Plant proteins: Structuring through processing
Years active: 2023Integrating high-moisture extrusion and post-structuring technologies for improved textures from plant proteins.
End product formulation & manufacturing
Neutron scattering during extrusion of meat analogs
Years active: 2023With neutron scattering, this project aims to understand how plant protein melts solidify into fiber-like meat analogs during extrusion processes.
Consumer and sensory research to guide alternative fish R&D
Consumer and sensory research can help companies and academic researchers better understand seafood consumers' needs and desires. Understanding consumers' needs will allow alternative fish researchers to ask and prioritize the correct biological and technical questions. Appropriate and thoughtful prioritization can avoid unnecessarily diluting resources in the short term and ensure that the expanding product landscape in the long term is well-matched to customer expectations.
Catalog of animal meat flavors
Creating a catalog of molecules responsible for the characteristic flavor of a species will enable alternative protein product manufacturers to create products that more accurately replicate the sensory experience of animal meats, removing a major barrier to their widespread adoption.
- Academics
- Commercial
- Crop development
- Cultivated
- Ecosystem
- End product formulation & manufacturing
- End Products
- Fermentation
- GFI
- Industry
- Industry
- Ingredient optimization
- NGO's
- Plant-Based
- Production
- R&D
- Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs
- Research
- Science
- Seafood-relevant
- Startups
- Target molecule selection
Cultivated, fermentation-derived, or hybrid surimi
There has been little publicly announced R&D and commercial effort to develop cultivated, fermentation-derived, or hybrid surimi. Compared to other meat products, surimi is likely to be by far one of the easiest to replicate well.
Reproducing salmon aroma
Years active: 2022This project aims to determine the key molecules that contribute to cooked salmon’s odor and flavor and recreate these with optimal plant, fungal, and algal oils. The proposed solutions’ oxidative stability will be determined and possibilities for shelf-life extension provided.Â
Optimizing fat profiles for nutritional and sensory properties
Because alternative meat's fat content and fatty acid profile can be more easily controlled than conventional meat's, there is an opportunity to alter fat content for nutritional benefits. Additional research is needed to understand the sensory consequences of such manipulations, potentially allowing alternative meat producers to produce "nutritionally enhanced" products without compromising on sensory quality.
Scaffolds and structural approaches to optimize fat distribution and content in cultivated meat
The inclusion of fat and marbling in cultivated meat is likely to increase its flavor, texture, and consumer appeal. Structural approaches using edible microcarriers, hydrogels, and 3D bioprinting present promising options to support fat cell growth and reduce buoyancy in culture for integrating fat into cuts of meat, but more research is needed to optimize conditions.Â
Hybrid products to optimize nutrition, taste, cost, and sustainability
Hybrid products are a promising means to introduce cost-competitive versions of cultivated meat to the market while improving the taste of plant proteins. Promoting the health benefits of hybrids may facilitate consumer acceptance, but more research is needed to identify the optimal ratios between plant-based and cultivated ingredients to increase nutrition without compromising flavor.
Cost-effective sterility controls for cultivated meat
Meticulous attention to sterility controls throughout cultivated meat production is essential to optimize food safety, but the cost of biopharmaceutical-based sterility—the current standard for cell-based processes—is incongruent with large-scale food production. Research to identify alternative sterility processes with lower costs is needed for cultivated meat to scale successfully.
