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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

alt protein roundup

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.

Alt. Protein Round-Up: Hybrid Chorizo Sausages and Impossible’s Burger Stand

Government programs around the globe are increasingly getting more involved in the alternative protein space. This month, the Danish government allocated 1.25 billion kroner (~$194 million USD) for research into plant-based proteins. A few weeks ago, the USDA awarded Tufts University $10 million to establish “a cultivated protein center of excellence”. Most recently, a European agency called REACT-EU set aside $2 million in funding to help decrease the costs of producing cultivated meat (see below).

In this Alt. Protein Round-up, we also have news pieces on Mission Barns’ product unveil, Black Sheep Foods plant-based lamb, Impossible Meat’s burger stand, and ADM’s investment into precision fermentation.

Mission Barns and Silva Sausages unveil first product

Cultivated fat producer Mission Barns and sausage manufacturer Silva Sausages unveiled their first product produced in partnership: chorizo sausages. The sausages are a hybrid product, made with undisclosed plant proteins and Mission Barn’s proprietary cultivated fat. This is the first production run of the product, and this trial exemplified that the companies have the capabilities to produce the sausages on a large scale. In the multi-year partnership, Mission Barns will use Silva’s facilities (which can produce up to 50,000 lbs of sausage per day) and distribution network. There is no date set for an official launch of the hybrid chorizo sausages

European REACT-EU grants $2 million for “Feed for Meat” project

The “Feed for Meat” project was started by Nutreco and Mosa Meat, and it aims to lower the cost of producing cultivated meat. The European REACT-EU recovery assistance program just awarded the project $2 million to support efforts in commercializing cultivated eat throughout Europe. This funding will specifically be used for R&D efforts for reducing the costs of cultured cell media. This component is typically the most expensive part of cultured meat; however, Mosa Meat has shared that it has successfully reduced the cost of one of the growth nutrients by 98 percent.

Black Sheep Foods Launches Plant-Based Lamb in San Francisco Restaurants

This week, alternative protein startup Black Sheep Foods’ plant-based lamb made its debut in San Francisco restaurants. The launch is a big step for the Black Sheep team, which wants to offer more variety to plant-based meat eaters. “Our first product is lamb because it’s both alien and familiar in America,” company co-founder Sunny Kumar told The Spoon this week over Zoom. “Everyone knows about lamb, but no one really eats it at a high cadence.” Read the full article here.

ADM Invests in Acies Bio to expand precision fermentation capabilities

Global nutrition and agriculture company, ADM, invested in the Slovenian biotechnology company, Acies Bio through its venture capital arm ADM Ventures. One of Acies Bio’s specialties is precision fermentation technology for food and agricultural applications, and this technology will be used to assist ADM accelerate its own precision fermentation projects. Making use of Acies Bio’s microbial capabilities and contract manufacturing services, ADM aims to meet the growing demand for products developed through microbial fermentation.

Impossible Foods Opens a Burger Stand in Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena

This week Impossible and Climate Pledge Arena, the world’s first net zero-carbon sports arena, announced that the Impossible patty had been named the venue’s official burger. They also announced Impossible is opening two branded food stands in the home of the NHL’s newest franchise, the Seattle Kraken. Read the full article here.