Flavours and colours

WATCH: Collagen in functional food and drink – the next ‘hot trend’ after CBD?

10-May-2023 By Flora Southey

The collagen trend has been building over the last few years and Romain Quillot, co-founder of functional collagen food and drink brand Humble+, expects it to continue. We ask about the challenges of incorporating collagen into products, the functional...

DSM and Firmenich complete merger to become ‘trailblazer’ in nutrients, flavours, and fragrances

09-May-2023 By Flora Southey

One year after DSM and Firmenich announced plans to combine their food, beverage, and taste businesses, the merger is complete. The new company, dsm-firmenich, launches today.

‘Difficult to source’ purple spectrum to be produced via microbial fermentation at scale

09-May-2023 By Flora Southey

Danish maker of bio-based ingredients Octarine Bio and US cell programming company Ginkgo Bioworks have partnered up to engineer a strain for producing violacein and its derivatives.

‘New algorithm does not incentivise reformulation’: Nutri-Score pushback from soft drink makers

05-May-2023 By Flora Southey

Based on the new algorithm, a soft drink with a sugar level as low as 0.1g cannot score higher than Nutri-Score C, laments UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe.

Gum helps combat sugar cravings with 'sugar destroyer' ingredient

05-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Israeli food-tech startup Sweet Victory has released a chewing gum designed to curb sugar cravings. A consumer study on the gum found that it enabled its users to significantly cut down on sweets, as well as lose weight. The product, which is already...

Plant-based products that attempt to mimic the nutritional qualities of meat and dairy are ‘playing a losing game’

01-May-2023 By Oliver Morrison

It’s time plant-based manufacturers stop talking about the healthy nutrients that plants don’t have and focus on those they do have, says influential Wageningen food scientist Atze Jan van der Goot.

Ice cream maker takes to plant-based to reduce climate impact

28-Apr-2023 By Teodora Lyubomirova

British ice cream company Jude's is aiming to make half of its products vegan by 2025 in a bid to significantly reduce its carbon footprint.

Next-level dairy: How can Quorn’s mycoprotein impact the alt dairy space?

28-Apr-2023 By Teodora Lyubomirova

The news that Marlow Foods, parent company of the popular meat-free brand Quorn, will make its mycoprotein available to food and beverage manufacturers got us thinking how the ingredient could stir up the dairy alternatives market.

‘The alternative protein space is coming to terms with the reality of what is needed to build self-sustaining businesses’: The challenge of scaling up plant-based production and manufacturing

28-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The recent Plant-Based Protein Manufacturing Summit in Amsterdam brought together leading businesses in the plant-based food and beverage industry with co-manufacturers, innovative equipment and solution providers to explore the challenges and opportunities...

Iron-rich vegan gummies developed to address deficiencies

26-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Lubrizol Life Science Health (LLS Health) has announced that it is planning to unveil new iron-rich vegan gummies, each of which provides 10mg of iron content.

CBD coffee: fad or the future?

26-Apr-2023 By Olivia Brown

Following an increasing popularity and a heightened influx of brands promoting the CBD and coffee pairing, touting an ability to reduce side effects associated with caffeine, a regulatory expert has warned the research backing the benefits is inconclusive.

Heura unveils new tech for additive-free, high-protein plant-based food

25-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Plant-based company Heura, known for its meatless chorizo sausages, chorizo burgers, and chicken, has unveiled new technology to create high-protein plant-based meat, free of e-numbers.

Blending meat with alt protein: Does the hybrid category have a future?

17-Apr-2023 By Flora Southey

An overwhelming majority of delegates at FoodNavigator’s recent Positive Nutrition Summit see potential in the ‘hybrid’ category, but meat-free innovators are not convinced.

Fish 2.0? EU funds wave of algae-based fish substitutes

12-Apr-2023 By Flora Southey

Smoked salmon, canned tuna, tarama spread and roes…made from algae? The ‘Seafood Alg-ternative’ project, with support from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, is working to transform algae into plant-based seafood substitutes.

Hybrid alt cheese made with dairy, faba and mealworms ‘similar or superior’ to the real thing

05-Apr-2023 By Flora Southey

Could a hybrid cheese analogue – which swaps out some dairy for faba protein and mealworm flour – improve nutrition and sensory properties? Researchers investigate.

Sugars reduced in berry fruit juice by up to 50% using sugar-reducing beads

05-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Better Juice, an Israeli start-up, has used sugar reduction technology to lower the levels of sugar in its fruit juices, including, in a recent trial, several berry-based juices. Their technology is able to reduce three sugars found in fruit juices –...

‘We’re tackling challenging categories head on’: Behind Nomad Foods’ reformulation strategy

04-Apr-2023 By Flora Southey

The vast majority of Nomad Foods’ net sales come from ‘healthy’ meal choices. But not all. From ‘health through stealth’ through to pizza reformulation, group nutrition leader Lauren Woodley reveals why incoming HFSS regulations presents an opportunity...

Sugar contamination stings honey imports in Europe

03-Apr-2023 By Flora Southey

Almost half (46%) of all honey samples tested by the European Commission is thought to be adulterated with sugars.

The holistic nutrition opportunity in snacks: ‘Consumption is becoming more sophisticated’

31-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

Consumers are talking less about ‘general health’, and more about cleansing, detoxing, carb-free, and cholesterol-free, according to Tastewise. How does this trend translate into opportunity for industry?

Meet the ‘smart gaming nutrition’ start-up feeding newbies and eSports pros

22-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

From milkshakes to energy bites, gummies and ‘functional sprays’, German start-up Just Legends has gamers’ specific nutritional needs covered, CEO and co-founder Ole Schaumberg tells FoodNavigator.

IFF opens culinary and sweet flavour labs in Denmark: ‘We’re creating the perfect environment for end-to-end product design’

22-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

The ingredients major is boosting flavour innovation capabilities at its facility in Brabrand, Denmark, for the Northern European market.

Is interest in gut health propelling the pickled category? ‘Kimchi has moved into the mainstream’

20-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

From kefir to kimchi, sauerkraut to kombucha, fermented foods are trending. Nick ‘The Pickles Man’ Vadasz puts this down, at least in part, to increased consumer awareness around gut health and the microbiome.

Fungi and oat hybrid makes ‘completely new protein’ for alternative meat sector

17-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

A protein made from just two ingredients, mycelium and oats, has been developed by a researcher in Sweden. FoodNavigator catches up with the chair of his start-up Millow, Staffan Hillberg, to ask what sets this protein apart within the mycelium sector....

Food Fermentation Europe: Advocating for ‘non-discriminatory, market-based’ regulatory framework for precision fermentation

15-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

Precision fermentation leaders have banded together to launch Food Fermentation Europe (FFE), an alliance seeking to revamp current regulatory processes it describes as ‘far too lengthy and opaque’.

‘We’re mis-demonising ultra-processed food’: The case for focusing on what to eat, not what to avoid

09-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

From a public health perspective, ‘ultra-processed food’ is a major concern. But stigmatising the term, instead of focusing on the benefits of opting for healthier alternatives, is not the answer, FoodNavigator hears.

Döhler backs red food colouring made via precision fermentation

08-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

Chromologics, a Danish biotech leveraging precision fermentation technology to produce colours for the food industry, has received backing from the Germany ingredients supplier via its investment arm, Döhler Ventures.

Food researchers employ botanical extract to unveil ‘super muffin’ with benefits

07-Mar-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Norwegian academics have demonstrated how using the tropical plant Hibiscus sabdariffa can contribute to increased nutritional value in everyday foods.

Embracing ugly veg and the ugly side of poultry production to make more profitable and sustainable products

01-Mar-2023 By Oliver Morrison

A Danish food tech start-up is leveraging two very different food industry side streams – spent laying hens, and mushrooms rejected by supermarkets – to launch fermented organic flavour enhancers.

Cocoa-free chocolate alternative targets retail with new funding

28-Feb-2023 By Flora Southey

Having secured $5.6m in investment, cocoa-free chocolate alternative brand WNWN is preparing to enter the UK and EU retail markets.

Dole experiments with BlueTree tech to cut sugar in juice: ‘Pineapple sets a higher bar than orange’

24-Feb-2023 By Flora Southey

One technology Dole Packaged Foods is trialling to reduce the sugar content in its pineapple juice comes from BlueTree Technologies. We hear about the Proof of Concept (PoC) process between an established food and beverage major and a food tech start-up.

Japanese scientists look to create vegetables with anti-inflammatory properties using plant pigments

22-Feb-2023 By Oliver Morrison

A team at the Tokyo University of Science and Iwate Biotechnology Research Center have successfully genetically engineered tomatoes to produce the plant pigment betalain with significant anti-inflammatory effects.

Stevia sweeter news for planetary health than cane and beet sugar, suggests research

22-Feb-2023 By Flora Southey

Production of steviol glycosides extracted from stevia grown in Europe produces just 10% of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with sugar production, according a life cycle assessment.

The ‘master plan’ to double legume consumption in the Netherlands by 2030

20-Feb-2023 By Flora Southey

A significant increase in production and consumption of crops high in vegetable protein is achievable within six years, according to initiators of a ‘master plan’ put towards the House of Representatives.

Danone discusses the role of plant-based innovation in medical nutrition: ‘Our priority is evidence-based nutrition that meets lifestyle choices’

16-Feb-2023 By Katy Askew

Danone’s specialised nutrition business Nutricia has developed its first plant-based ready-to-drink medical nutrition supplement. Fortimel PlantBased Energy is the product of an intensive three-year R&I effort. FoodNavigator hears from Manuela Borella,...

The rise and rise of healthy indulgence: ‘In tough times, food offers opportunity for delicious escapism’

15-Feb-2023 By Flora Southey

Macro trends, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, are driving uptake of products claiming to be both healthy and indulgent, according to ingredients suppliers.

The FoodNavigator Podcast: How innovation hopes to bring fun, sociability and indulgence to low/no drinks

15-Feb-2023 By Oliver Morrison

What innovations are occurring that can elevate low/no alcohol beverages from simply being premium soft drinks into something that remains a pleasurable experience for consumers?

Pigmentum to ramp up casein production in plants with new investment

26-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

Having closed a $6m seed round, the Israeli start-up has plans to validate its functional casein – produced in ‘plant factories’ – in an industrial process with cost-efficient yields, co-founder and CEO Tal Lutzky tells FoodNavigator.

Challenger brands backed to improve nutrition in low-income households: ‘Consumers don’t trust big brands anymore’

25-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

Although households on lower incomes are spending more on unhealthy food and drink than affluent households, healthier challenger brands have the potential to win over these consumers, FoodNavigator hears.

Developing plant-based dairy with melon seed milk: ‘Fermentation generates cheese-like aromas’

24-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

In Spain, start-up Väcka is developing plant-based cheeses with an unlikely ingredient: fermented melon seed milk. Co-founder and CEO Ana Luz Sanz talks us through the nutritional and functional benefits of mixing water with ground melon seeds.

‘An even more sustainable milk alternative’: Oat milk powder developed to cut packaging by 90%

23-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

The ‘UK’s first’ oat milk powder is preparing to launch on the market, trading in conventional milk cartons for a flexible, recyclable pouch. We catch up with founder Sandy Eyre to ask about the sustainability benefits associated with his brand, Overherd.

Sugar reduction: Can fruit and vegetable ingredients make dairy products healthier?

20-Jan-2023 By Teodora Lyubomirova

We catch up with SVZ's Johan Cerstiaens to find out more about the potential use of fruit and vegetable ingredients as sugar substitute in dairy. "What if by reducing sugar content, manufacturers could add value to their products?”

Water-based drinks category proves resilient to inflationary trends: IRI data

19-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Inflation and sustained demand drove 8.9% value sales growth of water-based drinks in Europe in the last year (full year ended August 2022) to €35.6bn, reveals analysis from IRI data from actual sales of FMCG products across Europe.

The new hybrid? Blending plant-based proteins with fish by-products, algae, and insect larvae

18-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

A research project funded by the Research Council of Norway is leveraging high moisture extrusion technology to develop novel hybrid products.

Food industry targets cuisine pairings for low- and no-alcohol beverages as low/no innovation accelerates

11-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

With low/no alcohol consumption set to rise a third by 2026, according to some estimates, Synergy Flavours has crafted flavour pairings for premium soft drinks and alcohol-free beverages that complement some of the UK’s favourite global cuisines, including...

How an Israeli start-up developed fish-free tinned tuna with the ‘complete sensory experience’ of taste, texture and smell

11-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

In Israel, Vgarden Ltd. has developed what it claims is ‘game-changing’ vegan tinned tuna. Omer Eliav, chief of R&D and Vgarden co-founder runs us though the most challenging aspects of replicating the kitchen staple, fish-free.

Blending meat and mycoprotein: New hybrid products prepare to enter European market

10-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

Swedish mycoprotein start-up Mycorena is working to accelerate the hybrid meat category through a collaboration with meat manufacturer Nybergs Deli and supermarket retailer ICA.

Alt protein innovation in eastern Europe: Meet the new start-ups mimicking meat and seafood with fungi, plants

03-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

From Ukraine to neighbouring Romania and north-eastern Lithuania, interest in alternative proteins is on the up. Meet three new start-ups developing animal-free whole cuts, mycoprotein ingredients, and plant-based sashimi.

KraftHeinz, Wyss Institute develop new approach to make sugar healthier: ‘We thought we’d come to the Wyss with an impossible problem, and they turned it on its head to present an even crazier idea to solve it’

22-Dec-2022 By Katy Askew

In 2018, the KraftHeinz Company approached the Wyss Institute to develop a solution to sugar reduction that is workable in a food production setting. After four years of collaboration, the research team has developed an answer: enzymes that convert sugar...

Socially-aware, digitally-savvy, health-conscious Gen Z force ‘radical rethink’ of natural colours

21-Dec-2022 By Katy Askew

Natural colours have undergone a significant makeover. Once seen as too expensive, unstable and unable to deliver vibrancy, these challenges have been overcome by an industry working to deliver on consumer demand for cleaner labels with zero compromise....