This week's top stories from 14-21 August

We hope you're enjoying your vacation! But take a break from the suntan lotion because there are some must-read stories that have surfaced in the past seven days that have caught our attention!

This week, a US cultivated meat company launched its B2B offering, an alternative to FBS, a Chinese specialist unveiled the world's first deer antler stem cell line, and ProVeg International highlighted that, while doing well, the 'Big 5' fast-food companies could improve their plant-based offerings.

Meanwhile, a new Stanford University study reveals how meat and dairy industry lobbying stifles competition from alternative meat products with smaller environmental impacts. This is probably not particularly surprising, but the extent of the nefarious activity proves you shouldn't believe everything you read about plant-based foods being a fad, having had their day, etc, etc. Yawn...!

Elsewhere, we are pleased to announce that, due to the number of you telling us you are out of the office, we have extended the Early Bird Rate for attending The Future of Protein Production LIVE! Conference & Exhibition, taking place on 11/12 October. This is Europe's must-attend event for alternative proteins, so if you want to be there in seven weeks, you will receive a €300 discount until 1 September! Click here to secure your seat today!

The countdown is on... and we can't wait to meet you face to face! Check out our fantastic agenda here

Industry News

Omeat becomes one of the first revenue-generating cultivated meat companies with B2B launch of ‘Plenty’

Omeat, the innovative cultivated meat company which recently launched out of stealth with its revolutionary and slaughter-free process, has launched and already had its first commercial sales of Plenty, an ethical replacement for Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) that is equally effective but available for a fraction of the cost. “Synthetic serum substitutes, defined media, and serum-free media have been developed before as alternatives, but they’ve come with limitations that have hindered their viability as a replacement to FBS,” said Omeat ’s Founder & CEO, Ali Khademhosseini , Ph.D. "That’s why we developed Plenty: an affordable, effective, and slaughter-free cell culture supplement product”

Imagindairy obtains Self-Affirmed GRAS status for animal-free dairy protein

The Israel-based food tech startup, Imagindairy , has announced that it has obtained self-affirmed GRAS ('Generally Recognized as Safe') status for its animal-free dairy protein in accordance with the requirements laid out by the US Food and Drug Administration for food. Securing self-affirmed GRAS status is a pivotal step in the commercialization of Imagindairy’s animal-free dairy protein

Jimi Biotech has successfully developed world's first deer antler stem cell line

China's cellular agriculture company, Jimi Biotech, has developed world's first deer antler stem cell line, making Jimi Biotech the first company globally capable of mass-producing deer antler stem cells through cellular cultivation. This spontaneously immortalized cell line has undergone over 60 passages with a doubling time under 24 hours. "The incorporation of deer antler stem cells can augment the value proposition of our meat offerings," said Zhehou Cao , the founder of Jimi Biotech . "We will begin by selling deer antler products, and as we continuously reduce costs, we will move on to selling cultivated beef, followed by other more affordable meats such as pork and chicken"

Vegan trend in Europe: In Germany, milk substitutes from plants are most popular alternative

Plant-based alternatives to dairy products do not have to copy the original – but in addition to tasting good, they should also have a pleasant mouth-feel and a varied product range, according to the results of a recent acceptance study. To obtain the results, the Universit?t Hohenheim in Stuttgart has surveyed consumers in a total of six European countries. This revealed major cultural differences – but also commonalities that providers should pay attention to. Of all the countries studied, Germany has the highest sales and the greatest market potential for these plant-based alternatives. "The strong innovative power in this area is evident in many small startup companies," stated Dr. Beate Gebhardt , Head of AK BEST at the University of Hohenheim. "For example, of all the countries studied, Germany has the most new plant-based alternative dairy products coming to market"

Anton Paar acquires Germany's measurement and process engineering specialist Brabender

At the beginning of August, Anton Paar acquired the German company, Anton Paar TorqueTec (formerly Brabender) , which will be integrated into the Anton Paar Group as Anton Paar TorqueTec GmbH. The company, based in Duisburg, Germany, offers measurement and process engineering solutions for the testing of various raw materials and for recipe and process development. “The decisive factor for Anton Paar’s decision to purchase Brabender was the knowhow in the development and production of world-leading measuring instruments, which the company has built up since its foundation 100 years ago,” commented Anton Paar CEO Dr Friedrich S. (Santner). “In line with its own long-term strategy, Anton Paar will sustainably expand and further strengthen Brabender’s sites in Duisburg and Hackensack (USA)”

New Proveg International report finds how fast food chains are embracing plant-based food

A report published by the food awareness organization, ProVeg International, has found that the five leading fast food chains – 麦当劳 ’s, Burger King , Subway , Pizza Hut , and KFC – are delivering an increasing number of plant-based food options to their customers. “It is incredible to see how fast food?– which has always revolved around animal meat consumption – has become more plant-friendly and, in doing so, more climate-friendly,” said Josh Bisig , Senior Project Manager at ProVeg International . “We analyzed 43 online menus across all nine countries and 22 of them (51%) offered at least one plant-based option. This is encouraging but there is still plenty of room for improvement”

In Other News

• Readly survey of Brit consumers shows positive trend toward more sustainable food products
• CULT Food Science and Umami Bioworks reveal world's first cat treat with cell-cultivated fish
• Korean cultivated meat company takes a closer step to commercialize cell-based food ingredients
• UNLIMEAT partners with JUST Egg to introduce various plant-based product collaborations

Our News

Check out the July/August 2023 edition of Protein Production Technology International now!

This fourth edition of Protein Production Technology International is rammed with more than 100 pages of the latest breakthrough innovations, with deep dives on global harmonization of cell ag regulations, supply chain collaborations in cultivated meat, bioreactors, air proteins, and much, much more! #

The October/November 2023 edition will be published on 27 September, and features alt proteins in the pet food industry, alternative fats, sustainable packaging, process engineering, scaleup economics for cultivated meat, and a huge preview of The Future of Protein Production LIVE!, plus some amazing exclusive interviews with some amazing thought-leaders driving this industry forward.

Click?here?to read the July/August 2023 edition

The above are just a few of the stories that we have brought to you this week – there are plenty more on?www.futureofproteinproduction.com?– and they're published daily.

Plus, don't forget, we are now in the process of interviewing all 65 speakers appearing at?The Future of Protein Production LIVE!. You can see the final agenda?here?and full speaker line-up?here.

And remember, if you have a story that you would like us to share with the industry, please get in touch with the editor by emailing [email protected].

We look forward to reporting back to you next time. Here's to another successful week and plenty more good news to come!

The Future of Protein Production news team