10 Notable Developments in Fermentation-Based Food Innovation
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Fermentation is a fundamental process in the bioeconomy.
This time-honoured process, once limited to the fields of food preservation and flavour enhancement, has now unfolded into a wide range of applications. It’s particularly played a key role in transforming the food industry and shaping the future of food.
In this first edition of Future Food Fermentat10n, let’s look back at ten (hence the “10n”, get it?) notable developments that took place in January 2024 in the fermentation-enabled food industry.
Please note that this is a list, not a ranking.
🥛 Imagindairy receives US regulatory approval for its animal-free dairy proteins; and acquires an industrial-scale production plant
. Credits: Imagindairy
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This approval, in the form of a "no questions letter" from the FDA, makes Imagindairy the third company, alongside Israel’s Remilk and California's Perfect Day, to attain such clearance for animal-free whey protein.
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With the FDA clearance secured, Imagindairy is now seeking partnerships with food companies to introduce products like milk, cream cheese, ice cream, and yoghurt to the market, ensuring no compromise on taste, price, or consumer experience.
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Imagindairy acquired an industrial-scale production plant, boosting its production capacity to 100,000 litres of animal-free dairy proteins. The startup plans to 3x this volume in the next 1-2 years. The company claims to be the first in the industry to fully own and operate such large-scale production lines.
🍄 Infinite Roots (formerly Mushlabs) raised $58M in Series B funding, marking “Europe's largest” investment in mycelium
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The company plans to use the funds to “move into a new era of commercial growth,” which includes expanding production and launching products globally.
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Infinite Roots uses patented fermentation technologies to produce a variety of nutrient-rich, resource-efficient foods from edible mushroom mycelium. This offers a sustainable alternative to traditional animal products and crops like soy while providing an umami taste.
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In 2022, Infinite Roots partnered with one of Germany’s largest breweries, Bitburger Brewery Group, to use byproducts from beer production to create edible fermented mycelium, aligning with the company's mission to make food production more sustainable.
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