Over the past few years, the food and beverage industry has been faced with a series of global challenges. The more it faces social and environmental challenges, the more the food industry needs to innovate the underlying technology and explore new solutions.
The pressures and changes in the macro environment also bring new opportunities for food technology.
packaging, ingredient bonding, non-animal milk chocolate; Image credit: SIG, Torr, Mars
The epidemic has changed people's consumption concepts, consumers still pursue the delicious experience of food, while paying more attention to nutrition and health value; The downward pressure of the global economy has forced enterprises to reduce costs and increase efficiency, and explore technological solutions that can help improve operational efficiency; Sustainability is still an important mission pursued by technological innovation, and it is also a consensus for the long-term development of the industry. In 2022, many exciting new technologies are still emerging in areas such as alternative proteins, upcycled foods, and digital agriculture.
After sorting out the technology trends of the food and beverage industry at home and abroad, FBIF summarizes and predicts the eight major trends of technology development in the global food and beverage industry in 2023 from the perspectives of consumer value, cost reduction and efficiency improvement and sustainability.
Table of contents for this article
1. Experience upgrade
2. Packaging for good
3. Personalized nutrition
4. Intelligent efficiency
5. Food waste management
6. Everything can be recreated
7. Go back to the source
8. Alternative protein: focus on commercialization
First, the sense of experience is upgraded
In the post-pandemic era, anxiety about uncertainty is widespread, and consumers are more eager to find relaxation and solace from food. At the same time, people under the epidemic have also cherished health more.
FMGC Gurus, a market research firm, found that consumers value both the emotional and health value of snacks. When asked how they defined snacking, 69 percent thought snacks gave them moments of indulgence, while 67 percent thought it was a way to supplement nutrition. [1]
In short, consumers' expectations for food and beverages are to demand a better eating experience, to be delicious, to have a more authentic flavor, to be more nutritious, and to be more convenient. This is the core value of food and beverage for consumers.
Nowadays, in addition to the expansion of flavor and taste, behind fresher, tastier and healthier food, there is also more cutting-edge "black technology".
(1) Use mechanical force and ultrasonic waves to "weld" snacks
In the traditional processing of snacks such as biscuits, cereal bars, cereals, etc., manufacturers add sugar binders (such as honey, glucose syrup, maple syrup, etc.) to bond different ingredients together. However, under the trend of sugar reduction, this kind of sugar binder not only "goes against the trend", but also masks the flavor of the ingredients themselves.
Faced with this problem, Israeli startup Torr has developed a unique ingredient bonding technology "iWeld", which introduces mechanical pressure and ultrasonic technology to "weld" various ingredients together to replace traditional sugar adhesives. According to Torr, this "welding" technology preserves the natural structure of ingredients while reducing sugar additives, making the ingredient list cleaner, thereby retaining a more complete flavor and nutrition.
iWeld patented ingredient bonding technology; Image source: Torr's official website
(2) Use reverse thinking to "restructure" food
Can coffee be made without coffee beans? This is not "technology and hard work", but a fashionable food "reverse engineering" technology.
In 2019, American food scientist Jarret Stopforth developed a coffee made without using coffee beans and founded Atomo Coffee. In June 2022, with this technology, Atomo Coffee received $40 million in Series A funding.
How does this coffee "reverse engineer" do it? First, Stopforth "disassembles" coffee into 28 ingredients, which make up the taste, texture, aroma, color and other characteristics of coffee. After identifying these ingredients, he found the same ingredients in natural materials such as seeds, nuts, and husks, and blended them in a certain proportion to finally "recover" this coffee without coffee beans.
Atomo coffee; Image source: Atomo Coffee official website
This "molecular cuisine-like" coffee making process not only saves the natural resources needed to grow coffee beans, but also modifies the final taste and flavor of coffee by blending the proportions of different ingredients. For example, for consumers who do not like the bitterness of coffee, Atomo Coffee can adjust the ingredients to easily remove the bitterness while preserving the aroma of coffee.
Other categories have also begun experimenting with reverse engineering. Molecular spirits maker Endless West extracts key flavor and aroma molecules from plants, fruits and yeast to create whiskey, wine and sake of similar quality and lower cost. Endless West's current main business is to provide product customization services to beverage brands and manufacturers, extracting molecules to "build" the flavor and texture required by customers, which can achieve higher customization efficiency at a lower cost.
Endless West； Image source: Endless West official website
U.S. food company Voyage Foods has used a similar process to introduce peanut butter, chocolate and coffee. The company's peanut butter does not contain peanuts, but is made from sunflower seeds, grape seeds, chickpeas, buckwheat, and pine rice. After "archiving" the various ingredients that make up peanut butter, the developers looked for the same ingredients in other cheaper ingredients and processing by-products, and finally "recovered" the peanut butter. In addition to being sustainable, people with peanut allergies can also enjoy peanut butter from Voyage Foods.
Voyage Foods' peanut butter without peanuts; Image source: Voyage Foods website
(3) More fresh-keeping subcooling technology
At present, pre-made dishes are in full swing to seize consumers' tables. In the discussion of prepared dishes, it is often questioned that due to the limitations of quick-freezing technology, after the prepared dishes are frozen, the micro Xiaoice crystals produced in the dishes will destroy the food structure, and then destroy the taste and umami, so that the pre-made dishes can never compare with the taste of stir-fried dishes.
Today, the latest advances in quick-freezing technology bring hope for solving the problem of flavor reduction in prepared dishes. At CES 2023, startup EverCase offered a new frozen food storage device that extends the shelf life of produce without freezing it solid.
EverCase device; Image source: EverCase official website
EverCase claims that its patented electric and magnetic field technology inhibits ice crystal formation, even below 0°C (also known as "subcooling technology"). The company also plans to work with refrigeration manufacturers and other OEMs to apply its subcooling technology to freezers and refrigerators.
Second, packaging for good
Packaging, focusing on "innovation" and "design", connecting "users" and "brands". In addition to providing good-looking designs and boosting the marketing selling points of products, in recent years, many brands have also paid attention to the functionality of packaging for people, and provide consumers with the most practical care with a sense of technology.
(1) People-oriented, packaging preference for visually impaired people
In December 2022, Kellogg announced that it will apply NaviLens packaging technology to product packaging for the US market. The technology uses high-contrast color square graphics, allowing visually impaired people to scan product information from a distance of 3 meters. Compared with black and white QR codes, which require precise alignment, this technology provides great convenience for the daily life of visually impaired people.
Kelloggy products printed with NaviLens color QR codes; Image source: NaviLens official website
At the same time, to read the NaviLens color QR code on the package, users also need to download the NaviLens app on their smartphone, which will provide consumer guidance in the form of audio and introduce product information to consumers. The NaviLens application was launched on April 16, 2018, and since its launch, more than 10,000 users have downloaded the application.
About NaviLens; Image source: Google Play
Currently, Kellogg's uses colored QR codes on its packaging for corn flakes, Special K, Rice Krispies and Crispix. In December 2022, the NaviLens color QR code also appeared on the Coca-Cola® Christmas set.
(2) Heating friendly, high quality guarantee
Global consumer demand for hot beverages is growing rapidly. According to GlobalData's research, beverage demand in 50 major countries is expected to grow by 15% by value and 22% by volume between 2014 and 2019.
But SIG's consumer survey in China showed that 72% of consumers who want to drink a hot beverage are dissatisfied with the available heating methods, and consumers want new liquid packaging that can heat up quickly.
In November 2022, packaging solutions provider SIG developed Heat & Go aseptic packaging materials that enable hot drinks to be heated in the microwave. Heat & Go replaces the aluminum layer in the standard aseptic carton structure with a high-barrier alternative, where the beverage can be microwaved without compromising product quality.
The barrier properties of this new structure protect the product from light, oxygen, odor and water in the external environment. In addition, Heat & Go is designed with consumer safety in mind, and its construction guarantees that the beverage will not damage package integrity when heated to 60°C, and it has safety features to prevent bursting in the event of overheating.
Heat&Go； Image source: SIG official website
To a certain extent, this technology solves the needs of consumers for safe heating products, protects the flavor and nutrition of products, and also provides technical support for opening up new markets for hot drinks.
3. Personalized nutrition
Although the trend towards personalized nutrition has been mentioned, existing products are still a long way from achieving more refined and accurate services. Personalized nutrition solutions continue to iterate, from basic dietary and health needs questionnaire analysis, to more refined personal health data analysis, and provide more integrated solutions.
Nowadays, health monitoring devices are becoming increasingly popular. Combining mobile and wearable devices, detection technology, and partnerships with companies in different fields, the food industry is expected to provide consumers with personalized nutritional support similar to "thousands of faces".
(1) Collection of information on unique metabolic reactions
In November 2022, IFF announced a strategic partnership with Salus Optima, a UK-based personalized nutrition health company, with an initial focus on metabolic health, including obesity, prediabetes, high cholesterol and prehypertension.
Together, the two companies will develop an AI-driven platform that will allow consumers to access information through their phones and wearables to understand their unique metabolic responses to food, dietary supplements, activity, and sleep. The platform leverages Salus Optima's core technology and IFF's portfolio of healthy ingredients to provide consumers with personalized nutritional products. According to the IFF, the key to the success of personalized nutrition products is to combine science-backed, data-driven advice with behaviour change technology, and put branded products at the heart of the solution.
IFF will also work with brands to combine its portfolio of ingredients such as probiotics, prebiotics, plant proteins and fibre to create healthy products tailored to consumers.
Example of the Salus Optima user interface; Photo credit: Salus Optima
(2) Intestinal microbiota genome sequencing
Gut health has been a hot spot in the field of health in recent years. At the same time, more and more studies have shown that the gut microbiota is also associated with immune health, emotional health, etc.
There are obvious differences in the gut microbiota of different individuals, and different probiotic strains are also specific. In response to the above personalization, Sun Genomics' Flore brand is using its whole genome DNA sequencing and other technologies to analyze individual intestinal flora to provide personalized probiotic supplementation solutions. The company offers a subscription-based service, free intestinal flora testing every 4 months, combined with test sample analysis and personal health and diet survey Q&A, to provide personalized formulations. On January 10, 2023, Sun Genomics also announced a partnership with DSM to jointly support improved gut health.
Flore's personalized probiotic solutions; Image source: Sun Genomics official website
Fourth, intelligent efficiency
In recent years, technology has become a key factor for brands and companies to enter the new consumption, from VR/AR, AI technology to blockchain, NFT (Non-Fungible Token), to the cloud, metaverse... New concepts drive craze, attract traffic, and bring shackles, and these deified words seem to follow a common law: concepts are ahead, expensive to build, and immature technology.
In order to solve the dilemma, many companies take technology as the core perspective, use technology as a tool and auxiliary, focus on efficiency and convenience, and truly achieve intelligent efficiency.
(1) Food analysis, focusing on big data that is constantly being sorted out
According to MordorIntelligence's "Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Food and Beverage Market – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact and Forecast (2023-2028)" report, AI technology has been showing a rapid development trend in Asia Pacific and Australia from 2019 to 2024, with steady growth in the Americas. [2]
AI technology is developing rapidly in Asia Pacific and Australia; Image credit: MordorIntelligence
It is not difficult to find that AI technology in the field of food analysis has gradually changed from a castle in the air to a landing application. In March 2022, IBM's hypertaste combined with AI technology conducted a taste test; In April, Mars partnered with AI supplier PIPA to accelerate the development of functional foods; In October, Brightseed used the AI platform Forager to discover dietary fiber made from cannabis shells that support gut health.
Among them, Tastewise, an Israeli AI food analysis company, can help determine current consumer trends by sifting through a large amount of online data. According to FoodDive, the company has integrated more than 22 billion social media interactions, more than 5 million family recipes and more than 1 million restaurant menus. [3] "Massive data" + "AI analysis" makes it better to provide solutions for consumer goods, flavor companies and raw material suppliers.
In December 2022, Tastewise partnered with the Givaudan Marketing & Consumer Insights team on the Answer to Customer Newsletter program, which resulted in a 10x reduction in research time, a 3x increase in the number of newsletters answered, and additional business growth.
real-time consumer data； Image source: Tastewise website
According to FoodBusinessNews, "The real value of AI lies in its ability to turn large amounts of data into coherent, relevant and actionable insights. [4] From capital pursuit to landing application, a series of research results have truly witnessed the vigorous development of AI technology in food analysis and the unlimited potential it brings, and the big data that is constantly being sorted out is also moving towards "coherence" step by step.
(2) The robot is in charge, and it can also be automated with oil and vinegar
In addition to the application of AI technology, robots have also begun to emerge in the food industry. Among them, the robots on the consumer side are aimed at convenience, in order to provide customers with better services. On October 22, TechCrunch reported that cooking automation startup Jasper set up robotic kitchens near high-rise residential building areas, charging residents subscription fees and meals.
Compared to takeout and delivery, Jasper not only provides exquisite menus, fresh cooking and high-quality food, but also alleviates problems such as labor and delivery inefficiencies and excess household waste.
robot kitchen; Image credit: Jasper
Similar to Jasper is the automatic ramen machine built by Yo-Kai Express. The autonomous ramen robot debuted in Japan in June 2022, and just six months later, more than 50 new placement points have been added in Japan, including high-speed rail stations, airports and other public places.
In 2023, the company launched its latest model, YKE Desktop, a smaller terminal device, which founder Andy Lin said: "The robot can be installed anywhere - remote offices, gas stations, convenience stores, coworking spaces." At the same time, the machine is equipped with a refrigerator that supports RFID, which can accommodate up to 24 bowls of ramen, which improves the work efficiency of the robot to a certain extent.
Automatic ramen machine Image source: Yo-Kai Express Twitter
The two robots of Jasper and Yo-Kai Express both fix the location and scene of catering in communities and public places, while BOTIN Robot, launched by non-stop technology, shifts the perspective to the home and accelerates the process of AI intelligent home. Its embedded intelligent cooking system, one-machine multi-functional small appliance model, and healthy cooking without oil smoke can provide consumers with a good experience.
At the same time, BOTIN Robot integrates precise closed-loop control, dish learning and replicating system, and back-kitchen SAAS system, and has intelligent closed-loop temperature control function and 16-channel seasoning high-precision automatic feeding function, which can accurately control the temperature and seasoning delivery during cooking, and adaptively compatible with environmental differences and ingredient differences. [5]
5. Food waste management
According to UN Environment, nearly 1 billion tonnes of food are wasted globally each year, accounting for about one-third of total food production [6]. At the same time, more than 820 million people worldwide are going hungry. Since the pandemic, the number of people suffering from hunger and malnutrition has not fallen, but has increased.
Food waste not only poses a great threat to human life and health, but also causes huge losses to the global food industry. For enterprises, monitoring food waste and monitoring inventory is also reducing the loss of food in the supply chain. Today, some advanced food management technologies have emerged to help companies digitize and visualize food waste, thereby reducing the loss caused by waste.
(1) Intelligent tracking of food waste
Lumitics, a Singapore-based startup, has developed a smart tracking device for food waste called "insight." "insight" is equipped with weight sensors, cameras and AI image recognition technology. Users simply install the device on the trash can, and each time food waste is dumped, "insight" records the time, amount and type of food waste generated. With this device, Lumics aims to help kitchen managers in restaurants and hotels better understand food waste to improve food sourcing plans, optimize menus and reduce waste.
"insight" food waste tracking device; Image source: Lumitics official website
(2) Digital management of advent food
In addition to the food waste generated by the catering industry, in the retail industry, foods such as dairy products, meat, salads and so on will also be prone to backlog on the shelves at the advent period due to their short shelf life, resulting in waste.
To solve this problem, Israeli technology company Wasteless invented an AI dynamic pricing technology. This technology provides flexible pricing for products based on dimensions such as shelf life, inventory, and frequency of purchases. The closer the product gets to its expiration date, the greater the price reduction to encourage consumers to buy.
Wasteless applied to dynamic pricing technology on supermarket shelves; Image credit: Wasteless
For retailers, Wasteless's dynamic pricing technology helps optimize discount strategies, reduce inventory pressure and food waste. Wasteless claims that supermarkets using its technology have reduced food waste by 30 percent, as well as discounted costs by 50 percent. For consumers, this technology can also help them buy goods at a more reasonable price and save money.
Another Bulgarian company has set up an e-commerce platform dedicated to searching and trading advent foods, FoodChain. Through the platform, consumers can find discounted advent foods that are being sold nearby and place an order to buy them. The creators of FoodChain hope to help accurately match food supply and demand, reduce food waste, and also help merchants reduce the additional cost of overstocking food.
FoodChain platform interface; Image source: FoodChain official website
(iii) Food waste calculator
Finally, it is surprising that households generate even more food waste than industry. The European Parliament has disclosed data that 53% of food waste is caused at home. Therefore, paying attention to food waste management at the household end is the key to solving the waste problem.
Ingredient developer Kerry has developed a food waste calculator. The app is suitable for both food manufacturers and general consumers. After consumers enter basic information such as household population, region, food expenditure, and the proportion of food wasted by plan, they can know the amount of food wasted, the food expenditure saved, and more clearly understand the positive changes brought about by reducing food waste.
Kerry Food Waste Estimator; Image source: Kerry official website
6. Everything can be recreated
Upcycled food refers to the recycling and processing of raw materials or by-products that are generally discarded into new foods. In the field of sustainability, upcycled food has broad application development potential.
According to Innova Market Insights, as of the end of the third quarter of 2021, the number of new food and beverage products using upcycled ingredients increased by 122% over the past five years. At the same time, consumer acceptance is also optimistic. According to Mattson Proprietary Research, 57% of consumers say they would be willing to try products with "upcycle" claims. 83% of respondents said that upcycling food and beverage is as attractive as traditional food and will not find the former worse than the latter. [7]
The rise of upcycled foods and ingredients has also driven the industry to develop a series of standards and norms. In 2019, a group of upcycled food companies formed the Upcycled Food Association (UFA), a non-profit organization, and in 2021 launched the world's first "upcycled" certification to identify products containing upcycled points.
Upcycling Food Association "Upcycling" certification; Image source: UpcycledFood
(1) Using waste raw materials to "make raw soup into original food"
Kern Tec from Austria has found value in recycling in discarded fruit kernels such as peaches, plums and apricots. Kern Tec has developed a unique process to process fruit kernels into foods such as cooking oils, vegetable milks and spreads, as well as cosmetics such as creams. Kern Tec's plant in Austria has recycled more than 1,500 tonnes of cores, which are not only used in the production of its own brand Wunderkern products, but also supplied to partner food and cosmetics companies for the production of corresponding products.
products of Wunderkern, a brand of Kern Tec; Image source: Kern Tec official website
Israeli company Cajú Love has developed a plant-based meat using cashew nuts. However, they use not the cashew nuts we usually eat, but the fruit part of the cashew nuts - cashew apples.
The cashews we usually eat are actually the pits of cashews. Its fruit part grows above the core, resembling an upside-down apple, commonly known as "cashew apple", as shown in the picture below.
cashew apples; Image credit: Unsplash
Cashew apples are hardly sold on the market because they are inherently intolerant to storage. Therefore, after cashew nuts are picked, cashew apples often have to be discarded.
Cajú Love uses this cashew apple as a raw material to make alternative meat rich in dietary fiber, protein and minerals, with a texture similar to shredded chicken. In addition to soybeans and algae, the raw material territory of plant-based meat has expanded a big step outward.
Rind Snack, a cutting-edge food company, is working on developing a fruit dehydration technology that preserves the peel and husk and makes a variety of fruity snacks. The snacks launched by Rind Snack in 2022 such as sea salt coconut crisps and peach potato chips retain the peel during product processing, preserving the nutrition of the fruit as completely as possible while reducing resource waste.
limited edition peach chips from Rind Snack; Image source: Rind Snack official website
(2) Upcycling ingredients with a wide range of uses
New raw materials recycled from waste ingredients can not only be reprocessed into food and beverages, but can also be applied to the production of cosmetics, health products, perfumes, clothing, and other goods. Many suppliers have seen the broad application prospects of upcycling ingredients and have increased their efforts to explore new upcycling materials.
In 2022, two IFF ingredients received UFA's official certification for "upcycling". One such product is Go-Less Men, extracted from pumpkin seeds, which are used to improve male urinary function. Another ingredient, Soy Life, is an isoflavone component extracted from soybean germ from IFF, which can be used in health supplements and nutritional products to improve skin and bone health in middle-aged and elderly people. According to the official website of IFF, 11 ingredients under IFF have obtained the certification of "upcycling".
Go-Less Men trademark; Image source: IFF official website
Ottan Studio from Turkey is known for converting food and horticultural waste into biocomposites. The company recycles expired biowaste such as rice, eggshells, orange peels and fallen leaves into biocomposites used in the manufacture of furniture, decorations and decoration materials.
Coffee table at Ottan Studio; Image credit: Ottan Sutdio official website
7. Go back to the source
Another "open source" approach to solving food shortages and sustainable development lies in transforming the source of food, that is, the upgrading of agricultural technology.
Fengrui Capital has published in "The Future of Mankind, What to Eat? The article pointed out that with the increasingly fierce competition in e-commerce, logistics, warehousing and other industries in the downstream of the industry, the future innovation evolution direction of the food and beverage industry will gradually develop to the middle and upper reaches of agriculture, aquaculture, raw material manufacturing, etc., and innovation will be more and more "up". [8]
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that by 2050, humanity will need to produce 60% more food to feed us all. The issue of increasing production and sustainability requires a series of technological innovations in farmland and pasture. Looking back on 2022, today's breeding, cultivation, fertilization, breeding and other links have become a field that integrates a series of high-precision technologies such as AI, gene editing, digitalization, and automation, and more application products have also appeared.
(1) Sustainable agriculture, starting with a seed
Inari, an American agricultural technology company, has built a gene-editing breeding platform, SEEDesign, that uses gene-editing tools to "design" crop seeds. According to Inari, its gene-editing technology, which can edit multiple genes at the same time, combined with biology, AI and software engineering, can increase soybean yields by 20%, corn yields by 10%, while reducing water consumption by 40%, and corn nitrogen consumption by 40%. In October 2022, Inari raised $124 million in Series E financing.
Screenshot of the SEEDesign platform demonstration animation; Image source: Inari official website
After the "design" stage, it takes a while for a seed to slowly germinate and grow. But if you can screen out the seeds with a "better foundation" in advance, you can shorten the cycle of cultivating high-quality crops.
To solve the question of "what seeds should be planted", technology company Seed-X has developed a seed analysis technology, GeNee. GeNee integrates computer vision, AI deep learning, and image analysis techniques to evaluate seed quality based on associated quality attribute metrics. The technology was published in Nature journals in 2022. In addition, Seed-X also pays attention to the combination of software and hardware, and has launched hardware equipment such as GeNee Detect seed detector and GeNee Sorter seed sorter (known as the world's first AI-driven seed sorter).
GeNee Sorter； Image source: Seed-X official website
(2) "Super crops" that grow fast and consume less energy
American agricultural company Fyto, combining aquatic cultivation technology, automation and robotics, has cultivated a "super aquatic plant". This plant grows through hydroponics, so it does not occupy soil resources. It also does not grow by germination from seeds, but in a manner similar to asexual reproduction.
At the same time, Fyto's automated robot platform monitors the growth of plants throughout the process, adds nutrients in time, and harvests when ripe. According to Fyto, this "super plant" grows extremely fast in a controlled cultivation environment, maturing in batches every few days and lasting an entire year.
Currently, Fyto's aquatic plants are mainly used as feed. Compared to conventional crops, this aquatic plant is able to use 5-10 times less water and 10-20 times less land area, while also providing 10-20 times more protein per acre than conventional crops. According to TechCrunch, Fyto is building a biolibrary of different crops, and in the future, it will develop crops that can provide better nutrition and bring them to people's tables.
Aquatic plants cultivated by Fyto can be used as feed for dairy cows; Image source: Fyto official website
(3) Get rid of imports, a breakthrough in China's pig "chip" technology
China is the world's largest pig farmer, consuming nearly 700 million pigs a year. However, 90% of domestically raised pigs are of foreign breeds. Breeding pigs are like chips, which are the core basis for producing good pork, and if they are extremely dependent on imports in the supply of breeding pigs, they will face the risk of being "stuck in the neck".
In 2022, scientists from Northwest A&F University successfully bred the first generation of antiviral multigene editing piglets after ten years of technical research. Through self-mastered biomolecular cell technology, the bred piglets are not only resistant to viruses, but also grow more lean meat by knocking out gene fragments that inhibit lean meat growth. This technological achievement marks that the gene-edited biological breeding technology of the mainland pig industry has reached the world's advanced level.
In addition, Professor Wu Zhenfang, professor of South China Agricultural University and chairman of SMIC, led the team to develop a gene chip that can determine the quality of breeding pigs based on self-developed pig whole genome selection technology. This chip can screen out high-quality breeding pigs, thereby improving breeding efficiency and breaking the monopoly of foreign gene chips. In October 2022, Guangdong SMIC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wen's Co., Ltd., introduced a strategic financing of RMB2.33 billion, with a valuation of more than RMB10 billion.
Pigs; Image source: Wenshi public account
8. Alternative proteins: focus on commercialization
Looking at the development of global food technology, alternative proteins will continue to be a major direction for food innovation. The source of raw materials for protein replacement has been further expanded, and animal cell culture and precision fermentation technology are also making continuous efforts on the road of pursuing high-quality protein.
On the other hand, the plant-based industry in 2022 will encounter "cold winds" in commercialization. According to a survey of 100 plant-based brands in Europe and the United States by New Nutrition Business, few companies show signs of profitability, and the companies with the fastest sales growth tend to be the ones that lose the fastest. [9]
The "plant-based first stock" of the United States, which lost more than $100 million in the third quarter of 2022, has experienced two rounds of layoffs in 2022, accounting for about 20% of the total workforce. JBS, the world's largest meat company, closed a plant specializing in plant-based meat in the United States in September 2022. Maple Leaf Foods, Canada's largest meat company, reported a $190 million impairment in goodwill in its plant-based unit, Greenleaf Foods, in its November 2022 earnings report.
The reason is that today's plant-based products still cannot meet consumer requirements for texture, taste and price. In addition to updating new raw materials and processes, the alternative protein industry needs to refocus on consumer value and use technology to create more cost-effective products.
(1) Plant protein + 3D printing to create more realistic plant-based seafood
For plant-based seafood producers, replacing fish with plant-based protein can provide the same high-quality protein while avoiding heavy metal residues such as mercury in fish. However, due to the complex structure of the fish itself, it is extremely difficult to restore the texture of the whole fish with plant protein raw materials, and traditional plant-based fish meat will be made into surimi and sold in the form of fried fish cutlets.
Today, several cutting-edge plant-based seafood companies combine alternative proteins and 3D printing to produce more realistic plant-based whole cut fish. Revo Foods from Austria has launched a vegetarian smoked salmon. This plant-based fish is made from a blend of peas and algae. Revo Foods uses 3D printing technology, and the final vegetarian fish meat is very realistic in appearance and taste, and is rich in nutrients such as protein, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D.
plant-based smoked salmon from Revo Foods; Image source: Revo Foods website
Another startup, Plantish, also uses 3D printing technology to produce vegetarian whole cut salmon that tastes, textures and nutrients similar to real salmon, and can be fried, fried, grilled and cooked in the same way as regular fish. With this product, Plantish raised $12.45 million in seed funding in 2022, the largest seed round in the alternative seafood market at the time. [10]
Plantish's whole cut vegetarian salmon; Image source: Plantish's official website
(2) Protein replacement + fat replacement to create plant meat that is more like meat
How can you make plant-based meat more like meat? Since plant-based meat is composed of plant-based raw materials and does not contain animal fat, if it lacks fat, it leads to the delicate and juicy taste of real meat when tasting plant-based meat. The popular fat alternative in the plant-based meat industry is the addition of vegetable oils such as coconut oil, sunflower oil, and rapeseed oil. However, vegetable oils and fats are not as good as animal fats, break down faster during cooking, and never provide a taste comparable to real meat products.
In order to further improve the taste, the plant-based industry began to pay attention to artificial fat cultivation technology, and the formula combination of "plant protein + artificial cultivated fat" gradually formed a trend.
Melt & Marble is a Swedish company dedicated to fermentation of synthetic fat technologies. During the general fermentation process, yeast cells consume sugar to produce alcohol. Melt & Marble engineered the metabolic process of yeast cells, allowing yeast to consume sugar and produce fat. In addition, just like artificial breeding, Melt & Marble modifies yeast properties through synthetic biology tools and then tests and iterates to achieve customized fat compositions.
Biological processes of yeast fat production; Image source: Melt & Marble
Hoxton Farms from the UK focuses on cell-grown fat technology. The company combines AI and mathematical models to create bioreactors that produce cultured fat from animal stem cells. Singaporean startup ImpacFat uses fish cells to grow fat to grow fish fatty tissue rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
ImpacFat's cells synthesize fish; Image source: ImpacFat official website
Plant-based companies are also opening cross-border cooperation with artificial meat companies. In November 2022, Dutch artificial meat company Meatable announced that it has partnered with Singapore-based plant-based company Love Handle to jointly invest US$6 million to establish the world's first hybrid cultured cell meat innovation center in Singapore, which is expected to be completed in 2023.
In order to create a more realistic meat quality and taste, plant proteins and various microbial synthesis technologies have begun to break their boundaries, and the future of plant-based foods will likely develop in the direction of hybrid meat.
(3) Animal cell cultured meat has been further recognized
In another technical direction of alternative proteins, animal cell culture meat has made new progress in global regulation. In November 2022, UPSIDE Foods' cell-cultured chicken received FDA clearance, which is also the first cell-cultured meat in the United States to be regulated. The company is awaiting USDA approval to offer its cell-cultured chicken to consumers.
cell-cultured chicken; Image credit: UPSIDE Foods
Looking back at China, at the end of November 2022, Zhouzi Future announced that its cell culture meat entered the trial production stage of 100 liters bioreactor for the first time, which will also accelerate the large-scale production of domestic cell culture meat.
(4) Precision fermentation technology expands commercialization and becomes a source of more ingredients
Fermentation is not new, but it is now becoming a new source of more food ingredients, especially in the field of alternative proteins. Among them, precision fermentation can not only increase the output of ingredients, create new ingredients, but also reduce the consumption of environment and energy, which is becoming a hot spot for upstream companies.
(Note: The term precision fermentation is a term coined by RethinkX to refer to the use of microbial host cells as cell "factories" to produce specific functional ingredients, especially those that enhance or enable plant proteins, animal cell cultures, and microbial biomass end products.) [11] This process involves "programming" microorganisms. ）
In 2022, ADM entered into a strategic partnership with New Culture, a company that produces casein through precision fermentation, to once again scale up its alternative dairy products such as cheese. Fonterra and DSM announced a partnership to establish a start-up to accelerate the development and commercialisation of protein derivatives produced by their precision fermentation technology. On January 9, 2023, FrieslandCampina Food Ingredients announced a partnership with biotechnology company Triplebar Bio Inc. to produce protein at scale using precision fermentation to support health and nutrition early in life and adults.
Perfect Day is a representative enterprise in the application of precision fermentation, with the help of this technology to produce whey protein of non-animal origin, and continues to cooperate with dairy companies to develop landing products, and has previously launched artificial milk, artificial cheese, artificial ice cream and other products. In 2022, after partnering with Mars to launch milk chocolate with non-animal origin, the company partnered with Nestlé to develop Cowabunga, a dairy product of non-animal origin, which has entered market testing.
Nestlé and Perfect Day partner to launch milk of non-animal origin; Image credit: Cowabunga
In recent years, in addition to milk protein, companies have produced egg white protein and collagen of non-animal origin through precision fermentation. In 2022, Turtle Tree produced lactoferrin of non-animal origin for the first time. In China, Changjin Biotechnology, which currently mainly produces artificial milk protein, has raised nearly 200 million yuan in 2022 in two rounds of financing, which will be used to accelerate its large-scale production.
In addition, fermentation technology has become a source of more food ingredients. As mentioned above, fermentation technology has been used to produce fat. Honey, new sweeteners, pigments, heme proteins and other ingredients have also entered the application field of precision fermentation.
Oobli chocolate with sweet protein; Image source: Oobli official website
For example, sweetened proteins, which are difficult to extract naturally, are expanding their commercial production scale with the help of precision fermentation technology in recent years. The combination of synthetic biology, AI technology and precision fermentation technology is expected to continue to provide solutions for more new ingredients and products. Although there are still uncertainties in regulatory and commercial development, precision fermentation is still promising in the long term.
IX. Conclusion
In the new post-pandemic normal, the food industry needs to remain resilient to meet the multiple challenges brought about by uncertainty, and food technology will become an indispensable secret weapon.
It is gratifying that in terms of market trend prediction, new ingredient discovery, new product development, lighthouse factory construction, etc., emerging technologies such as AI and big data are no longer like castles in the air, but have become the reality of application in the industry with returning to the essence, creating value, and sustainable commercialization, and even becoming everyday things. More food technologies are already showing new prospects in global sustainability, consumer experience upgrades, and enterprise cost efficiency optimization.
We also believe that the continuous iteration of future technology and the birth of new technologies will solve the crisis faced by the global food industry for a long time and bring changes to the industry structure. Reference source:
Reference source:
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This article is the original of FBIF Food and Beverage Innovation, authors: Dudu, Kiki, Marcus, please contact the source for reprinting.