Plant-Based Collaboration, New Products, and Industry Updates

French Collaborative Venture Launched

For the next five years, a new collaborative project, AlinOVeg, will focus on the challenges of innovation in plant-based foods, working to develop a French plant-based ingredient source sector (pea and fava bean protein) and to offer healthy and sustainable alternatives to dairy products. AlinOVeg is supported by the French government as part of the France 2030 initiative and is operated by Bpifrance, a financial institution that partners with entrepreneurs.

AlinOVeg will offer products with optimal functional, nutritional, and organoleptic qualities. The project will rely on the development of more sustainable processes thanks to a large varietal selection, new valorization processes, and resilient local sectors. It will also address farmers directly to better meet their needs and enable them to optimize the value of pea and fava bean crops.

The collaboration brings together the following players in the plant-based value chain: Roquette, the project’s sponsor, a family-owned company based in France that is a pioneer in plant proteins and a global leader in plant-based ingredients; Eurial, which is recognized in France and Europe for its skills in the dairy product manufacturing industry and its expertise in the alternative milk sector; INRAE (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment), a French research organization; Université Lumière Lyon 2, a French social science university; Agri Obtentions, a subsidiary of INRAE that is involved in the development and distribution of pulse varieties; and Greencell, which specializes in microbial biotechnologies.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

Aptean, a global provider of mission-critical enterprise software solutions, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Drink-IT, a provider of enterprise resource planning software designed to meet the needs of beverage companies, including breweries, distilleries, bottlers, and wholesalers. Drink-IT is a subsidiary of the NORRIQ Group.

Clasado Biosciences revealed a brand-new distribution agreement with food ingredient and chemical specialty distributor, Deimos. Deimos Group has been granted exclusive rights to distribute the galactooligosaccharide Bimuno GOS to formulators throughout Italy and the Republic of San Marino.

Arla Foods Kruså has replaced its microfiltration system with a UV pasteurization system from Lyras, a Danish company specializing in sustainable pasteurization technology, to minimize the environmental impact of its salad cheese production. The new system reduces waste and energy consumption, and cleaning and operational processes have become simpler and cheaper.

Gnosis by Lesaffre enhanced its Scientific Advisory Committee. The Vitamin K2 Scientific Advisory Committee is chaired by an expert in vitamin K2 research, Leon Schurgers. He is joined by committee members Hogne Vik and Katarzyna Maresz. Gnosis plans to announce additional Advisory Committee members in the near future.

LPS Industries, a vertically integrated flexible packaging manufacturer, has formally received its SQF Edition 9 Certificate. This is in addition to the company’s ISO 8 (100,000) cleanroom certification. The SQF codes require continual improvement for maintaining a food-safe, high-quality environment throughout the cleanroom and the facility.

OC Flavors announced its acquisition of Novotaste, a Canadian-based provider of natural and organic flavor solutions. With this acquisition, OC Flavors expands its footprint into Canada and the Northeastern United States.

Palsgaard has started work on a major expansion at its specialist Netherlands factory for high-grade polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) emulsifiers. Scheduled for completion in 2024, the €18 million expansion to Palsgaard’s Netherlands plant, which also makes specialty ingredients for margarine and bakery, will double the company’s global PGPR production capacity.

Bell Flavors & Fragrances unveiled its Bell Technology and Innovation Center, a state-of-the-art facility located at Bell’s Northbrook, Ill., headquarters. The center connects creative minds in flavor development, technology, culinary applications, the regulatory area, and manufacturing to foster new flavor development and expand Bell’s key capabilities in the industry.

NEW PRODUCTS

For food plants with either limited floor space or a small budget, a compact palletizer (Model 72AN, A-B-C Packaging Machine Corp.) offers a simple and economical solution to increase production and eliminate the cost and liability of manual operation. It occupies from 10% to 30% less floor space than conventional low-level palletizers, depending on the accessories required, and offers complete flexibility for product feed and pallet configuration. All operation is automatic, and no pallet dispenser is required.

Butter Buds Non-Dairy 32X (Butter Buds) incorporates sunflower oil in combination with other natural flavors to mimic the characteristics found in dairy fat to deliver medium-strong salted butter middle notes with buttery and savory base notes for maximum flavor impact.

Ingredion expanded its portfolio of functional, clean label ingredient solutions to include texturizers made from the peels of citrus fruits. Launched in the United States, FIBERTEX CF 502 and FIBERTEX CF 102 citrus fibers come from peels of citrus fruits, such as lemons and limes, and are made simply from the valorization of waste streams from the pectin industry. FIBERTEX CF citrus fibers are non-GMO and gluten-free at the source and contain more than 90% dietary fiber.

A portfolio company of the Strauss Group’s Kitchen Hub, Mush Foods developed its 50CUT mycelium protein ingredient solution to slash the animal protein content in meat products by 50%. Mushroom-derived 50CUT is tailored specifically for blending with beef and is composed of three edible mushroom mycelia species. Mycelium has a natural umami flavor similar to meat, boosting the flavor of the meat product while contributing to the meat-like texture and aroma.

In formulations, the mycelium fibers maintain the volume of the ground meat matrix by absorbing the meat juices, further preserving flavor and making the addition of fillers such as texturized proteins unnecessary. Mush Foods’ mycelium ingredient requires no agricultural land and uses minimal energy and water. 

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