Valley partners Givaudan and Bühler have teamed up with MISTA to open a state-of-the-art extrusion hub at the MISTA Innovation Center in San Francisco. The opening of this new facility advances MISTA’s capabilities in driving food innovation and highlights Givaudan’s and Bühler’s commitment to supporting food system transformation.

This collaborative effort between Givaudan and Bühler offers companies the opportunity to conduct innovative and effective product development trials for their extruded products. Equipped with a 30mm twin-screw Bühler extruder, the hub enables both high moisture extrusion, such as plant-based meat production, and low moisture extrusion, including snacks and cereals. Unlike smaller benchtop extruders, the results obtained at the facility can be translated to full-scale production equipment. With an output of up to 50 kilograms per hour, companies can now explore new possibilities in product development with ease.

Fabio Campanile, Global Head of Science and Technology, Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing, highlighted the company’s commitment to plant-based alternatives, innovation, and the importance of partnerships. “Adding extrusion capabilities at MISTA expands our vast innovation network and further demonstrates our commitment to the alternative protein space. We believe that by working together and leveraging our collective expertise, we can continue driving the development of the food industry to deliver sustainable and delicious food experiences for consumers around the world.”

The hub at MISTA is the latest addition to the Global Innovation Network being built by Givaudan, Bühler, and others, further solidifying the collective dedication to driving innovation and supporting its customers worldwide. Other innovation facilities include Givaudan’s Zurich Innovation Centre, the Protein Innovation Centre in Singapore, and the Tropical Food Innovation Lab in Brazil.

The hub launch coincided with the bi-annual MISTA in Action programme, held at the end of March. This event brought together industry executives, leaders, and start-up companies from around the world to network and explore the latest collaborative advances in the food industry. Attendees included representatives from consumer-packaged goods companies, ingredient players, equipment manufacturers, service providers, and premier funding companies in food tech.

During the event, Ian Roberts, CTO at Bühler, delivered an inspiring keynote speech, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and technological advancements in shaping the future of the food industry. “Collaboration is key to building a sustainable future for food with the goal of feeding the expected 10 billion world inhabitants by the year 2050. The MISTA facility demonstrates that these collaborations provide real results. The partnership with MISTA, Givaudan, and Bühler is providing a world-class technology platform for food innovators to develop and scale the protein sources that will sustainably nourish the world’s growing population,” said Ian Roberts.

“MISTA acts as a catalyst for companies to discover, integrate, and evolve new ways of working that will help power their innovation engine and accelerate the transformation of the food system,” said Scott May, founder and Head of MISTA. “Through the nodal network, unique collaborations, access to new technologies and domain expertise, MISTA empowers companies to re-imagine innovation and drive positive change for companies and the industry. We are confident the addition of extrusion capabilities will help generate and accelerate many of the great-tasting food solutions needed to ensure a sustainable food future.”

About Givaudan

Givaudan is a global leader in Fragrance & Beauty and Taste & Wellbeing. We celebrate the beauty of human experience by creating for happier, healthier lives with love for nature. Together with our customers we deliver food experiences, craft inspired fragrances and develop beauty and wellbeing solutions that make people look and feel good. In 2023, Givaudan employed 16,260 people worldwide and achieved CHF 6.9 billion in sales with a free cash flow of 13.3%. With a heritage that stretches back over 250 years, we are committed to driving long-term, purpose-led growth by improving people’s health and happiness and increasing our positive impact on nature. This is Givaudan. Human by nature.Discover more at www.givaudan.com

About Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing

Powered by innovation and creativity, Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing aims to shape the future of food by becoming the co-creation partner of choice to its customers. Built on its global leadership position in flavours and taste, the Company goes beyond to create food experiences that do good and feel good, for body, mind and planet. With an expanded portfolio of products across flavours, taste, functional and nutritional solutions and a deep knowledge of the food ecosystem, Givaudan’s passion is to collaborate with customers and partners to develop game changing innovations in food and beverage. This is Givaudan. Human by nature. Learn more about how we are shaping the future of food at www.givaudan.com/taste-wellbeing

About Bühler

Bühler is driven by its purpose of creating innovations for a better world, balancing the needs of economy, humanity, and nature in all its decision-making processes. Billions of people come into contact with Bühler technologies as they cover their basic needs for food and mobility every day. Two billion people each day enjoy foods produced on Bühler equipment; and one billion people travel in vehicles manufactured using parts produced with Bühler solutions. Countless people wear eyeglasses, use smart phones, and read newspapers and magazines – all of which depend on Bühler process technologies and solutions. Having this global relevance, Bühler is in a unique position to turn today’s global challenges into sustainable business.

As a technology partner for the food, feed, and mobility industries, Bühler has committed to having solutions ready to multiply by 2025 that reduce energy, waste, and water by 50% in the value chains of its customers. It also proactively collaborates with suppliers to reduce climate impacts throughout the value chain. In its own operations, Bühler has developed a pathway to achieve a 60% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scopes 1 & 2, against a 2019 baseline).

Bühler spends up to 5% of turnover on research and development annually to improve both the commercial and sustainability performance of its solutions, products, and services. In 2023, some 12,500 employees generated a turnover of CHF 3.0 billion. As a Swiss family-owned company with a history spanning 164 years, Bühler is active in 140 countries around the world and operates a global network of 105 service stations, 30 manufacturing sites, and Application & Training Centers in 25 locations. For more information go to www.buhlergroup.com

About MISTA

MISTA’s mission is to transform the global food system to meet the needs of the future…an abundant future that nourishes and delights people and planet. We are a global nodal network and innovation platform consisting of members ranging from large, established companies to new food technology start-ups. We practice curated collaboration by bringing companies together in a trust-based ecosystem to work in new ways, inspiring innovative, regenerative solutions that accelerate the changes required to solve challenges facing our global food system.
For more information go to www.mistafood.com

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Switzerland-based food and food ingredients company Food Brewer teams up with Fruitful AI to use their advanced computer vision tools to create an automated media screening and cell selection platform. Food Brewer is developing a platform technology to produce food and food ingredients, starting with non-GMO cacao and coffee. The optimisation of ingredient and media formulations allows the Food Brewer team to identify the fastest-growing plant cells and devise the best formulations in record-breaking time. With advanced data-driven insights from Fruitful AI, the partnership sets a new precedent for the future of sustainable cellular agriculture practices.

📒 The background

SFNV: Tell us a bit about the key issues you address.

Christopher Keim: At Food Brewer we’re developing a platform technology to produce food and food ingredients, starting with non-GMO cacao and coffee. The urgency for change stemmed from the environmental impact of conventional practices, including deforestation, loss of biodiversity, high water usage, food waste, and greenhouse gas emissions. By incorporating AI tools and technologies like computer vision to track the growth of plant cells, we’re able to enhance the efficiency, quality, and reproducibility of our platform. 

Patrick Albrecht: At Fruitful AI, our focus lies in objective automated quality assessments by providing food manufacturers, among others, with advanced data-driven insights. These insights, derived from our AI tools, allow for optimised resource allocation and improved monitoring of plant cell growth, potentially leading to increased efficiency and sustainability within current cellular agriculture practices. We believe this collaborative approach, exemplified by our partnership with Food Brewer, can lead to significant positive impacts on the future of the food system.

🤩 The opportunity

SFNV: What made you believe this collaboration would positively impact your work?

Christopher Keim: This collaboration emerged from a shared commitment to address sustainability challenges in the agricultural food market and is a response to a need for transformative solutions. After carefully examining the challenges associated with traditional plant cell growth methods, we identified this as an opportunity to implement innovative approaches in our production processes with the aid of Fruitful AI’s strong AI expertise.

Patrick Albrecht: Our shared passion for innovation in the Swiss food and beverage scene is what catalysed this collaboration. We recognise Switzerland’s prominence in the industry and admire the pioneering spirit of its leading companies. Food Brewer’s commitment to cell-cultured food development is a perfect fit for our AI expertise, and as such, we’re able to contribute Fruitful AI’s advanced tools for plant cell growth monitoring while Food Brewer leverages this technology to optimise its production processes.

💡 The solution

SFNV: What’s changed for you since this collaboration started? What are you most excited about?

Christopher Keim: Since collaborating with Fruitful AI we’ve established an automated media screening platform to optimise the nutrient formulation for our plant cells. This allows us to mimic natural growth conditions and help them grow efficiently in a healthy environment. Together with Fruitful AI and our plant tissue expert’s domain expertise we train the algorithms to independently detect and track plant tissue growth over time. In this way, the team can not only identify the fastest-growing plant cells and devise the best formulations in record-breaking time, but they are also able to determine and preserve the quality of the plant cells over a long period.

Patrick Albrecht: Since forming this partnership we’ve witnessed a refinement of both our AI tools and Food Brewer’s production processes. What we’re most excited about is the potential to revolutionise the future of food production. We see immense potential for impact in optimising resource usage, enhancing sustainability, and ensuring food security for a growing global population. This collaboration is a great example of the power of ‘growing the pie together,’ where innovation leads to positive change for all stakeholders, including consumers, the environment, and the future of food.

👀 What’s next?

SFNV: What does a food system that is fit for the future look like to you? What changes are needed?

Christopher Keim: For us, a food system fit for the future involves the widespread adoption of sustainable and scalable food production practices. With Food Brewer’s technology we provide partners in Switzerland the means to overcome the challenges of sustainable food production. Together we advance cellular agriculture and reshape the agricultural food market in Switzerland and beyond.

Patrick Albrecht: We envision a future food system that’s sustainable, efficient, and accessible for all. This means minimising waste and diversifying food sources for greater resilience. The key challenge lies in widespread adoption. Collaboration between innovators, producers, and consumers is crucial to get there.

💭 Partner Reflections

Christopher Keim: I find immense value in the innovative contributions this collaboration brings, particularly in addressing sustainability challenges in the agricultural food market. What excites me most is the potential for transformative impact, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to create a more sustainable and efficient future in food production.

Patrick Albrecht: Partnerships like these bring about an ingenuity that reinforces the power of collective innovation. I believe our combined expertise creates value by pushing the boundaries of both food science and AI, and I’m excited about the potential that holds in revolutionising the food industry and building a sustainable future together.

About Food Brewer

Food Brewer is a food and food ingredients company using plant cell cultures. We focus development, and marketing of pioneering technologies for large-scale cultivation in brewing tanks as an alternative to conventional agriculture. We secure key resources for the food industry and eliminate geographic, climatic, and seasonal challenges.

About Fruitful AI

Fruitful AI leverages advanced computer vision to develop AI-powered inspection systems. These systems can:

• Identify and flag defects in various industries, even those as small as micrometers.
• Optimize production processes by providing real-time data and insights.
• Ensure consistent high-quality products through automated visual analysis.

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On 4 March, we held our first Impact Forum event, bringing together 4 experts to explore how we drive impact at scale in sustainable proteins in just 60 minutes. Topics spanned from technical innovations to the critical role of adapting interventions to diverse cultural and economic contexts. Read on to explore some of the event’s key insights.

Key Takeaways

• Rather than urging consumers to reduce meat consumption, we should be advocating for a shift to alternative protein sources that are environmentally sustainable and pose no public health risks.
• A shift to more plant-based diets can help to address both environmental and health challenges. But diverse formats of alternative proteins are needed to cater to varied consumer preferences and cultural context.
• When it comes to low and middle-income countries (LMICs), we should focus on diversifying protein sources, with a focus on minimally processed proteins, and context-specific and culturally resonant products.

David Hunt, Good Food Institute Europe

With a focus on the imperative need for innovation to respond to the growing global demand for meat, Hunt delved into three key pillars of alternative proteins: plant-based, fermentation-made, and cultivated meat and fish.

Diverse plant-derived proteins emerge as a promising solution with advancements in raw materials, fractionation techniques, and inventive methods for texture emulation, including the upcycling of food industry byproducts. Fermentation technology plays a key role in standalone protein creation and functional ingredient development — with microorganisms like fungi and bacteria aiding in bioprocessing.

Research priorities in cultivated meat and fish were also discussed, including cell line development, cost reduction in cell culture mediums, and enhanced bioprocess efficiency. 2023 marked significant milestones in each of these categories, but the discussion wrapped up with a call to action for continued research and collaboration in the pursuit of sustainable and innovative solutions.

Kesso Gabrielle van Zutphen-Küffer, Sight and Life 

Low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries have two opposing protein transitions — which means there’s a need for nuanced solutions. Not only are LMICs experiencing major nutritional gaps, but a nutritious and planetary diet is not affordable for many of the world’s poorest populations. Against this backdrop, there is no better opportunity than now, to leverage underexploited crops, create new jobs that empower smallholder farmers, and close the nutrition and affordability gap. However, protein quality must be safeguarded at all costs. 

Kesso proposed a narrative shift from replacing protein with alternative proteins to diversifying protein sources, with a focus on minimally processed proteins. It’ll take a multi-phased approach to scale this shift, and it will encompass the entire value chain. Collaboration, culturally resonant products, and substantial investments are a must. And as Kesso emphasised, “context is everything”.

Petra Klassen Wigger, Nestlé Research & Development

Petra Klassen Wigger emphasised a holistic approach to creating products that are beneficial for both consumers and the planet. Convincing consumers to adopt alternative proteins is not always an easy sell, and as such, companies must adopt a holistic value proposition. Alternative proteins have to meet a range of attributes  such as food safety, taste, nutrition, affordability, and sustainability.

Petra’s presentation stressed the importance of delivering alternative proteins in diverse and innovative formats not limited to replacing meat, dairy  or fish with plant based alternatives. New formats such as hybrid foods based on plant and animal sourced proteins allow  to address accessibility and sustainability, or vegetable based dishes to diversify diets. The company is also exploring emerging technologies like precision fermentation and cultured meat. For Nestlé, a commitment to range diversity is a key strategy — it allows the company to cater to varied consumer preferences and cultural contexts, ensuring the scalability of sustainable protein solutions.

Eliana Zamprogna, Yumame Foods 

With over one billion people affected by obesity and increasing malnutrition cases, there’s a pressing need for a shift to a more plant-based diet. Eliana Zamprogna discussed Yumame Foods’ comprehensive approach to food product ingredients; its aim is to create products that not only fulfil protein requirements but also utilise components in a wholesome manner. The company uses the fermentation process in an innovative way to combine cereals and legumes to produce authentic, minimally processed, and environmentally sustainable products that have a comprehensive nutrient profile, low fats and sodium, and locally sourced ingredients.

The key takeaway from this presentation, though, is that Yumame’s model has the potential to be replicated globally, which could significantly contribute to the paradigm shift towards sustainable and nutritious food options.

Driving impact at scale

The expert presentations were followed up by a lively Q&A session with the audience. Topics touched on included the role of upcycling for future food security, ongoing trends for meat replicas, and barriers hindering mass consumer adoption. There were also discussions around strengthening local protein source value chains in developing countries and the need for an agile approach to accommodate evolving consumer drivers. 

The collective questions and insights showcased a comprehensive engagement with diverse facets of the alternative protein landscape, reflecting the audience’s curiosity about regulatory, consumer-centric, and strategic considerations.

We’re already looking forward to our next Impact Forum event on regenerative agriculture pathways on 21 June. More information coming soon! 

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