Sparkalis Invests in Future Food Tech, New Products, and Industry Updates

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Sparkalis Invests in Future Food Tech

Food-tech venture fund Sparkalis has taken a minority stake in Fooditive, a next-generation food technology business specializing in sustainable plant-based ingredients. Fooditive’s innovations include an upcycled calorie-free natural sweetener with the taste and functionality of sugar, which is derived from apple and pear side streams.

Based in the Netherlands, Fooditive has risen to prominence for successfully harnessing its precision fermentation technology to produce additional innovations, such as vegan casein and bee-free honey. It also recently became the first food industry signatory to the Washington Compact, a new treaty that lays out a set of norms and principles that will guide the activities of commercial outer space operators and ensure that their operations are consistent with the principles of peaceful use, transparency, and responsible behavior in outer space.

SPONSORED CONTENT

CJ FNT Globally Launched as ‘Total Solutions Provider’ in the Food & Nutrition Market

The South Korean-based food and bio company CJ CheilJedang officially launched CJ Food & Nutrition Tech (CJ FNT) in February. CJ FNT was established to lead innovations in the global food and nutrition market to meet the growing demands of the wellness category.

Now providing customized solutions with its world-class biotechnology, the new business unit will synergize CJ Bio and CJ Foods by unifying food ingredients and nutritional solutions, as well as future growth additions such as alternative and cultured proteins.

CJ FNT’s product portfolio includes TasteNrich, FlavorNrich, WellNrich, ActiveNrich, and AMINATURE. These products are produced simply through microbial fermentation of plant-origin ingredients. TasteNrich and FlavorNrich are premium vegan taste solutions that are sustainable, clean label, and worry-free. The brands are also non-GMO, kosher, and halal certified.

TasteNrich is a versatile savory complex that produces full-bodied and mouthwatering umami flavor. The TasteNrich product line provides multiple functions, such as enhancement of up-front notes, adding fullness of flavor, and increasing salt perception. For sodium reduction projects, this enables the reduction of salt in your formulations, while maintaining exceptional flavor. The ingredient can be used in a wide range of applications from sauces, snacks, seasoning, processed meat, plant-based alternatives, and more.

FlavorNrich Master C is the world’s first vegan and natural cysteine, produced only by microbial fermentation without electrolysis. It enriches flavor while creating a meaty-like flavor, through the Maillard reaction.

Experience the endless possibilities of authentic flavor with TasteNrich and FlavorNrich by visiting CJ Food & Nutrition Tech at McCormick Place during IFT FIRST in July, booth #S1841. To learn more about CJ and the product portfolio, visit https://www.cjfnt.net

NEW PRODUCTS

Suzanne’s Specialties introduced a new soluble cane fiber (SCF) ingredient to the North American market. This SCF is produced by controlled fermentation of non-GMO sugarcane, which yields a natural inulin having a very uniform and tight polydispersity. The average degree of polymerization (DP) for SCF is 18 with a narrow range of >DP10 to <DP26. This highly predictable DP yields a very consistent functionality and higher solubility in comparison with either native chicory root fiber (chicory inulin) or Jerusalem artichoke inulin, both of which have rather broad DP ranges of >DP10 to <DP60 with the average DP fluctuating from high to low depending on crop year/variety as well as harvest, storage, and processing conditions.

ADM has launched the Knwble Grwn brand to provide consumers wholesome, plant-based food ingredients that are sustainably sourced. Knwble Grwn products are produced on farms that use regenerative agricultural practices. ADM is focusing on engaging with small-scale farming operations or underrepresented farmers, including veterans, Indigenous Americans, and other minorities, to produce the crops that become Knwble Grwn. The product line includes flaxseed, hempseed, flax oil, hemp oil, and quinoa. It was inspired by a women- and minority-led team at ADM. Consumers will find Knwble Grwn products at Amazon.com and Walmart.com.

Merge Impact announced the launch of MINT (Merge Impact Nutrient Traceability), a nutrient density data tracking and transparency tool powered by blockchain technology. With the click of a button, the new MINT tool connects food brands to regenerative and organic farming partners with verified crop nutrient and soil data. Additionally, farmers can maximize the value of their regeneratively grown crops through field-level nutrition measurement, streamlining their claims verification and increasing supply chain transparency.

Green-tech company Melodea, producer of sustainable barrier coatings for packaging, launched VBseal, its new recycled packaging solution to reduce plastic waste in consumer packaged goods. The green coating solution is resistant to water vapor, oil, and aromas and has heat-sealing properties. The company has opened a pilot plant and innovation center, allowing it to serve its customers as well as showcase the new solution. The new site will also test out existing barrier coating products and produce coated reels and pouches at pilot scale.

GTF Technologies offers the RENU Drying & Milling System, a new technology that simultaneously dries and powderizes food and plant materials in seconds. The RENU system is poised to lead the industry in food waste reduction and in the development of new industrial uses of biomaterials. It will reduce food waste and associated greenhouse gas emissions by upcycling food and food side streams into valuable powders on-site. The system dries and micronizes food efficiently by consolidating operations and processing in seconds, without natural gas or extreme temperatures.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

Splenda, a low-calorie sweetener brand, and its parent company, Heartland Food Products Group, officially announced the opening of Splenda Stevia Farm: the first-ever fully integrated, United States–based stevia farm. Now fully operational in Central Florida, the farm aims to produce superior-tasting stevia sweetener and to decrease environmental impact by reducing CO₂ emissions caused by current global stevia supply chain operations.

Anderson Advanced Ingredients received a “letter of no objection” from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its resistant dextrin from tapioca branded as FiberSMART. The “letter of no objection” confirms that the FDA does not have questions regarding the conclusion that FiberSMART is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). Available as conventional or certified organic powder or syrup, FiberSMART is a prebiotic fiber that is 20% as sweet as sugar.

A $40 million investment in Epax’s facility in Alesund, Norway, allows the company to increase its distillation capacity and further improve its ability to offer high-quality omega-3 concentrates. The upgrade includes the introduction of highly sophisticated quality process technology. Branded EQP+Tech, it allows individual fatty acids to be separated from fish oil and ultra-concentrated without the use of excessive heat or harsh chemicals.

BENEO worked with its long-standing partner IDP, a producer and supplier of rice in Laos, to determine how working conditions for local farmers could be improved. As a result, eight harvesting machines and four threshers were purchased to help ease workloads and improve field yields. While BENEO retains full ownership of the equipment, the farmers have been trained on how to use and maintain the equipment to ensure the long-term success of the project. The machines support 10 groups of 10 small-scale farmers. With threshing now taking place directly on the field, the risks of loss caused by rainfall and mold formation are reduced. As a result, the farmers can expect higher yields and better income.

Sativus Tech Corp.’s subsidiary, Saffron Tech, entered into an investment agreement with a Korean-based company, Dreamtech, a maker of tech components for products such as advanced mobile and medical devices. Under this new agreement, Dreamtech will fund an initial investment of $1 million, followed by an additional $1 million upon successful cultivation of saffron in Korea. Saffron Tech aims to be the first company to create large-scale saffron production using vertical farming technology to meet growing demand for the spice for use in beauty, wellness, and pharmaceutical applications.

Tyler Lee has been named senior scientist – bakery innovation at Innophos.

ePac Flexible Packaging achieved compliance in advance of all state deadlines related to polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) and plastic packaging. State laws and regulations banning intentionally added PFAS in packaging have begun to go into effect. Eleven states have already enacted legislation for various forms of packaging; the first deadline related to plastic packaging is July 1, 2023, in Vermont.

Yeastup AG, a Swiss startup based in Brugg near Zurich, extracts high-quality ingredients from spent brewer’s yeast, a byproduct of the brewing process. According to a recent life cycle assessment study at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, using Yeastin as a protein source for burger patties resulted in 74%–81% less environmental impact than pea protein, depending on the indicator examined. Yeastin requires no arable land, cultivation, irrigation, or pesticides.

Do you have any innovations or updates to share? Please send news to [email protected].