Fungi to protein: Nosh.bio taps fermentation for temperature-stable vegan ice cream

13 Aug 2024 --- The texture and mouthfeel of non-dairy ice creams are usually considered inferior to conventional ice cream despite using additives and stabilizers, says Felipe Lino, CTO and co-founder at Germany-based Nosh.bio. The company overcomes these hurdles by using microbial fermentation techniques to develop proteins that increase the melting point in vegan ice creams, keeping them solid at higher temperatures.

Food Ingredients First catches up with Lino to learn more about the process and how it uses non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) fungi to yield high-quality protein and fiber-rich mycoprotein for food applications.

“Ice cream producers face similar challenges to other food manufacturers: having a limited amount of available ingredients to play with. This forces them to use chemical additives and stabilizers, with unappealing e-numbers in their labels,” says Lino.

However, they still struggle to achieve texture and mouthfeel at par with dairy ice creams at a time when “indulgence, with plant-based products that provide great taste and texture,” is at the top of consumer trends driving vegan ice cream innovation.

“Consumers also have health and wellness considerations. Providing cleaner labels, free of additives and preservatives, is also important.”

Vegan ice cream trends

Vegan ice cream innovations are proliferating, with demand expected to rise over the next eight years with a CAGR of 10.8% from 2023 until 2032, when the global market will be valued at over US$1.7 billion, underscores Lino.

Vegan ice cream demand is expected to rise at a CAGR of 10.8% from 2023 until 2032 (Image credit: Nosh.bio).“Vegan ice cream products cater to customers’ dietary preferences by addressing the increasing demand for dairy-free options and appealing to those who are lactose intolerant, health-conscious and following the growing trend of veganism.”

Environmental, animal welfare and ethical concerns also push consumers toward choosing vegan ice creams. 

Additionally, emissions from the global dairy industry, which in 2021 was responsible for 2.7% of greenhouse gas emissions, have driven many consumers to “reduce or eliminate” entirely dairy products such as ice cream from their diets.

Targeting zero waste and circularity

The advanced microbial fermentation process that Nosh.bio uses to create proteins leads to a neutral taste and color in the mycoprotein, which can be incorporated in food applications without the need for masking agents or additives, explains Lino.

The process also focuses on sustainability, circularity and zero waste, “bypassing the use of arable land and fossil fuels.”

“By using existing fermentation capacity, Nosh.bio can produce cost-effective, nutritious food products that meet regulatory standards and consumer demands for clean labels.”

Temperature stability for saving costs

According to Lino, higher melting points due to the mycoproteins can help vegan ice cream manufacturers receive financial gains during storage.

“Nosh.bio’s proteins allow ice cream producers to develop ice creams that are stable at higher temperatures, which translates in huge financial gains, due to energy costs savings and environmental benefit.” This is because of the lower energy consumption needed for producing, transporting and storing the ice cream.

Nosh.bio’s non-GMO proteins allow ice cream producers to develop ice creams that melt at higher temperatures, leading to reduced refrigeration costs.He cites an example of ice parlors and the energy costs they incur for refrigerating ice creams: “Imagine that a parlor can keep the ice cream at temperatures four to five degrees higher. This ends up with significant cost savings by the end of the year.”

“Do that for the entire industry and you have a massive cost reduction, with a huge environmental benefit due to the lower amount of energy needed,” he explains.

“Leaner and cleaner”

Nosh.bio’s vegan ice cream can provide a better texture and mouthfeel than current vegan ice creams, says Lino.

It has a leaner and cleaner label (fewer ingredients and no e-numbers) with an improved nutritional value. “We bring all this value with our naturally fermented vegan protein.”

Even though other B2B players also develop protein from fungi in the current market, Lino says Nosh.bio is the “only one capable of providing holistic solutions for several different F&B applications.”

“Beyond cleaner labels and nutrition, we bring superior functionalities as well. We are the only ones capable of producing a single-ingredient meat analog, which can not only replicate the taste and texture of meat but also bring nutrition and health.”

The company’s solutions can also replace eggs in bakery and condiments applications, clean the label of ice cream and alt-dairy applications and “even partly replace cocoa nibs and cocoa butter in chocolate.”

Future outlook

The company plans to continue using its proteins to develop meat analogs and create a new category of animal-free products: koji chunks, reveals Lino.

“Besides this, we plan to start rolling out our unique solutions to other verticals within the food industry in the upcoming years (e.g., dairy, bakery, confectionery, health and wellness, etc).”

“Our initial focus will be to cater to the European market, but we already have plans to expand to the US market later,” he concludes.

By Insha Naureen