Track II: New Product Development & Formulation Challenges
- Unlocking Flavour in Plant-Based: The Science Behind Yeast Ingredients and Human Taste - Antoine Thomas, Biospringer by Lesaffre
The growth of the plant-based market is linked to many challenges, but taste remains the key one to address. Biospringer by Lesaffre has been working for years to both build knowledge to understand the physiology of taste and to develop new natural solutions based on taste receptors technology. Explore how fermentation-based ingredients can help block bitterness, but also bring umami and richness to finished products thanks to strategies that target key compounds.
- Advancing the Bioeconomy with Mycoprotein: Insights from the Plenitude project - Dr. Katarzyna Polanowska, ENOUGH
PLENITUDE is a CBE JU-funded project focused on scaling the sustainable production of ABUNDA® mycoprotein—a nutritious, fungi-derived protein—through an integrated biorefinery approach. By using cereal crops and patented fermentation technology, PLENITUDE aims to deliver cost-competitive protein ingredient, minimising the environmental impact, with applications across meat alternatives, hybrid products, and bioplastics, supporting the transition to a more resilient and bio-based economy.
- Panel: Revolutionizing Fat with Cultivated, CO₂-Derived, and Plant-Based Innovations - Josh Hatfield, Hoxton Farms & & Reed Nicholson, Savor Foods
This panel will address questions as:
1. How do alternative fats, such as cultivated fats and plant-based oils, impact the sensory and textural properties of food products compared to traditional fats?
2. What are the key challenges in scaling the production of precision-fermented and cultivated fats for commercial food applications?
3. How do different fat sources interact with proteins and other ingredients in formulations, and what technical considerations are required to achieve stability and functionality?
4. What are the nutritional implications of using alternative fats, and how can R&D teams balance health benefits with performance and taste?
5. What innovations in plant-derived fats and oils, such as structured lipids or oleogels, show the most promise for advancing alternative protein products
