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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

plant-based burgers

Sophie’s Bionutrients Debuts New Burger Made from Microalgae

Singapore-based food ingredient company Sophie’s Bionutrients announced today the debut of its new plant-based burger patties made from microalgae.

For its base ingredient, Sophie’s Bionutrients uses uses various strains of microalgae (including chlorella, which is already in health supplements) that the Singapore Food Agency and European Food Safety Authority have already identified as being safe for consumption.

Sophie’s Bionutrients scales up the protein source from a single-cell microalgae into a plant-based flour. To make a meat like patty, that flour is extruded into textured crumbles that are then shaped into patties. The patties are then seasoned with 10 different spices.

According to the press announcement, each patty weighs roughly 60 grams and has 25 grams of protein, comprising all nine essential amino acids including histidine and leucine. Sophie’s Bionutrients also says its algae-based patty has two times more protein than beef or most commercially available fish.

The ethical and environmental impact issues of traditional animal meat production have helped drive sales of plant-based alternatives up in recent years. Additionally, feeding the nine billion people who will eventually live on this planet will require new methods of protein production, including the use of plant-based alternatives.

In addition to producing protein in a smaller footprint compared with animal protein, Sophie’s Bionutrients also helps reduce food waste. The company re-uses items like spent grains from breweries and okara from tofu makers and molasses from sugar refineries in its algae production process.

We’re seeing algae pop up as an ingredient in more food items. In Israel, Algalafel uses algae to add protein to falafel, and Yemoja developed a “fastrack photobioreactor” to produce algae-based ingredients for food. And here in the U.S. Back of the Yards Algae Sciences has developed an algae-based spray that gives plant-based burgers a more meaty taste.

Right now Sophie’s Bionutrients says each production batch can make between 20 – 100 patties within a week. That’s not a lot, but the product is just being unveiled today. Given investor interest in the alternative protein space, it’s not hard to imagine the company attracting funds to help it scale (assuming the algae burger tastes good). In addition to burgers, Sophie’s Bionutrients also has its version of crab cakes and protein crackers in the product pipeline.

Plant-Based Veteran Tofurky Launches Burger Amid Stacked Competition

Early plant-based food maker Tofurky, which turns 40 this year, today launched its own beef-like burger, joining the likes of Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Nestle’s Sweet Earth, Kellogg’s Incogmeato and many others — it’s a crowded space, to say the least.

The company actually brought a formless beef alternative product to the market late last year, Forbes reports, but it was soon scrapped. Its new faux beef product includes two patties made of a combination of soy protein, vegetable protein and wheat gluten and lightly seasoned with salt, onion, garlic and black pepper. It is available now at more than 600 Target locations for $5.99.

Tofurky said in the release that its burgers have a more sustainable footprint than the competition since it uses all parts of the soybean. That’s not the case when it comes to pea protein, the primary ingredient used by Beyond Meat, Tofurky said. And unlike Impossible, Tofurky’s ingredients are non-GMO (FYI, no evidence exists to suggest that GMOs are harmful to humans). Tofurky also points to the sustainability of its packaging: “recyclable cartons that tout 23 percent less paperboard material, and inner packaging [that] has 69 percent less plastic film waste than others in the space.”

So why launch a faux meat burger now? Apparently, to capitalize on people resolving to eat less meat in the new year. “Many flexitarians resolve to go completely plant-based for the month of January, so we wanted to provide a new burger option now, ahead of summer grilling, that is affordable, delicious, and accessible,” said Jaime Athos, president and CEO of Tofurky.

The increasing popularity of the plant-based alternatives space has been kind to Tofurky, which for the first time in its history accepted private investment last year after seeing increased demand for its products. Tofurky also saw more good news when Mississippi pulled back on a proposed restrictive food labeling law that would have prevented plant-based companies from using words such as “burger,” “hot dog” and even “meat” on their packaging. The company had been part of a group suing the state as well as several others over similar proposed laws.

We’ll have to see if Tofurky’s hot streak continues and consumers embrace its burger.

Carl’s Jr. Will Test a CBD-Infused Cheeseburger on 4/20

Yesterday Carl’s Jr. got the internet all giddy when it announced it will sell a CBD-infused burger for one day, in one location.

The Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight burger will be available on April 20 (duh), at one location in Denver, CO. The burger will come with pickled jalepeños, pepper jack cheese, and Carl’s Jr.’s famous Santa Fe sauce infused with CBD. Naturally, the burger will sell for $4.20, and according to the press release, will be available from 6 a.m. until supplies run out, which I suspect will happen long before closing time.

CBD — that is, cannabidiol, the non-hallucinogenic element in cannabis — is making its way into everything from beauty products to cold-brew coffee to jelly beans.

Advocates tout so-called “wellness,” like relaxation, as one of the benefits of CBD. As yet, however, there is limited research supporting any of these claims. Meanwhile, regulatory framework surrounding production and sale of CBD is still somewhat murky, though the FDA did release a statement at the beginning of April that said the agency was taking steps to regulating foods and drinks infused with CBD.

The burger will contain 5 milligrams of CBD, which some say is well below the 500 milligram amount that makes CBD “effective.”

In any case, I doubt many people will be buying Rocky Mountain High cheeseburgers for their wellness benefits, and Carl’s Jr. is not trying to promote any of them. But a CBD-infused sauce could be intriguing from a taste perspective, and if we take that view of things, Carl’s Jr.’s 4/20 plans make a lot of sense. Of late, the chain has shown great willingness to embrace new trends and ingredients in the food world. The company recently partnered with Beyond Meat to bring a plant-based “flexitarian burger” to its menu, and not long ago came up with a truffle-infused cheddar sauce that you’d typically expect to find in a fancy sit-down restaurant, not a quick-service chain.

“The new Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight ties back to our core strategy of being the first to bring bold and unexpected flavors that are at the forefront of hot restaurant trends to a quick service menu,” Patty Trevino, Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing, said in the press release.

If the burger is a hit when it drops this weekend, and if regulators can craft a more solid framework around the buying and selling of CBD, Carl’s Jr. will be well positioned as a leader in using CBD as another ingredient with which to intrigue our palettes.