogale Meat, and Fisheroo fall into this category.

LILO Dessert’s packaged cheesecake made from fruit waste and damaged fruits

Global food waste is a major issue that has garnered attention in recent years, and one that companies in the food and agriculture tech space have attempted to provide solutions to. In this cohort, MOA Foodtech and LILO Desserts are each using some form of food waste to develop new products.

To date, Big Idea Ventures has invested in 65 alternative protein companies, including this current cohort. Currently, the firm is accepting applications for its next accelerator cohorts (beginning in early 2022) in New York, Paris, and Singapore.


Alt. Protein Round-Up: Microalgae Cheddar and Redefine Meat’s Commercial Launch

Many voiced frustrations that at the recent COP26 summit (2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference), food and agriculture were largely left out of the conversation about climate change. In the food tech space, climate change, sustainability, and food security is often the forefront of the conversation. Animal agriculture is known to be harmful to the environment and a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, while alternative protein sources are frequently cited as a potential solution.

One voice at COP26 that made sure to touch on animal agriculture and alternative protein was the CEO and founder of Impossible Foods, Pat Brown. During his opportunity to talk, Brown said that if we end animal agriculture, we will be able essentially to turn back the clock environmentally to the year 2000. Alternative meat analogs (like Impossible’s) offer a solution to make animal protein obsolete (according to Brown).

In other alt-protein news this week, we’ve gathered stories on Sophie’s Bionutrients, Redefine Meat, Helaina, and Next Gen Foods. Read on!

Photo of Sophie’s Bionutrient’s microalgae milk, which is the base of its new cheddar cheese product

Sophie’s Bionutrient’s launches cheese made from algae

Singapore-based Sophie’s Bionutrients grows microalgae in bioreactors, and this week, the company unveiled that it has developed alternative cheddar cheese in partnership with Ingredion Idea Labs innovation center. The cheese is made from a base of the company’s microalgae milk, which was announced in May of this year as the first dairy-free milk made from this ingredient. Alternative dairy and cheese products are commonly made from soy, coconut, cashew, and oats, but as far as e know, Sophie’s is the first to use microalgae for this application. The novel cheese product aims to mimic the sharp taste and texture of semi-hard cheddar cheese, and a single serving of it will offer double the recommended amount of vitamin B12.

Redefine Meat Commercially Launches Plant-Based Whole Cuts of Meat

Israel-based Redefine Meat has created a line of whole cut plant-based meats called New Meat This week, the company parterened with chefs throughout the UK, Netherlands, Germany, and Israel for the initial commercial launch of New Meat in high-end restaurants. The first meat analogs in the New Meat line up include beef and lambs cuts, including kebabs, sausages, ground meat, and burgers. Mimicing the texture of real meat within alternative protein products has been a challenge, and a many companies in this space have been vying to commercially launch a viable product as REdefine Meat has now done.

Precision fermentation company Helaina raises $20 million for breast milk proteins

Helaina uses precision fermentation to create immune-equivalent proteins found in breast milk, and this week the start-up announced that it has raised $20 million in funding. The Series A round was co-led by Spark Capital and Siam Capital along with other investors, bringing the company’s total funding to $24.5 million. The new capital will be put towards itsmanufacturing and commercialization process, building its team, and executing its go-to-market strategy.

Next Gen Foods Launches TiNDLE Plant-Based Chicken in Amsterdam, Opens Innovation Center in Singapore

Singapore-based startup Next Gen Foods announced last week that its flagship alternative chicken product (named TiNDLE) has touched down in Amsterdam restaurants. TiNDLE debuted in Singapore in early 2021 before launching in Hong Kong, Macau, Kuala Lumpur, and the UAE. The Amsterdam launch marks the beginning of TiNDLE’s expansion into Europe and beyond: Next Gen plans to introduce the product in Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. next year. Read the full article here.