Sophie's Bionutrients, a next-generation sustainable urban food production technology company, has pushed the frontiers of plant-based food by developing burger patties made from microalgae.

According to report produced by The Good Food Institute (GFI), 2019 and the first seven months of 2020 were record periods of investment in fermentation companies creating sustainable alternatives to conventional animal-based foods and ingredients. 

With the plant-based movement currently booming, both new botanicals and those that have long been used in foods or beverages are finding new market avenues and applications.

The aim of the joint development agreement is to establish a platform for the production and commercialization of algae-based ingredients rich in protein and micronutrients.

Food and beverage processing is experiencing a monumental shift in the demand for foods that are made from, or are made with, or have added living microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast.

Valensa International, Eustis, Fla., reached an agreement with Algal Scientific Corporation, Plymouth, Mich., to commercialize Algal’s PureAlgal™ branded ingredients—whole dried microalgae (Euglena gracilis) and purified beta-1,3-glucan—for the human health and nutrition markets. 

I’m writing this fresh from the annual Institute of Food Technologists (www.ift.org) conference and expo in Chicago. If you didn’t attend, as a source of food science and ingredient trends in the trillion-dollar world of food product development and manufacturing, it can’t be beat. Kudos to the legions of IFT support staff, lead staff, and admin who made it happen!

Roquette used IBIE 2013 to showcase its breakthrough microalgae ingredients. For example, it offers a GRAS-approved lipid ingredient that can be customized and that allows for lipid profile optimization.

Details of a unique, infrared drying method by Vivid Harvest that preserves the vitamin and antioxidant content and capacity of fruits and vegetables was presented by Rodger Jonas, director of national sales, PL Thomas Inc., in his Prepared Foods’ R&D Application Seminar titled “Effects of Drying Methods on Vitamin C Content.”