Stephan de Moraes’ Post

The National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC), CARMA - Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub, the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein - Imperial College London, and the Microbial Food Hub have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to revolutionize the alternative protein sector. Professor Anwesha Sarkar, Project Leader of NAPIC, stated, "This MoU is a symbol of our strong commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration across various focus areas of alternative protein." Professor Karen Polizzi, Vice-Director of the Bezos Centre, added, "Our goal is to make alternative proteins mainstream for a sustainable planet." This partnership aims to strengthen research, innovation, and skill development, positioning the UK as a global leader in sustainable food systems. #foodtech #alternativeprotein #foodproduction #futureoffood

🌎💵 FoodTech 500 alum NoPalm Ingredients raises significant funding for sustainable palm oil alternative. NoPalm Ingredients has secured €5M in a Seed funding round led by Rubio Impact Ventures, with participation from Fairtree Elevant Ventures, Oost NL, Willow Capital Investments, and The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). The investment will accelerate NoPalm Ingredients' efforts to scale up production and deliver their yeast-based oils globally, providing an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional palm oil. Founded in 2021 by Lars Langhout and Prof Dr Jeroen Hugenholtz, NoPalm Ingredients uses a unique fermentation process involving non-GMO proprietary yeasts and patented technology to convert upcycled agrifood sidestreams into yeast oils. These oils serve as a direct replacement for palm oil, requiring no recipe adjustments and achieving price parity. The process also significantly reduces environmental impact, cutting CO2 emissions by 90% and land use by 99% compared to traditional palm oil production. The company's innovative approach has garnered partnerships with major industry players like Colgate-Palmolive, Unilever, and Zeelandia (Royal Zeelandia Group). With this funding, NoPalm Ingredients aims to scale production to 1.5 million kilograms of sustainable oil annually by 2025, positioning itself as a key player in the food and personal care industries. More information: https://lnkd.in/eWQiyW4g Learn more about NoPalm Ingredients here: https://lnkd.in/e2FEqcg8 #ForwardFooding #palmoil #sustaianbility #biodiversity #emissions #climatechange #deforestation

🌊 New Investment Alert! 🌊 Rabo Ventures is thrilled to participate in MiAlgae’s latest funding round alongside SWEN Capital Partners and Clay Capital fka VisVires New Protein. The $18.5M raise will enable Mialgae to scale the production of sustainable omega-3s from microalgae! Fish oil from wild catch is a significant contributor to overfishing, accounting for approximately 17% of total fisheries. MiAlgae leverages by-products from Scottish whisky distilleries to cost-effectively produce omega-3 fatty acids, offering a sustainable alternative to wild-caught fish. This funding will enable MiAlgae to scale up their production capacity and commercial operations, significantly increasing their global impact. Huge congrats to Douglas Martin, Shreekanth Ramananthan, Johann Partridge, Christopher Haacke and the whole MiAlgae team on the achievement. #Sustainability #biodiversity #FoodTech #VentureCapital #RaboVentures #Omega3

🍄Level up for Finnish fermentation🍄 Exciting news from Finland, where €36 million in new funding, comprising both public grants and loans and private investment, is to be invested in building a new food-grade mycoprotein factory, able to produce ‘enough novel mycoprotein to feed 40,000 people’. Finnish startup Enifer, the recipient of this funding, uses sidestreams from elsewhere in the food industry and beyond as feedstocks for their fermentation process. This new factory offers a huge level-up in terms of production volumes: current production capacity for Enifer sits at around 5kg per day, but the new infrastructure would multiply this to as much as 500kg per hour. Mycoprotein, made from fungi, is a hugely promising ingredient that has been the subject of growing attention from a number of companies and startups across Europe: it is a high-quality complete protein and thought to be more easily absorbed than protein from plant-based ingredients. It is also high in fibre, and has been associated in preliminary randomised controlled trials with a number of health benefits. Enifer have said they hope this factory will be the first of many, and plan to submit their strain of mycoprotein for regulatory approval in the EU and possibly Singapore later this year. Finland is home to a number of specialist fermentation startups and researchers, including Solar Foods, who use fermentation to create protein using carbon dioxide and water as their feed stock. They are also in the process of gaining regulatory approval in the EU (having already been approved in Singapore) and ramping up production, with their first factory opening earlier this year in Vantaa, Finland. Scale-up of next-generation plant (and fungi-) based proteins will be key to delivering protein diversification in Europe on the timeframes needed. More examples of these blended funding approaches, combining both public and private support, will be key to giving companies the right tools to successfully scale. Learn more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/e5kBJ6x7 #fermentation #scaleup #finland

🟦 Exciting news: £38 million boost for UK’s alternative protein innovation! ℹ️ The National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre has launched with £15 million investment from UKRI, along with £23 million in co-funding from partners. This pioneering initiative signifies a huge commitment towards sustainable food innovation. ⚡ The NAPIC aims to advance the translation of sustainable and scalable alternative proteins to market by:  🤝 Stimulating collaboration between 100+ stakeholders from academia, industry and third sector organisations, working across four interdisciplinary knowledge pillars. 💡 Providing a unique global network for knowledge exchange and bespoke leadership training. 📎 Developing a National Protein Strategy to outline plans to secure future food security. 🔑 Research will address critical challenges across the supply chain, including: 🔷 Reliability of processes 🔷 Health & safety concerns 🔷 Integration into the food industry 🔷 Commercialisation. 📈 In 2023, cultivated meat and seafood companies raised $225.9 million globally -  a modest figure compared to other green-tech innovations and a decline from 2022. Yet, recent substantial investment in the NAPIC could energise the entire alternative protein sector; driving advancements in cultivated meat and cementing the UK at the forefront of food innovation. ❓Why is this important? 🌎 By 2050, our planet will need to feed a predicted ~10 billion people, necessitating a 56% increase on current food production. Cultivated meat is a promising solution to this challenge, with lower carbon emissions, biodiversity loss and animal suffering than traditional animal agriculture. 🥼 However, progress in the industry is hindered by costly media development which prevents companies from scaling. 🟦 At Multus, we develop customised, food-safe growth media that scales, reducing the production costs and accelerating development for cultivated meat companies.  ⏩ Learn more about our solutions: https://www.multus.bio/ #AlternativeProtein #GreenEconomy #UKRIFunding #NAPIC #Biotechnology #FoodInnovation #SustainableFood

#ABoutBFT | Founded in 2012 as a spin-off from the University of Alicante, Bioflytech emerged with a revolutionary mission: to transform protein production through sustainable biotechnology. In just over a decade, we have become one of Europe’s most prominent players in the production of premium ingredients obtained from black soldier fly larvae. With advanced facilities in Fuente Álamo (Murcia) and Palas de Rei (Lugo), we produce protein meal and fat primarily for the animal feed industry, while also serving other sectors such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and biofuels. Additionally, we produce frass, a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer. All our operations follow a production model rooted in sustainability, environmental responsibility, and the optimization of resources. At Bioflytech, we are proud to blend science, innovation, and sustainability to address global challenges and shape the future of protein production. #Bioflytech #BSF #BlackSoldierLarvae #PetFoodIndustry #AquacultureFeed #PoultryFarming #EggProduction #SwineNutrition #AnimalFeedSolutions #AnimalNutrition

🍄✅ FoodTech 500 alum Enifer seeks regulatory approval in the EU for its mycoprotein innovation. Finnish startup Enifer applied for novel food approval in the EU for its Pekilo mycoprotein. This marks the first such application from a Nordic mycoprotein producer. Enifer also plans to file applications in Singapore, the US, and the UK. Pekilo protein is made via biomass fermentation using food and agricultural sidestreams. The resulting powder has a neutral flavor and color, with varying protein content for different uses—up to 65% protein in aquaculture feed and 55% for human food. Partnerships with Nutreco’s Skreting, Purina Mills, LLC, and Valio will help Enifer integrate Pekilo into pet food, aquaculture feed, and consumer products. Enifer expects the EU approval process to be lengthy but sees Singapore as a likely first market entry. A limited Pekilo launch in products like snack bars could happen soon after. Read the full Green Queen Media article here: https://lnkd.in/eKPiSwZk #ForwardFooding #FoodTech500 #mycoprotein #altprotein #innovation #sustainability

The National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC), CARMA - Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub, Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein, and Microbial Food Hub have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in a move that signifies the importance of collaboration between these organisations to achieve their shared mission of revolutionising the alternative protein sector. The partnership between these centres will foster research and innovation, skill development, and workshops to tackle the biggest challenges facing the alternative protein sector, leading to the production and wide-spread public acceptance of healthy, sustainable, affordable and tasty alternative protein foods. https://lnkd.in/egiNfynn

🤔 Is it possible to produce #vegetable casein? 👇 🔎 Recent studies and projects have shown that this #ingredient, found in dairy products such as milk 🥛 , can be created using plant-based 🌱 #protein through the use of #biotechnology. The aim 🎯 is to get the plant-based #casein to mimic the animal 🐄 protein, in order to get a similar taste, texture and benefits. 📌 Some plant-based brands are already using plant-based casein in products such as #cheese 🧀 or #yoghurt 🥣 . ℹ Although we are only at the beginning of the evolution of #alternative proteins, this market has developed 📈 significantly in recent years through the use of #biotechnology applied to the #food and #beverage sector. 📍 Powered by Ingredients for a Circular Economy European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) | Wagralim, the Agri-Food Innovation Cluster of Wallonia | Valorial, le réseau innovation agri-agro | Flanders' FOOD| Agrifood Clust-ER | Innov'Alliance - Pôle de compétitivité de la Naturalité et des filières du végétal | CNTA | NAGRIFOOD - CLUSTER AGROALIMENTARIO DE NAVARRA | ANFACO-CECOPESCA | #AgrotechnologyExportCluster | ATECluster Thessaloniki Greece | Vésale Pharma | BRETAGNE CHIMIE FINE | Region of Central Macedonia | MARIA GOULAPTSI | FENGA FOOD INNOVATION SAS | ARTECHNO sa | Koukakis Farm S.A. | THT | Ingredalia S.L. | Bugslab | Avecom | Calidris Bio | Ε.Β.Υ.Π. Ε.Ε. / EVYP LLP | COCONT | Hifas Innovation Hub #innovation #Biotech4Food #B4F #SMEs #biotechnology #valuechain #agrifood

🌱 Big news! Our Alumni NoPalm Ingredients just secured a €5M investment to revolutionize the global palm oil market. 🚀 Led by Rubio Impact Ventures and supported by notable investors like our partner Oost NL, this funding round propels NoPalm Ingredients, a biotech innovator based in Wageningen, towards a greener future. NoPalm is tackling the environmental impact of traditional palm oil. 🌿 Employing a unique fermentation process, the company transforms local agricultural by-products, like potato peels and whey permeate, into sustainable yeast oils. These oils serve as a direct substitute for palm oil, matching its price and functionality without needing any recipe changes. This breakthrough offers a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 99% decrease in land use compared to conventional palm oil production. 🗣️ As CEO Lars Langhout states, “This funding allows us to scale our technology to industrial levels of 50m3 and beyond, and preparing for our first Demo factory.” 👏 Congratulations to NoPalm on this remarkable achievement! We look forward to the next steps. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eXk3hXKF #Sustainability #Biotechnology #Innovation #Foodtech #PalmOilAlternative #ImpactInvesting