SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Last month, members from across the global fermentation and precision fermentation industries met in San Francisco, CA, for the 4th Annual Fermentation Enable Alternative Proteins Summit.
The forum focused on everything from technical R&D and advanced manufacturing strategies to the current regulatory landscape and commercialization plans for alternative proteins produced through traditional and precision fermentation.
Presenting at the summit on behalf of Edlong were Dairy Research Scientist, Dr. Lourdes Mato and Global Director of Strategy & Innovation, Anne Marie Butler.
Speaking on the importance of this event, Dr. Mato states, “Fermentation is clearly the future for many food ingredients. In an effort to produce more nutritious and sustainable ingredients, particularly homologous animal proteins, the industry is shifting from more traditional fermentations to precision fermentations. Investors are very interested in this sector and as capabilities continue to expand, they expect it to soon become mainstream for food ingredient manufacturing.”
When speaking on the necessity of Edlong’s presence at a summit like this, she adds, “As a food industry supplier of flavors, it is important for Edlong to be at the forefront of new product developments that are utilizing these types of alternative proteins. We can never stress enough to our customers the importance of involving flavor houses from the very beginning of product development. Our presentation was part of a dedicated session exploring the technical and commercial dynamics of strategic partnerships for a successful B2B relationship.”
Edlong’s presentation discussed the following critical topics:
- Current Global Protein Market Trends
- Bioconversions for the Flavor Industry
- The Role of Proteins in Flavor Development
- Challenges When Formulating with Proteins
- How Edlong Flavors Can Help
According to Dr. Mato, the use of fermentation and precision fermentation is nothing new for the flavor industry. “Plenty of research has been done over more than forty years by the flavor industry trying to find alternatives to produce aromatics, while meeting FEMA natural labeling requirements, and more recently, demands for sustainability. Undergoing a continued evolution from chemical synthesis-derived compounds to chemicals obtained using bioconversion gave us the opportunity to engage in deep technical discussions with developers who are focused on protein development.”
Butler saw this emphasis on the necessity for collaboration and partnerships as an underlying theme of the summit.
“What was very interesting to me is that there is a noticeable consolidation of companies in the precision fermentation space. It seems that, just a few years ago, a lot of companies were thinking that what they were doing was so unique and niche that they would have to be the ones to take products to market themselves, but that is quickly changing. I think the question of “How do we put this into something commercial for consumers?” is making companies eager to partner with one another.”
She adds that the fruits from years of development were finally on display: “This event was a great opportunity to connect and see who has samples ready to go. For the longest time, samples have not been available in this space. People were working with specific companies, but now we are getting to a point where scale is coming, and samples are becoming available.
We are seeing certain companies create ways to help others scale up and take these products mainstream.”
Butler also believes this conference showed potential for expansion of this space to include even more ingredients, “For the last 8-10 years or so, protein has been the primary focus, but the realization that “we need to take it from the idea to get it to market” is definitely causing a shift in the fermentation space. Now, it’s no longer just about protein. People are understanding just how crucial fat is to the equation, and with so many of the existing fats on the market having issues the precision fermented fat space is becoming just as interesting. Actually, I think there are already a few key players emerging.”
Though this event centered around the future of protein production through traditional and precision fermentation, it also showcased novel paths toward commercialization using the latest technology in culture selection, molecular techniques, and AI integration.
Dr. Mato and Butler felt that this event reinforced not only the pivotal role that flavors will have to play in the consumer adoption of precision-fermented products but also the importance of collaborators with the technical expertise and knowledge needed to leverage flavors in difference-making products successfully.
About Edlong Flavor Solutions
Edlong has the world’s largest portfolio of authentic dairy and dairy-free flavors that improve classic taste profiles for Cheese, Butter, Sweet Dairy, Cream, and Milk. Working closely with our customers, Edlong can apply the right building blocks to create tastes that uniquely differentiate a brand. At Edlong, we believe the taste of dairy can be innovative, inspiring, a sales booster, and even a game changer. That is why Edlong believes in Everything Dairy Can Be.
Contact us or visit edlong.com.