Cultures, enzymes, yeast

New Culture to launch vegan mozzarella using animal-free casein via precision fermentation by early 2024

25-May-2023 By Deniz Ataman

New Culture is preparing to launch its vegan mozzarella in early 2024 with more cheese options in the near future, after $25m in series A funding last fall.

Next-gen probiotic gets FDA no objection GRAS

02-May-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Netherlands-based Caelus Health has received a letter of no objection from the US FDA regarding the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status for a next-generation microbe.

Plant-based and cellular agriculture leaders raise awareness on Capitol Hill for sustainable food production ahead of 2023 Farm Bill

28-Apr-2023 By Deniz Ataman

The delegation hosted policymakers, regulators and media on Capitol Hill this week to discuss the future of plant-based ingredients and cell-cultured meat production through “diversified, innovative agricultural tools and foods that utilize technological...

ADM, Believer Meats team to accelerate cultivated meat products consumers will want

12-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Ingredient supplier ADM and cultivated meat pioneer Believer Meats are joining forces to accelerate development and commercialization of cultivated meat products with a focus on improving the taste, texture, color and other consumer relevant characteristics...

TurtleTree’s animal-free lactoferrin LF+ promises to democratize highly-prized, scarce multifunctional milk protein

07-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Known as pink gold for its iron-rich rosy hue, high price point and supply scarcity, the bioactive milk protein lactoferrin has been mostly limited to infant formula and dietary supplements in small doses – but that could soon change thanks to advances...

Natural Products Expo West

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Innovations meet rapidly rising demand for prebiotics, probiotics and gut health+

03-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

At Natural Products Expo West this year, walking down an aisle without seeing a callout for prebiotics or probiotics was nearly impossible as more players race to meet consumer demand for each, which research from Coefficient Capital shows is climbing...

What is next for probiotics? Consumers seek transparency, science-backed validation

29-Mar-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Increasing interest in health benefits from probiotics, prebiotics and their synergies is opening new markets for functional foods and beverages, but for products to take full advantage of these opportunities, they must meet consumers’ rising bar for...

AnaBio Technologies unlocks shelf-stable probiotic beverage market with heat-resistant, moisture-stabilizing micro-encapsulation technology

22-Mar-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

A patented micro-encapsulation technology from AnaBio Technologies promises to protect and stabilize probiotic bacteria from short bursts of high temperatures and moisture up to 12 months – unlocking an unmet demand in the fast-growing shelf-stable functional...

Tackling the food waste problem: The Spare Food Co. finds a ‘whey’

08-Mar-2023 By Ryan Daily

With a new flavor of its probiotic tonic set to hit store shelves regionally later this month, The Spare Food Co. is repurposing whey from the Greek style-yogurt manufacturing process to create its line of beverages while advocating for more food and...

Got functional milk? DFA launches ‘first-ever’ probiotics-fortified UHT milk as an affordable alternative to kefir, kombucha

02-Mar-2023 By Teodora Lyubomirova

Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) believes the product, developed alongside Good Culture, is the first lactose-free, long-life fluid milk on the US market to combine the nutritional benefits of dairy with microbiome-boosting probiotics.

Dutch ingredient supplier celebrates ‘giant leap’ as food industry’s first representative in space

20-Feb-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Rotterdam-based Fooditive is boldly going where no food company has gone before to try and solve current food system challenges and drive system transformation.

Study: kombucha flattens postprandial glycemic and insulin response

20-Feb-2023 By Nikki Hancocks

When kombucha is consumed with a high-GI meal there is a clinically significant reduction in postprandial glycemic and insulin index (GI and II) response, when compared with water, according to new research.

The researchers brewing lipids to transform waste into food

07-Feb-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Researchers say they are using ancient technology to turn agricultural waste into fats. They say the approach could help the sustainable protein industry recreate the flavours of meat and has the potential to replace palm oil or other tropical oils.

Meat-free: Kinoko harnesses solid state fermentation to offer high-protein, minimally processed center-of-the plate options

01-Jan-2023 By Elaine Watson

While several firms are growing fungi in fermentation tanks to make meat analogs, Israeli startup Kinoko is ditching the stainless steel vessels, adding fungi strains to legumes and grains in stacked trays, and letting them work their magic in a solid...

Fermented fava: A ‘new ingredient’ to fuel next gen plant-based innovation?

15-Dec-2022 By Katy Askew

Nordic food innovator Foodiq has developed what it describes as a ‘new ingredient’ targeting plant-based products, fermented fava.

Novozymes, Chr. Hansen merger: ‘The combination…will show the world the true power of biosolutions’

12-Dec-2022 By Katy Askew

Danish enzyme and cultures suppliers Novozymes and Chr. Hansen plan to merge their businesses in a move they say will create a ‘leading global biosolutions partner’.

Danone supports research exploring COVID-19’s microbiome impact: ‘Food and nutrition can have an important role’

09-Dec-2022 By Katy Askew

Research from scientists at Rutgers University and supported by Danone has focused on the impact COVID-19 has on the microbiome, the collection of microorganisms that live in and on the human body. The findings could feed into Danone’s R&D efforts...

STARTUP NATION PART TWO: Israeli food startups to watch, from antimicrobial proteins for food protection to upcycled yeast protein

08-Dec-2022 By Elaine Watson

In part two of our gallery of highlights from FoodNavigator-USA's recent trip to Israel, we profile startups exploring everything from upcycled yeast proteins and carob to antimicrobial proteins. Best viewed on a laptop!

Orbillion Bio teams up with Solar Biotech to scale up cultivated meat platform in the US

07-Dec-2022 By Elaine Watson

Berkeley-based Orbillion Bio – which is carving a distinct path in the nascent cultivated meat industry by concentrating on premium ‘heritage’ breeds from Wagyu to elk – has teamed up with bioprocessing specialist Solar Biotech to scale up production...

STARTUP NATION PART ONE: Israeli food startups to watch, from a flavor revolution with solid state fermentation to boozy shelf-stable creams

06-Dec-2022 By Elaine Watson

It's got a population of under nine million, but in the food innovation stakes, Israel punches way above its weight. FoodNavigator-USA headed to Tel Aviv for the Food Tech IL annual innovation event organized by The Strauss Group’s The Kitchen FoodTech...

Whipped cream made from lactic acid? Researchers develop fat-free alternative to whipped cream

11-Nov-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Researchers have uncovered a way to create a fat-free version of whipped cream using lactic acid instead of milk fat while maintaining a firm whipped consistency and texture.

ENTREPRENEURS TO WATCH: From high-protein fermented grains to packaging from agri-residues, meet the 45 startups handpicked by FoodBytes! by Rabobank in 2022

25-Oct-2022 By Elaine Watson

The 45 startups selected to participate in the FoodBytes! By Rabobank food and ag innovation program in 2022 provide a neat snapshot into trending topics in food and agriculture, from personalized nutrition and upcycling to robotics and farm biologics.

Plant-based cheese by numbers: Small declines in dollars and units overall, but big variations within category

24-Oct-2022 By Elaine Watson

SPINS data shared with FoodNavigator-USA ahead of our Futureproofing the Food System virtual summit (Nov 15-17) shows a mixed picture for US retail sales of plant-based cheese, with overall dollar sales down -2.3% to $218.94m and unit sales down -3.6%...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: From food as medicine to sustainable packaging – trendspotting at Expo East

10-Oct-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Natural Products Expo East may not be as big as its West Coast counterpart, but the 18,500 registered attendees and more than 1,200 exhibitors who convened in Philadelphia earlier this month for the annual conference were just as enthusiastic and the...

Introducing the FoodNavigator-USA digital summit: Futureproofing the Food System Nov 15-17

01-Oct-2022 By Elaine Watson

The western diet – and the food system that underpins it – is becoming increasingly unsustainable, for the health of humans and the planet. So how do we futureproof the food system to deliver healthier, more sustainable products that nourish our bodies...

Equii raises $6M to scale up fermented grains platform: ‘Disrupting the staples category is our goal’

30-Sep-2022 By Elaine Watson

Equii (formerly Cella Farms) - a startup founded by two food industry veterans using fermentation to create lower carb, high-protein grain flours - has raised $6M in seed funding in a round* led by Khosla Ventures as it gears up to launch its first product:...

New DSM enzyme can reduce oat milk production time, resulting in cost and sustainability wins

28-Sep-2022 By Teodora Lyubomirova

The popularity of oat milk as a dairy-free alternative has soared over the years, prompting manufacturers to look at ways to ramp up production. A novel enzyme developed by DSM promises to improve production efficiency by reducing hydrolysis time.

SPECIAL REPORT: Bioengineered food labeling: ‘They kind of shot in the middle and missed every constituency’

23-Sep-2022 By Elaine Watson

Advocates arguing for greater transparency about the use of GMOs in food scored a minor victory this month after a district court told USDA to re-work the digital disclosure portions of the bioengineered food labeling law, which came into effect in January....

‘There’s going to be a lot of burnt capital…’ Navigating the ‘hand-wringing phase’ of alt meat investment

12-Sep-2022 By Elaine Watson

The long-term imperative driving meat alternatives is clear: We only have one planet, with a growing population and finite resources, and raising animals to feed them all just takes up too many of them, says Tom Mastrobuoni, chief investment officer at...

Aleph Farms CEO: ‘It has been clear for a while that plant-based analogs will not displace meat’

22-Aug-2022 By Elaine Watson

“It has been clear for a while that plant-based analogs will not displace meat,” says the CEO of Israeli cell-cultured (a.k.a. ‘cultivated’) meat co Aleph Farms. “The addressable market is larger for cultivated meat than for plant-based because the products...

'Exceptional gel strength and elasticity...' Merit Functional Foods touts methylcellulose replacer

01-Aug-2022 By Elaine Watson

Recent applications work has demonstrated that Merit Functional Foods’ Peazazz pea protein isolate – in combination with an enzyme called transglutaminase - can replace methylcellulose, a binding and gelling ingredient widely used in meat alternatives...

Debut Biotech and DIC team up to make Holy Grail in natural food colors: a stable vibrant red

28-Jul-2022 By Elaine Watson

Fine chemicals co DIC and San Diego-based startup Debut Biotech are developing a vibrant natural red color that is heat-stable, light-stable, and stable across a wide pH range, using a novel hybrid approach combining microbial fermentation and ‘cell-free’...

Meat from mycelium: Fungi fueled Meati Foods raises $150m to make Holy Grail of alt meat: whole cuts. 'We're creating a whole new category...'

21-Jul-2022 By Elaine Watson

Boulder-based Meati Foods – which is seeking to differentiate itself in the increasingly crowded meat-alternative space with a fungi-based platform capable of producing ‘steaks’ and other whole cuts – has raised $150m in a Series C round led by Revolution...

IFT First NASA panel: To boldly go… What will astronauts eat on a mission to Mars?

19-Jul-2022 By Elaine Watson

“The NASA food system used on the International Space Station is more than adequate,” delegates at IFT First were told in a packed education session last Tuesday. “But a mission to Mars won't allow the resupplying of food and the crew won't...

Cleveland Kitchen acquires Sonoma Brinery to deepen fermentation expertise, expand production of on-trend products with health halo

09-Jun-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Fast-growing fermented food manufacturer Cleveland Kitchen hopes to grow 100% this year, with new products and expanded distribution from the equity acquisition of the likeminded natural pickle and sauerkraut fermenter Sonoma Brinery announced today.

Experts offer first estimate of live microbes in food to move towards dietary recommendations

01-Jun-2022 By Asia Sherman

A team of food science and nutrition experts has classified 18 years of dietary data to estimate the consumption of live microbes by children and adults in the United States. The end goal: to define the health benefits of dietary microbes and inform science-based...

ADM bets big on nutrition to drive profit as it amps up capacity in high-growth areas

24-May-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

ADM’s nutrition business may represent only 15% of its operating profit currently, but executives expect that to double in the next three years and to drive a majority of the company’s operating growth thanks to its “systems” approach to business development,...

Superbrewed Food secures self-affirmed GRAS status for 'postbiotic cultured protein,' expects first product launches in 2023

20-May-2022 By Elaine Watson

Superbrewed Food has secured self-affirmed GRAS status for a new whole food, non-GMO ingredient - marketed as a ‘postbiotic cultured protein’ – that founder Dr Bryan Tracy is billing as “the most nutrient dense protein source on the planet,” with 80%+...

Synthetic biology and the future of food. In conversation with ‘biology by design’ co Ginkgo Bioworks

09-May-2022 By Elaine Watson

When Ginkgo Bioworks’ head of codebase Dr Patrick Boyle was working on his doctoral research between 2006-12, he was “basically ordering DNA one gene at a time,” he recalls. “I think I ordered less than six total genes for my entire PhD.” Today, the Boston-based...

‘Proudly genetically modified…’ Moolec ‘molecular farming’ co gears up to launch meat proteins from GM crops

25-Apr-2022 By Elaine Watson

Moolec Science – which has developed a ‘molecular farming’ platform to produce plants that express animal proteins – is developing genetically engineered peas and beans containing bovine and porcine proteins that it claims can improve the taste, texture,...

‘Historic inflection point’ for cultivated meat: UPSIDE Foods closes $400m series C round to support commercial-scale plant with production capacity of tens of millions of pounds

21-Apr-2022 By Elaine Watson

Cultivated meat co UPSIDE Foods has closed a $400m series C round that brings its cumulative funding to $608m (giving it a valuation of >$1bn before it has launched a single product on the market), money that will help support a commercial-scale facility...

Kerry’s new liquid BC30 to expand into plant-based milks and more

21-Apr-2022 By Stephen Daniells

With an ever-expanding portfolio, Kerry Taste & Nutrition is looking to expand its ingredients into new formats, with its new liquid BC30 probiotic giving opportunities in plant-based milks and liquid milk.

Motif FoodWorks challenges validity of Impossible Foods patent as plant-based meat IP battle heats up

20-Apr-2022 By Elaine Watson

Motif FoodWorks has upped the ante in a high-stakes legal dispute with plant-based meat co Impossible Foods over meaty-tasting ‘heme’ ingredients by filing a petition with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to challenge the validity of a patent it argues...

IFIC: More Americans seek pro- and prebiotics, but confusion about sources abounds

20-Apr-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

More Americans are trying to consume probiotics and prebiotics than a year ago, but many are confused about the best sources for each and the relationship between them, fermentation and strain-specificity – hindering their goals, according to new data...

Feeding the gut microbiome webinar: ‘I look at products that say ‘contains probiotics’ and I'd say the vast majority of the time, they're incorrectly named'

06-Apr-2022 By Elaine Watson

The terms ‘prebiotic’ and ‘probiotic’ are appearing on a growing number of food & beverage brands, while another term – ‘postbiotic’ – is also starting to emerge. But food marketers should do their homework before slapping these terms on their wares,...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: From stress reducing to exercising boosting -- 4 opportunities for functional beverages

04-Apr-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Ongoing strain from the pandemic and increasing financial pressure related to rising inflation are causing consumers to reprioritize their health and wellness goals, and by extension their food and beverage purchases, according to new research from the...

Wanda Fish Technologies teams up with Tufts University on cultivated seafood research

28-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Israeli food tech startup Wanda Fish Technologies has signed two agreements with Tufts University to explore the emerging field of cultivated seafood.

Former Chobani president Peter McGuinness to join Impossible Foods as CEO: 'This isn’t a business that needs fixing, I’m here to help turbo charge growth...'

17-Mar-2022 By Elaine Watson

Former Chobani president Peter McGuinness – who has spent the last several years running a dairy company, albeit one that has recently launched several plant-based products - is set to take the helm at Impossible Foods, a firm on a mission to “replace...

WATCH ON DEMAND: Feeding the gut microbiome: from pre-, pro-, and postbiotics to resistant starch

06-Mar-2022 By Elaine Watson

While scientists are still unlocking the secrets of the gut microbiome, consumers increasingly understand that what we feed the armies of microbes that line our digestive tracts may be intimately connected to our physical – and mental - wellbeing. So...

UN demands more diverse food production methods as report warns climate change risks are greater than thought

01-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Nearly a third of the world's crop fields will be unsuitable for food production by the end of this century unless carbon emissions are curbed, warns the latest instalment of the IPCC climate change report.