FermiPro Plant Booster Clean label Seasonings: Achieving up to 30% salt reduction while maintaining robust

Gavan Technologies has appointed former ChickP chief executive Liat Lachish Levy to lead its next phase of commercial expansion, as the Israeli foodtech firm looks to scale production of its plant-based fat system in Europe and compete directly with conventional butter on cost. The leadership change follows the launch of the company’s first European production facility and signals a shift from technology development to industrial execution, targeting large bakery and dairy manufacturers seeking clean label fat alternatives. Lachish Levy replaces co-founder Itai Cohen and will focus on scaling output, expanding partnerships with multinational food producers and accelerating adoption of the company’s flagship ingredient, Fatrix. Gavan says Fatrix, a protein-based fat system made from vegetable oil, water and plant protein isolate, is designed as a 'drop-in' replacement for butter and animal fats, replicating their texture and functionality in applications such as brioche, pound cakes, cooking creams and cream cheese. In a potentially significant claim for manufacturers facing ongoing dairy price volatility, the company said the product is already cost-competitive with conventional butter at the current production scale. Gavan’s newly launched European facility, which has an initial capacity of hundreds of tonnes annually, is built on a modular model that allows for incremental expansion as demand increases. The company says its production approach requires lower capital expenditure than some fermentation-based or structured lipid alternatives, a factor that could improve unit economics and speed deployment in additional markets. The company is initially targeting the bakery and dairy sectors, where manufacturers are under pressure to reduce saturated fat and eliminate hydrogenation while maintaining processing performance and margin. Fatrix contains very low saturated fat, zero trans fats and requires no hydrogenation. Lachish Levy brings more than 20 years of experience across FMCG and food ingredients. At ChickP, she led the commercialisation and international expansion of chickpea protein ingredients through partnerships with global food groups. Board chair Rony Patishi-Chillim said the appointment reflects a transition “from innovation to execution” as the company seeks to build what it describes as a category-defining functional fats platform. Founded in 2018, Gavan develops plant-based protein extraction and structured fat systems positioned as alternatives to animal-derived ingredients, using what it calls a zero-waste production model.

upcycled and sustainable ingredients, such as cocoa-free chocolate food-tech Win-Win and seed upcycling start-up

Sustainable fats and oils start-up Sun Bear Biofuture has completed its first successful production run at less than 10% of the industry’s average set-up cost, utilising its new £25,000 automated pilot facility industry, Sun Bear Biofuture’s approach harnesses lower-cost brewery and dairy equipment – enabling the start-up According to the start-up, its ingredients cut land use by up to 95% and reduce the carbon emissions Biofuture achieved a record cell lipid content of 78%, reflecting the amount of the yeast cell made up

The selected start-ups are as follows: Arborea , Portugal and UK California Cultured , US Calysta , US Solmeyea , Greece Superbrewed Food , US The Better Meat Co , US The Protein Brewery , The Netherlands Each start-up

Estonian food-tech start-up Äio has announced the successful completion of its first full-scale production The start-up uses biomass and precision fermentation to transform industrial side streams into nutrient-rich Seeing something that I started in a small lab in Brazil now being produced at this scale in Europe is

The strategy also aims to support start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs in bringing new innovations to market The frameworks are guided by six shared priorities: competitiveness, start-ups and scale-ups; food security The strategy states that more financial support is required to help start-ups in this space overcome ‘second valley of death,’ where companies struggle to move their innovations into industrial scale-up tested, adapted to local conditions and turned into practical solutions that can be used and scaled up

US-based animal-free dairy company New Culture has strengthened its intellectual property portfolio after securing a second US patent covering cheese made with animal-free casein, reinforcing its position in the emerging precision fermentation dairy sector. The newly granted patent focuses specifically on mozzarella made using the company's proprietary animal-free casein, while an earlier patent granted in 2023 provides broader protection for cheese products made using recombinant alpha casein across multiple cheese types, formulations and production processes. Casein is the primary protein responsible for cheese's texture, stretch, melt and mouthfeel. Rather than sourcing the protein from animal milk, New Culture produces animal-free casein through the fermentation of sugars before using it as the key ingredient in its dairy-free cheese products. According to the company, its patent portfolio covers cheese made using animal-free alpha casein from a range of dairy species, including cow, sheep, goat, buffalo and camel. The protected technology encompasses functional characteristics associated with conventional cheese, including stretch, adhesiveness, creaminess, flexibility and melt performance. New Culture said it has developed proprietary expertise in producing animal-free alpha-S1 casein at commercial scale through fermentation, with the protein serving as the sole dairy protein source in its cheese formulations. The company is preparing to launch its animal-free mozzarella through the foodservice channel, initially targeting pizzerias. Alongside its own product rollout, New Culture said it has partnered with global consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies to explore applications for its casein ingredient across a wider range of dairy and nutrition products. Potential applications include yogurt, creamers and beverages, as well as protein-focused products for sports nutrition, metabolic health and everyday consumption. The company also highlighted opportunities for casein in the growing GLP-1 nutrition category, citing the protein's role in satiety and sustained recovery. New Culture said it is continuing to pursue additional patent protection covering the use of its animal-free casein technology in both food and non-food applications. The latest patent has been issued as US Patent No. 12,635,703, while the company's broader patent covering animal-free alpha casein cheese was granted in 2023 under US Patent No. 11,771,105.

“We cooked up Crunch Corn because we wanted to create a more complete savoury treat for those underwhelmed

Äio, a food-tech start-up based in Estonia, has successfully scaled production of its fermentation-made pivotal,’ proving that its fermentation-based fat solutions can be produced at scale and bringing the start-up The start-up’s biotechnology solution uses yeast to convert food and agricultural sidestreams into value-added efficiency and equipping the start-up for real-world application. Petri-Jaan Lahtvee, co-founder and COO of Äio, said: “Scaling up is one of the toughest challenges for

announcement was shared by co-founder and CEO Gregor Tegl on his LinkedIn page, marking the end of the start-up acids and protein ingredients through carbon-capture-based fermentation, Arkeon was part of a wave of start-ups

Swedish food-tech start-up Millow has appointed Fredrik Öhrn as its new CEO, and has announced that inventor