Novozymes rethinks the adoption of plant-based protein, eyes fungi innovation

22 Sep 2021 --- As the UN Food System Summit sets the stage to bring about tangible, positive changes to the world’s food systems, Novozymes’s latest strategy is to rethink how it manufactures and sources protein, with a special focus on fungi-based and mycelium ingredients.

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Valerio Nannini, general manager for advanced protein solutions at Novozymes says no one can solve global challenges alone and it can be done faster by working together. 

“There is a need to start thinking differently about innovation in the industry. Novozymes want to help transform the food system and in order to do so we need mutual beneficial collaborations – not competition. With the recent UN IPCC Climate Report on global warming impacts getting worse and the timeframe to respond is decreasing – fast and smart is exactly what we need.”

Novozymes is launching this global platform to help transform the future of food through the power of fungi and mycelium.Novozymes believes it is necessary to find new and alternative sources of protein – and protein diversification is without a doubt an important part of this. “Finding solutions to feed the world with healthy and nutritious food and producing it within planetary boundaries is essential – and producing protein through fermentation has enormous potential,” explains Nannini.

The company has launched the Myco-protein Innovation Call – a global platform to cultivate new business collaborations to scale up the most promising innovations and ideas around using fungi as a source of protein.

“Some of the challenges we face, we hope to be able to solve together with the right collaborations,” adds Nannini.

“Another aspect is to keep challenging our own innovation process and not rely on how we normally do things. It requires us to keep a close eye on the consumer and understand their needs and wants but also to stay agile and experimental in a fast-moving industry.”

Transforming global food systems
According to Nannini, plant-based food is key in the transformation in front of us. 

“To feed the growing population within planetary boundaries we need to speed up the adoption of plant-based solutions. However, to deliver the most delicious, healthy and nutritious food products, the combination of technologies and ingredients could be essential,” she outlines. 

“Advanced protein solutions, produced through fermentation, could for instance be an important part in making plant-based food better tasting and improving nutritional value.”

Moreover, Novozymes sees a shift in consumer demands – a rising demand for innovative products within the alternative-protein space – especially with younger generations. 

“It is up to the corporations to meet these consumer needs, by helping create good tasting, healthy and nutritious food products. Realizing the importance of rethinking how we expand the adoption of alternative protein and how we meet an increasing demand for sustainable nutrition, this new platform seeks to find new innovative ways of transforming the future of food,” notes Nannini.

“Realizing the importance of how we expand the adoption of plant-based protein and how we meet an increasing demand for sustainable nutrition, we are hoping to transform the future of food through the power of fungi and mycelium,” says Amy Louise Byrick, executive vice president of strategy and business transformation at Novozymes. 

“Transforming our global food systems at scale will require radical new ways of working, bringing together the most cutting-edge scientific and business expertise from across industries and sectors – and this is what the Myco-protein Innovation Call is all about. We want to rethink and advance protein to find innovative ways to help feed the world sustainably.”

Mycoprotein gains ground
In recent years, the global focus on mycoprotein has risen significantly, and the increased awareness of a need for new protein sources has brought attention to the potential of fungal mycelium. 

Its versatility is vast and can be used among others for whole-cut meat analogs, vegan bacon, tempeh, or even cream cheese. 

Despite neither the technology nor fermentation being new, innovative ways of utilizing fungi for food applications are accelerating fast, says the company. 

Industry’s race to diversify outside of conventional plant and animal protein sources is primarily tied to health and climate-conscious commitments.

Earlier this month, Enough broke ground on the world’s largest fermentation-based mycoprotein facility.

Paving the way for business collabsNovozymes has decades of experience in fermentation and its business is built on expertise in working with fungal mycelium.
Novozymes has created a space where companies focused on new ways of working with mycoprotein can benefit from synergies across themes and functions. 

The Innovation Call invites start-ups, research centers, academics, corporates, NGOs and public entities focused on new ideas within alternative proteins – and more specifically fungal mycelium – in food ingredients and products to apply to co-create and innovate the future of sustainable protein. 

“As a biotech powerhouse, Novozymes can unlock significant value by building on decades of experience within fungal mycelium,” continues Byrick. “We want to leverage this expertise around microbial fermentation and fungi to support the most promising innovations and ideas in the space of protein ingredients for food applications.”

At a time of accelerating demand across the protein space, Novozymes is strengthening its commitment to the area of Advanced Protein Solutions, built on a powerful portfolio of biotech solutions in the food and beverage areas.

Recently, the company entered a long-term contract with Givaudan, marking an important milestone in Novozymes’ strategy, Better business with biology. 

The companies will jointly work on the R&D of sustainable solutions in the areas of food and cleaning.

Meanwhile, Univar Solutions and Novozymes inked an agreement to expand their partnership into the US and Canadian food ingredients markets in April. They offer options for expediting production, boosting nutritional value, or addressing challenges in new markets such as plant-based foods and beverages. 

Building the future of food
The Myco-Protein Innovation Call is a new commitment to the area, designed as an opportunity to leverage Novozymes’ global scientific and business leadership to support emerging innovations in the mycoprotein space and together build the future of food. The aim is to focus on new ways of working with fungal mycelium in food ingredients and products to apply.

The Myco-Protein Innovation Call opens for applications on September 21. 

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis, with two dates set for application review by the Novozymes team: November 15, 2021, and January 31, 2022.

By Elizabeth Green