Giving water “superpowers”: Cargill and Renmatix explore novel method of plant upcycling into functional ingredients

12 Dec 2019 --- Cargill and Renmatix have signed a six-month joint development agreement (JDA) to explore a novel approach for upcycling a broad range of plant biomasses. The two companies will use Renmatix’s Plantrose Process – a water-based technology – and Cargill’s preferred feedstocks to create alternatives for hydrocolloids and emulsifiers. The partnership intends to test this technology in the processing of unused plant materials and convert them into highly functional food ingredients that can be used across multiple categories, from baked goods to dairy, soups, sauces and meat products.

“Any food manufacturers looking for clean label, sustainable and cost-advantaged ingredients would be interested in what we’re doing. Renmatix has already shown that ingredients made with our process can offer improvements in performance (for example, freshness extension) and significant cost savings (for example, egg replacement in cookies), and can replace common emulsifiers like mono- and di-glycerides. We’re looking forward to working with Cargill’s feedstocks to demonstrate similar types of performance and outcomes,” Mike Hamilton, CEO of Renmatix, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Yusuf Wazirzada, Global Texturizers and Specialties Strategic Marketing Lead for Cargill, explains, “We will be making functional food ingredients that can act as emulsifiers or hydrocolloids in food products. “Due to the competitive nature of Cargill’s business, we are unable to disclose the specifics regarding feedstocks used or ingredients we are testing.”

“Our goal is for the food ingredients made via the Plantrose Process to have the same functional and nutritional attributes as their conventional counterparts, but made via a very different process. We are also intrigued with the versatility of the technology as it can be used with a variety of plant-based materials. The Plantrose process is a very clean process, using only water, temperature and pressure, which converts unused plant materials into functional food ingredients that are label-friendly, great-tasting and sustainable,” he adds.

Renmatix will produce materials made from the Cargill feedstocks at the company’s Georgia, US, plant. These materials will then be market-tested by Cargill’s global customers. Both parties will then review findings. The companies are already into the second month of the six-month JDA.

Renmatix’s Nouravant made from upcycled maple fiber.Giving water “superpowers”
Renmatix’s patented and proprietary Plantrose Process is dubbed a “first-in-kind” technology innovation that harnesses water as a medium to break down diverse plant materials (biomass) to create a portfolio of foundational ingredients that can be used in diverse applications. This chemical engineering process is known as supercritical hydrolysis to unlock a whole new range of eco-friendly products using only water pressure and temperature – no harsh solvents, acids or costly enzymes needed.

Water, left in its normal states (liquid, ice and steam) does not efficiently dissolve plant structures or reduce them to the point where they can be separated into their most basic parts. To achieve this, Renmatix outlines that its team of chemical engineers have imbued water with “superpowers” by applying a distinct combination of heat and pressure on the liquid to achieve a supercritical state. In this special state, water is capable of dissolving biomass into those simple, valuable, component parts.

Plants, when broken down, have incredibly diverse utility as ingredients in an array of everyday products and even in industrial applications. The challenge is not getting to plants’ basic building blocks, but rather getting to them cheaply and cleanly, notes Renmatix. The Plantrose Process is pegged by the company as an economical solution that can meet this critical cost basis.

Maple fiber is the upcycled plant material used in Renmatix’s first product launch, Nouravant. The ingredient offers emulsification and freshness extending properties. “We’ve used a wide range of feedstocks with the Plantrose Process in the past. Cargill is the world’s largest manager of feedstock on a global basis, so they have unique insight into other possible plant materials we could use,” Hamilton says.

“The food industry is increasingly turning to plant-based ingredients to deliver a wide variety of benefits, including great taste, functionality and label-friendly appeal. Upcycling, the process of transforming unused feedstocks into new, higher-value materials, is the next step in creating a more sustainable value chain and generating exciting new product benefits,” concludes Hamilton.

By Benjamin Ferrer