This summer, Dutch startup Rival Foods will begin deploying its ShearCell technology, a new approach to texturing plant-based proteins that can be made into whole cuts, at a “commercially viable scale.”
Rival Foods, a spin-off from Wageningen University founded in 2019 by Dr. Birgit Dekkers and Ernst Briel, currently supplies chicken fillets, skewered chicken blocks and pulled chicken to selected restaurants in the Netherlands and Germany. are doing.
With equipment expected to be operational at the new facility in July, Rival Foods will scale up to supply food service customers in the UK and France, and then enter the French retail market, increasing its annual Production of up to 400 tons will be possible. 2025. The ultimate goal is to reach a throughput of 1,000 kilometers per hour, Dekkers said.
heat + pressure
Shearcell technology also applies heat and pressure to make plant proteins behave like animal proteins, but typically requires less heat than the high-moisture extrusion cooking process (in which molten material is forced through an opening and cooled). It uses less energy and allows more precise control. Deckers argues that this is more important than the texture of the final product. “Extrusion, on the other hand, is kind of a black box.”
Dekkers says that ShearCell technology, which she describes as “like a pressure cooker with rotating parts,” can “reproduce the really fibrous texture of meat proteins, but with different materials and processing conditions, it can produce flaky textures.” “It can also create the texture of fish.” .
It also allows for the production of larger “whole cuts” of plant-based meat, without the need to glue small pieces of plant-based meat together, Dekkers said. He believes whole cuts will eventually account for up to 50% of this category.
“One of the biggest obstacles to the success of plant-based whole cuts is achieving the right texture,” said Rival Foods, who raised a €6 million ($6.5 million) Series A round in 2016. Martina Pace, CCO of venture capital firm Peak Bridge, who led the charge, argues. She is also backing Roquette Ventures in Fall 2022.
“With the best texturing technology on the market, Rival Foods is positioned to make a huge impact on the heart of the plate. Additionally, this same technology can be used to texture a variety of proteins, opening up huge opportunities for the future.”
patent protection
The basis of ShearCel technology is ideal for lean whole cuts containing up to 10% fat and has been “documented in the scientific literature,” according to Dekkers. But that doesn't mean anyone can implement it at scale, she says.
“We have three patents extending this technology, two of which we own,” Dekkers said. The third patent comes from Plant Meat Matters, a partnership between Wageningen University and companies including Givaudan, Ingredion and plant-based meat brand Vegetarian Butcher (now owned by Unilever). It is owned by Wageningen and licensed to Rival Foods. , she says.
“We have an exclusive license to the patents resulting from this consortium until the end of 2027.”
Furthermore, she added: “So, for example, vegetarian butchers are interested in the products we're making. And if we show them that we can produce them at scale at a cost-competitive price, they may become customers.” There is a gender.”
“We're really focused on a b2b approach.”
Rival Foods is one of several companies making “whole-cut” meat alternatives, from Switzerland-based Planted to Slovenia-based Juicy Marbles [disclosure: AgFunderNews’ parent co AgFunder is an investor]Redefine Meat, based in the Netherlands; Chunk Foods is based in Israel. Green Rebel Foods is based in Indonesia. Project Eden is based in Germany. US-based MyForest Foods, Meati Foods, and Mooii Meats. Umiami is based in France. and Spain-based Novameat.
But unlike most of the companies mentioned above, Rival Foods isn't looking to build a consumer brand, Dekkers says.
“We really focus on a b2b approach, so we sell initially to restaurants and catering companies, and then we sell via private label to retailers, but also via white label to branded food companies.” We then sell them to retailers.”
If successful, Rival Foods could offer the technology under license to other manufacturers in the future, allowing them to use the shear cells directly to produce products, Dekkers said. “At some point, we think of ourselves as an enabling company. But first we have to show what our products can do and really change consumer behavior. No need.”
When asked how ShearCell compares to other approaches to making holistic cuts, from 3D printing to fermentation to electrospinning to ohmic heating, she said: “All of these technologies have advantages and disadvantages. For example, with 3D printing he has to print line by line, so scalability can be a challenge.”
But she says there's a lot of room for different approaches. “Currently, shelves are crowded with unhealthy processed category products (hamburgers, sausages, nuggets, etc.), but there are currently very few whole-cut, plant-based products on the shelves.” “
While retail sales of plant-based meat are declining in the U.S., “growth is stagnant rather than decreasing in Europe,” Dekkers said. “Retailers and governments alike understand that we cannot continue to consume this much. [animal-based] meat. However, quality, taste, mouthfeel and texture are key to getting more consumers to choose these types of products.
“And that's where we feel like we've taken a big step forward. In consumer tests, we score better than comparable plant-based products, and when it comes to price, we're more than happy with the cheapest It’s definitely more expensive than chicken, but not as expensive as some premium organic products.”
References:
Swiss startup Planted launches 'first of its kind' plant-based fermented steak
Introducing Founder – Juicy Marbles CEO Tilen Travnik: “We don’t have a lot of money, so our execution has to be perfect.”
