This week's top stories from 22-29 August

Given the swathe of developments in recent weeks, apparently very few of you in the alt proteins sector take a break! This week has proved the point.

We have seen a much-publicized bone-in rib with edible plant-based bone cause a stir on social media, plus a dairy giant has launched into meat-free chicken with a product that is reportedly 60% skimmed milk. And we're pleased to see a former Believer CEO remain in the industry at a company making waves in fungi.

Elsewhere, new research from the University of Edinburgh has suggested that plant-based brands need to change the way they speak to consumers to better engage steadfast meat-eaters. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, there was an oversubscribed seed round for a North Carolina-based biotech, another new development in casein, and an animal-free dairy specialist has reached a major fermentation milestone.

And in other news, you have until 1 September 2023 to book your Early Bird tickets for The Future of Protein Production LIVE! Conference & Exhibition, taking place on 11/12 October. Click here to sign up

All these stories and more are online, but below you will find the most-read news from this past seven days.

Industry News

Juicy Marbles unveils plant-based ribs featuring world-first 'edible vegan bones'

Juicy Marbles , a pioneer of 100% plant-based whole cuts, has unveiled the world’s first plant-based ‘Bone-In Ribs', featuring ‘edible vegan bones’. “The experience of meat doesn’t end with flavor," said Vladimir Mi?kovi? , Co-founder. "There is a culture of celebration, sharing, and belonging around meat – part of a food culture thousands of years in the making. Anyone cutting down on meat can probably confirm that the hardest part is not missing meat’s flavor, but feeling excluded from cultural traditions. That’s why we chose ribs as our next product, rather than another cut of steak. We wanted to create something that evokes the primal joys of sharing food”

Find out more here

FrieslandCampina launches new ‘Tender’lish’ meat-free chicken alternative brand

The dairy giant, FrieslandCampina, is launching a new meat-free chicken alternative brand, ‘Tender’lish’. The four-strong range – featuring Chik’n Cheese Escalope, Cripsy Chik’n Fillet Burger, Crunchy Chik’n Tenders and Cripsy Chik’n Fillets – will arrive in the UK grocery channel from early October. “After several years of successive double-digit growth, performance in the meat-alternative category has been challenging over the past six months," said Alison Lees , UK marketing lead for Tender’lish. "However, at a time when some manufacturers are withdrawing from the UK market, FrieslandCampina is confidently investing for future growth, offering something genuinely new, different and superior within the key growth subset of chicken alternatives”

For the whole story, click here

Meati Foods welcomes former Believer CEO Nicole Johnson-Hoffman to its board of directors

Meati Foods, the producer of animal-free meats crafted from the company's whole-food MushroomRoot, has announced the appointment of food and agriculture luminary Nicole Johnson-Hoffman to its Board of Directors. “Having Nicole on board with team meati? is a testament to the uniqueness of our product and the boundless promise of our MushroomRoot, as well as an endorsement of our vision and overall approach,” commented Tyler Huggins gins, CEO & Co-founder of Meati Foods

To find our more, click here

GreenProtein AI launches to bring AI and machine learning to the plant-based meat industry

Food System Innovations has partnered with AI and machine learning expert, Noa Weiss , to launch GreenProtein AI, an initiative aimed at revolutionizing the alternative protein space by utilizing advanced AI technology to optimize the extrusion of plant-based meats. "Extrusion is one of the best protein texturizing technologies at scale today, yet extruders remain 'black boxes' with high cost barriers for innovative startups to drive meaningful R&D," commented Max Elder , Managing Director at FSI. "Nowadays would have benefited greatly from the predictive models GreenProtein AI is building"

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University of Edinburgh research suggests playing down green benefits of plant-based meats could attract more consumers

A growing ideological divide over the environment means traditional ways of encouraging people to eat plant-based meat – promoting its green credentials – could be harming sales, according to research from the 英国爱丁堡大学 and Babson College in Massachusetts. Do plant-based brands need to change the way they speak to consumers about this issue to better engage steadfast meat-eaters?

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Pureture announces development of plant-based casein

Pureture (formerly Armored Fresh Technologies), a biotechnology company committed to developing animal-free materials that function like animal protein, has announced the launch of its plant-based casein. “At Pureture, we’re laser focused on developing materials and technologies for essential food changes that will provide us with a richer and long-lasting food culture,” commented Rudy Yoo , Founder & CEO of Pureture . “With this new innovation, we’re thrilled to introduce a product that ensures the joy of dairy flavor and texture remains, while delivering a cleaner label and contributing to a more sustainable future”

Find out more by clicking here

New Culture’s animal-free dairy protein reaches milestone scale

Animal-free dairy company, New Culture , has successfully scaled up its fermentation process to manufacturing volumes, far larger than previous development volumes, which enables the production of 25,000 pizzas’ worth of cheese per run. “Our world-class team at New Culture has solved a string of incredibly complex technical challenges in order to produce our animal-free casein at this scale,” said Inja Radman , Co-founder & CSO. “We are redefining the boundaries of what’s possible in dairy in a way that isn’t being done anywhere else”

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Jellatech announces US$3.5 million oversubscribed seed round

Raleigh, North Carolina-based biotechnology company, Jellatech , has announced a US$3.5 million oversubscribed seed round to enable the scale-up of its cutting-edge protein manufacturing platform. “We are very excited to bring in new and existing investors, support and capital to realize the mission of our company," said Stephanie Michelsen , Founder & CEO. "We have demonstrated the success of our first proteins and now it is time to scale it up and push our technology and capabilities even further”

Click here to find out more

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