10122380Development of innovative food products using plant proteins and precision fermentation with in-silico optimisationClosedCR&D BilateralInnovate UKThe food ingredient market has evolved in recent years, leveraging more technologies to customise and functionalise ingredients for different end uses. Techniques such as biomass and precision fermentation, cell-cultivation techniques and structure modification have led to a new wave of ingredients offering premium-tier functionality. This project aims to investigate how precision fermentation-derived ingredients can play a part in levelling up products in three different categories by modifying flavour, functionality and improved sustainability credentials. Liven's portfolio of ingredients will be tailored to a range of end uses including pet food and alternative protein products for human consumption. The precision-fermented protein ingredients provided by Liven will be customised for each end use and tested in application. As economic viability and production sustainability are key to the adoption of these ingredients, New Wave Biotech will apply their process optimisation tool to test increased efficiencies in fermentation, downstream processing and stabilisation steps. This will give New Wave the opportunity to build further business case as they grow their client base and improve their software and user experience. The two end users, Formidable Foods and HOPE Pet Food, will test the ingredients and contribute to a feedback loop in order to refine the functionality and sensory performance of the ingredients. The results will be validated by assessing the performance of the end-use applications and feasibility of using the ingredients.