Motif enters research collaboration to improve animal-free fats

Food ingredients company Motif FoodWorks has entered a research collaboration to improve animal-free fats.

The partnership is with the University of Guelph in Ontario and professor Alejandro Marangoni.

Under this new alliance, the food ingredients company will focus on new technologies for formulating lipids and fibre-forming ingredients in plant-based meats and dairy products.

It aims to make plant-based burgers, sausages and cheese more delicious.

Motif FoodWorks CTO Mike Leonard said: “Creating the right kind of fat structures in plant-based foods is one of the most significant — and exciting — challenges in the category because fat plays such a critical role in what makes some of our favourite food experiences so satisfying.

“In our work with Marangoni and the University of Guelph, we will evaluate technologies with the potential to serve as critical new building blocks in plant-based food design.”

As part of this new initiative, Motif will be engaged in the assessment of new technologies over 12 months.

Motif noted that it will work on replacing saturated fat with an animal-free emulsion system, imitating critical animal fat structures and improving the texture of plant-based cheeses.

The efforts will be led by Motif’s Food Science head Stefan Baier and Motif’s Applications head Dilek Uzunalioglu.

During the evaluation tenure with the University of Guelph and Marangoni, Motif will have the option to acquire or license these technologies.

Marangoni said: “Understanding how to properly structure fat in plant-based food is mission-critical for the food industry.

“We are excited to work alongside Motif to determine how some of the newest and most exciting technologies will work in new food products to improve the sensory experience of plant-based meat and dairy on a broader scale.”

Last December, Motif FoodWorks partnered with the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia to improve the texture of plant-based meat products.