5
Vancouver-based food innovation company Cultivated Food Labs is advancing the development of a cocoa alternative made from faba bean hulls, with the company preparing to move towards commercial-scale production and partnerships with food manufacturers.
The emerging ingredient is being developed from faba bean processing by-products that typically have limited commercial value. Cultivated Food Labs believes the innovation could provide food manufacturers with a more resilient alternative ingredient while also creating additional value from agricultural waste streams.
The company is now preparing commercial-scale samples as it explores licensing opportunities, strategic partnerships and potential business-to-business ingredient sales.
Cultivated Food Labs was established as a food innovation and commercialisation specialist, helping companies develop products from early concepts through formulation, manufacturing and scale-up.
However, the company has increasingly started developing its own ingredient technologies, with the faba bean-based cocoa alternative emerging as one of its most advanced projects.
President Joel Gfeller said the company has developed a proprietary process involving yeast and enzymatic treatments to transform faba bean hulls into an ingredient with characteristics suitable for cocoa applications.
We are excited to share with you
This FREE E-Book of 50 Agritech Pioneers & Their Game Changing Innovations.
Download the Ebook now
The technology has received support through a Canadian government grant, allowing the company to advance the project from an early development stage towards a level closer to commercial readiness.
According to Gfeller, Cultivated Food Labs has moved the technology from technology readiness level four to approximately 6.5 over recent months, with additional funding expected to help push it towards level eight.
The company hopes the progress will position the technology for further commercialisation support and potential adoption by larger food and ingredient companies.
Cultivated Food Labs says its ingredient can replace as much as 50 per cent of conventional or Dutch-processed cocoa in certain food applications without compromising sensory performance.
The company has obtained additional grant support to conduct independent sensory evaluations involving more than 50 participants, with the testing intended to further establish the ingredient’s taste and functional performance.
Following the trial, Cultivated Food Labs intends to distribute samples to potential commercial partners while continuing discussions with suppliers of faba bean hulls and other raw materials.
The company has also identified Canadian businesses capable of carrying out key stages of the production process, including fermentation and enzymatic treatment.
While the production process is designed to use relatively conventional equipment, scaling it up presents logistical challenges.
Gfeller explained that several stages of the process, including soaking, fermentation and roasting or toasting, are not necessarily carried out in the same facility.
Read Also: AGRA Launches New Initiatives to Transform African Agriculture and Food Systems
This could require the company to coordinate multiple manufacturing operations or work with businesses that already possess suitable infrastructure.
Large malting companies could potentially provide some of the facilities and equipment required to support the process at scale.
Cultivated Food Labs is also aware that other businesses have pursued intellectual property protection for cocoa alternatives.
.webp&w=280&h=180)
