Fats & oils

Mimicking whitefish with plants: Meet the Icelandic start-up developing Arctic seafood alternatives

23-Nov-2022 By Flora Southey

Loki Foods, located in the ‘seafood capital of the world’, is tackling climate change through food. Its first project is a plant-based whitefish alternative boasting an equivalent nutritional profile – without the nasties.

3D cultivation tech leveraged to produce cell-based beef and pork fat, cost effectively

11-Nov-2022 By Flora Southey

German food tech start-up Cultimate Foods is moving towards pilot stage cultured fat production having secured pre-seed funding.

EU deforestation regulation will ‘increase poverty’, claims Indonesian Palm Oil Association

09-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Ahead of this week’s trilogue negotiations on the EU’s Deforestation Regulation, the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA/GAPKI) has complained the legislation “will increase poverty, decrease sustainable development, and undermine decades of progress...

Microalgae-based vegan ice cream developed with ‘complete nutritional profile’

08-Nov-2022 By Flora Southey

Sophie’s BioNutrients has collaborated with the Danish Technological Institute to develop a dairy-free chlorella-based ice cream that mimics the texture of its conventional counterpart.

Citrus-free flavours developed to ‘alleviate global citrus sourcing challenges’

03-Nov-2022 By Flora Southey

A range of flavours free from citrus-derived molecules, fractions and oils, has been developed by IFF to overcome challenges in the citrus supply chain.

Arzeda CEO talks AAK joint development agreement: ‘Leveraging the power of AI, we can achieve more sustainable edible oils’

25-Oct-2022 By Katy Askew

Protein design company Arzeda and specialty fats and oils supplier AAK have entered into a joint development agreement targeting more sustainable plant-based edible oils. FoodNavigator caught up with Dr Alexandre Zanghellini, CEO of Arzeda, to find out...

GUEST ARTICLE

Industry Insights from NIZO: Meeting consumer expectations for meat alternatives

19-Oct-2022 By René Floris, Food Research Division Manager at NIZO

Meeting consumer expectations for alt meat is a complex mission. How can ingredients and processes help take plant-based protein products to the next level?

Bunge and Olleco create 'full-lifecycle' oils business for sustainability and energy security

14-Oct-2022 By Katy Askew

Plant-based oil producer Bunge is launching a joint venture alongside Olleco, the cooking oils collection division of ABP Food. The companies plan to collaborate to create a business model that encompasses the 'full life-cycle' of edible oils.

Kellogg’s invests in reformulation, new ingredients, and packaging design in UK

10-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

The breakfast cereal and snacks major has opened a new food innovation centre in northern England, dedicated to food development and packaging design.

Do due diligence laws actually promote climate smart food?

07-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

EU-proposed due-diligence legislation has been criticised for triggering unintended consequences across the supply chain, which begs the question: will such a law actually promote climate smart food?

Consumers ‘cautiously open’ to lab-grown dairy, suggests research: ‘It’s far from a done deal in terms of consumer perceptions’

06-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

What do potential early adopters think about animal-free dairy? Researchers – including one from precision fermentation start-up Formo – have sought to find out.

‘An extremely challenging development’: How Nestlé swapped out Quality Street’s cellophane and foil for recyclable packaging

05-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

Eliminating non-recyclable packaging from Nestlé’s Quality Street wrappers was no easy feat, suggests Bruce Funnell, Packaging Lead at Nestlé’s Confectionery Product Technology Centre.

Kraft Heinz teams up with start-up accelerator to drive innovation: ‘We can create win-wins’

29-Sep-2022 By Flora Southey

The partnership will see The Kraft Heinz Company team up with agri-food tech accelerator StartLife to help meet consumer expectations across its portfolio, Miriam Ueberall, VP R&D International, Kraft Heinz, tells FoodNavigator.

Plant-based innovators push back at ‘ultra-processed, ultra-unhealthy’ critique

28-Sep-2022 By Katy Askew

Vegetarian diets are often characterised as healthy options delivering higher nutritional quality. But the surge seen in recent years of plant-based analogue products that many classify as ultra-processed has placed this reputation under pressure. Are...

CSM Ingredients and Allozymes in strategic tie-up on rapid novel enzyme development

22-Sep-2022 By Katy Askew

CSM Ingredients has entered into a strategic partnership with Allozymes, a Singapore-based start-up that leverages proprietary tech to develop novel enzymes, FoodNavigator can reveal. In this global exclusive, we catch up with CSM CEO Aldo Uva to learn...

How mycelium innovation is ‘unlocking the potential of the fungi kingdom’

16-Sep-2022 By Flora Southey

From pea protein substitutes to whole cut meat alternatives and pet food, the versatility of mycelium is helping to attract a growing number of start-ups to the space. How are entrepreneurs innovating to bring this sustainable ‘root-like’ structure to...

From regenerative ag to reformulation: A deep-dive into how PepsiCo is ‘reimagining the way food is grown, made and enjoyed’

07-Sep-2022 By Katy Askew

Since the launch of its strategic ‘end-to-end’ transformation agenda, dubbed Pep+, the company has hit a number of milestones on topics ranging from regenerative agriculture to reformulation. FoodNavigator catches up with Katharina Stenholm, Chief Sustainability...

The ‘fat frontier’: Creating ‘indulgent’ cream alternative from GMO-free yeast fermentation

06-Sep-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Swiss-based Cultivated Biosciences has secured fresh funding to develop its solution to the challenge of improving mouthfeel and texture in plant-based dairy.

Plant- and meat-based hybrids developed from sunflower side-streams: ‘Sensory properties are key to alt meat acceptance’

26-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

The potential for sunflower press cakes to be upcycled into vegan meat alternatives and blended hybrid products is being investigated by a new EIT-Food funded project.

Cocoa-free chocolate developed from oleaginous yeast and fermented oats: ‘There is no chance consumers could taste the difference’

22-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

Brother-sister duo Dr Maximilian and Dr Sara Marquart are working to ease the pressure on cocoa supply chains with an alternative developed via traditional and precision fermentation techniques. FoodNavigator catches up with one half of the ‘chocolate...

Norway invests in cellular milk, egg, and meat production as a ‘new direction’ for industry

19-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

The Research Council of Norway is funding the development of cellular agriculture technologies to produce the ‘food of the future’.

Researchers battle to combat ‘olive leprosy’ in Italy

18-Aug-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Olive oil brand Filippo Berio has teamed up with Italy’s National Research Council to investigate ways to make olive trees more resilient to pests such as the so-called olive leprosy as well as future-proof the industry.

Production of AOP Salers cheese suspended in France due to drought

15-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

With not enough pasture to feed on, cows in Cantal are unable to meet AOP specifications for the production of Salers cheese.

How cultivated and plant-based technologies can unlock the next wave of innovation in the protein transition

11-Aug-2022 By Katy Askew

Growth in the plant-based space has been fuelled by the development of products that mimic meat with increasing accuracy. But formulation challenges remain as the industry works to develop high quality analogues that are also clean label. Could a synergistic...

Five years of Yuka: Co-founder talks strategy, impact, and evolution of food scanning app

11-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

What are consumers most concerned about on-pack? Is Yuka having an impact on reformulation efforts? And what does the future hold for the popular food scanning app? FoodNavigator catches up with co-founder François Martin to find out.

What do Swiss consumers think of palm oil?

09-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

Fresh research has investigated consumer perceptions of palm oil in Switzerland and whether they are familiar with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) label.

NoPalm Ingredients: Meet the ‘circular by nature’ start-up disrupting tropical oils with microbes

09-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

NoPalm Ingredients envisages a palm and coconut oil-free future. Instead, the Dutch start-up is fermenting yeast with side stream inputs to produce microbial-based alternatives for the food industry.

Italian Government launches NutrInform Battery app as preferred diet tool

08-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

Italy, which is publicly opposed to Nutri-Score, has developed a smartphone app to accompany its alternative nutritional labelling scheme NutrInform Battery.

Creating fat from thin air: Start-up hopes to bring tropical fat replacement made using carbon dioxide and electricity to market in 2024

05-Aug-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Sweden’s Green-On is developing a unique technology to produce food ingredients, especially fat for the food and feed industry, in a truly sustainable way.

How is clean label evolving? Mintel talks regulation, processing, and linking ‘clean with green’

04-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

The ‘clean label’ trend does not remain stagnant. Mintel’s Emma Schofield, Associate Director, Global Food Science, reveals how the trend is evolving in the face of changing regulation, interest is degrees of processing, and environmentally friendly consumers.

Palm oil alternative made from fermented yeast prepares for 2023 launch in Europe

03-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

British start-up Clean Food Group is developing a bio-equivalent cultivated alternative to palm oil. FoodNavigator hears from CEO Alex Neves to find out how.

Hybrid yogurt uses cell-cultured milk fat for improved taste and nutrition

29-Jul-2022 By Katy Askew

Cell cultured milk innovator Wilk has launched a project to develop what it claims is the ‘world’s first’ yogurt to use cultivated milk fat.

Gavan’s zero waste continuous extraction platform: ‘No part of the plant is left out’

26-Jul-2022 By Katy Askew

Israeli start-up Gavan Technologies has developed a novel continuous extraction method that utilises the entire plant. FoodNavigator caught up with CEO Itai Cohen to learn more.

Commodity prices are going off the boil but don’t break out the champagne, analysts warn

21-Jul-2022 By Katy Askew

Agri-food commodity prices have dipped, raising hopes that the input inflation spiral seen in 2022 was indeed transitory. However, analysts at Jeffries warn, it is too early to ‘break out the champagne’.

Dairy taste but plant-based? Synergy has the formula

21-Jul-2022 By Teodora Lyubomirova

Manufacturers of plant-based dairy products can take advantage of two new flavours that mirror the taste of dairy milk

Clean label claims boost sales, but what categories benefit most?

20-Jul-2022 By Katy Askew

The clean label ingredients market is witnessing continued growth, with evidence suggesting clean labels increase consumer willingness to pay a higher price point and build loyalty. FoodNavigator digs down into the trend to profile what categories and...

Inside CSM’s ‘net positive’ approach: ‘The time for action is now’

19-Jul-2022 By Katy Askew

CSM Ingredients has unveiled a 'novel' approach to sustainability in its ‘Thrive for Impact’ plan. The overall aim is to be what CEO Aldo Uva describes as ‘net positive’. But what does this mean? We caught up with the chief executive to ask...

IFT FIRST: Mintel highlights need for fat innovation in plant-based foods

15-Jul-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

While still a growing $7.4bn industry, plant-based foods have some significant hurdles to overcome around formulation especially in the area of fat content, according to Mintel.

High-protein edible crop variety developed that ‘thrives’ on fallow land

14-Jul-2022 By Flora Southey

In Switzerland, a seed variety has been developed that appears to do it all: the edible Jatropha curcas seed produces vegetable oil and protein, captures CO2 from the atmosphere, and thrives on previously unproductive fallow land.

Why Unilever is introducing ‘mini’ coconut trees to safeguard supply

14-Jul-2022 By Katy Askew

Unilever has introduced a project that it hopes will improve livelihoods and safety in the Indonesian coconut sector, while also securing future supplies of this versatile palm fruit. The European consumer goods giant is helping to introduce a specially...

Breastmilk antioxidant levels increase when extra virgin olive oil is consumed during pregnancy: study

12-Jul-2022 By Flora Southey

Fresh research out of Barcelona suggests consumption of extra virgin olive oil during pregnancy increases the level of antioxidants in both breast milk and in infants.

Plant-based peynir? Production and sale of 'vegan cheese' outlawed in Turkey

12-Jul-2022 By Flora Southey

The legislation has been condemned by plant-based and animal rights advocates such as the Vegan Association Turkey (TVD), which has filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Fungi-based butter: Mycoprotein maker develops ‘first prototype’ for alt dairy applications

08-Jul-2022 By Flora Southey

Mycorena claims to have made the first mycoprotein butter prototype. FoodNavigator catches up with CEO Ram Nair to find out how.

Nestlé develops ‘healthier’ cheese with research partner NIZO: ‘The fat-reduced cheese is a near-equivalent to full-fat Edam’

29-Jun-2022 By Flora Southey

Designed for frozen pizza, the fat-reduced Edam has ‘all the flavour, melting behaviour and shreddability’ of the full-fat version.

Meet the start-up making canned tuna without the fish: ‘We’re excited about the R&D potential of microalgae’

29-Jun-2022 By Flora Southey

In Germany, a brother-sister duo is developing seafood alternatives from microalgae, plant proteins, and other ‘natural ingredients’. The first product on the table? Vegan canned tuna.

What do consumers want from dairy-free chocolate? ‘Plants and indulgence can go hand-in-hand’

28-Jun-2022 By Flora Southey

With vegan chocolate ‘transitioning into the mainstream’, ingredient supplier Beneo is investigating what European consumers want and need from the category.

Greek blockchain specialists create genetic barcode to protect against olive oil fraud

27-Jun-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Extra virgin olive oil is a major target of unscrupulous food fraudsters, but perhaps not for much longer.

Sustainable nutrition in alt cheese and butter: ‘More than ever, plant-based alternatives need to have a high nutritional value’

20-Jun-2022 By Flora Southey

As consumer behaviour evolves, so too do brands working to align with these new demands. How are plant-based cheese and butter brands responding in order to appeal to increasingly health- and sustainability-focused shoppers? FoodNavigator investigates.

From surging energy prices to stockpiling: How is food retail most affected by the Ukraine conflict?

17-Jun-2022 By Flora Southey

The effects of the Ukraine-Russia war are being felt across the entire food industry in Europe, including in the retail sector. From the surging costs of refrigeration to managing shortages on-shelf, how is food retail most impacted by the conflict?

‘The health of people and our planet go hand-in-hand’: How conscientious consumption is driving sustainable nutrition

15-Jun-2022 By Katy Askew

Sustainable nutrition is key to the future of people and the planet. Providing it is an important opportunity for the food and beverage sector to engage with shoppers who are ever more focused on conscientious consumption, FoodNavigator hears.