Imagine trying to swap beef for crickets or algae, but not knowing if it's actually healthy or if people will like the taste. This work creates a giant guidebook that tests these new proteins for safety, allergies, and nutrition. It's like a roadmap for food companies to move from animal meat to plant-based options without guessing if the product works.
Food companies struggle to replace animal proteins because they lack reliable data on safety, allergenicity, and how consumers will react to the taste and price of alternative ingredients.
A suite of prototypes including vegan burgers, meatball analogues, cheese spreads, egg replacers, and yogurt analogues, supported by safety and nutrition datasets.
If you are a producer dealing with poor texture or taste in meat substitutes — this project developed prototypes like vegan burgers and cheese spreads that use 20 characterized alternative protein ingredients to improve product quality.
If you are a consultant dealing with slow approval processes for new proteins — this project developed advanced cell-based models for allergenicity and safety that reduce the need for animal testing.
If you are a farmer dealing with low demand for fava beans or lentils — this project provides datasets on the techno-functional potential of 9 specific protein sources to help you find the right industrial buyers.
Based on available project data, the project explores trade-offs between price, nutrition, and product format to understand consumer preferences across four countries.
The project has moved beyond theory to develop prototypes such as meatball analogues and yogurt analogues, though full industrial scale-up data is not explicitly detailed.
Based on available project data, the project aims to provide open-access datasets to empower value chain actors and policymakers.
It provides methodologies and datasets for safety and allergenicity assessments, aligning with the Farm-to-Fork strategy and Green Deal targets.
The project runs from 2022-09-01 to 2026-08-31, with a target for 50% of European protein intake to be alternative sources by 2030.
The consortium is heavily weighted toward practical application, with 13 industry partners (37% ratio) and 8 SMEs. This balance between 9 universities and 9 research institutes ensures that the scientific data on 9 protein sources is directly translated into commercial prototypes, reducing the gap between lab research and market-ready food products.
Contact Stichting Wageningen Research in the Netherlands
Contact us to access the open-access datasets on alternative protein techno-functionality.
