AQUA Cultured Foods’ Fermented Fish-Free Seafood Receives GRAS Allowing Sale in US
Chicago-based alternative protein company AQUA Cultured Foods has announced that its fish-free seafood, created through fermentation, has been deemed safe for human consumption. The company’s cellulose-based products have been self-affirmed as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) following a review by an independent panel of scientific and toxicology experts. This GRAS status allows AQUA Cultured Foods to sell its products in the United States. Cellulose-based alt seafood AQUA’s fish-free seafood, which …
Revyve Introduces “Super Clean” Yeast-Based Egg Replacer for Plant-Based Burgers at IFT First 2024
Dutch food tech company Revyve announces it will debut its high-performance, clean-label egg replacer designed to enhance the texture of plant-based burgers at IFT First 2024. The ingredient, made with Revyve’s yeast proteins, is said to mimic the functionality of egg whites (heat-set gelling, binding, and emulsification), delivering the sensory experience consumers expect in plant-based meat. According to the Dutch company, its egg replacer — the first to be available …
Clever Carnivore Secures $7M to Expand its “Astoundingly” Low-Cost Cultivated Pork Production
Chicago’s first cultivated meat company, Clever Carnivore, has raised $7 million in seed round funding to expand and scale its operations. The company has developed a platform to cultivate pork at low costs. Led by former Tyson Foods executive Russell Thomas, VP of product development, Clever Carnivore has created a prototype, the Clever Bratwurst, that it plans to unveil in early 2024. The biotech’s expansion plans include relocating its inaugural lab …
Michelin Starred Chef Manrique Joins Aqua Cultured Foods to Launch “Exceptional” Alt Seafood Whole Cuts
Aqua Cultured Foods, a pioneer of alt–seafood whole cuts set to launch commercially for the first time in January 2024, has announced the appointment of renowned chef Laurent Manrique as its inaugural culinary advisor. The Chicago-based food tech develops a new type of animal-free seafood using a technology that leverages a fungi strain and fermentation to transform unprocessed organic matter into realistic alternatives of tuna, whitefish, calamari, shrimp, and scallops. In his new role, Chef Manrique …
Nature’s Fynd Expands Retail Distribution, Bringing its Revolutionary Fungi Protein to More Tables
Chicago-based Nature’s Fynd announces new retail distribution expansions for its alt meat and dairy products made with fermented proteins from fungi. After launching regionally a year ago, Nature’s Fynd Meatless Original Breakfast Patties will now be on the shelves of 400 Whole Foods Markets stores across the US. Additionally, the company’s Dairy-Free Cream Cheese, in Original and Chive & Onion flavors, is launching in all Fresh Thyme Market locations — a full-service specialty retailer …
7 Exciting Startups Proving Chicago is the Next Major Hub of Alt Protein
While California is often considered the center of the alt protein universe, where many top companies are headquartered and countless startups emerge, new hubs of bold food innovation are taking hold in diverse cities and regions across America. Vegconomist will spotlight these growing centers of animal-free food tech, beginning with the third most populous US city, Chicago. Located in America’s Midwest, Chicago is famously known as the historic center of …
Aqua Cultured Foods to Begin First Public Tastings of Alt-Tuna, Shrimp and Scallops
US food tech startup Aqua Cultured Foods announces it will begin consumer tastings of its seafood alternatives in Chicago, ahead of its public launch through chef partners and foodservice distributors. Beginning April 6, the startup will hold tastings of several alt-seafood products, including Aqua tuna rolls, shrimp dumplings and scallop crudo, at its headquarters in West Loop, Chicago. According to Aqua, it intends to solicit feedback from participants on the …
Chicago’s Clever Carnivore Raises $2.1M, Says $1 Cultivated Meat Burger is Possibility
Cultivated meat startup Clever Carnivore announces it is opening a new headquarters and lab in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. The company also reveals it has raised $2.1M to date in pre-seed funding, reports Built in Chicago. According to a statement, the new headquarters will consist of 4,179 sq. ft. located in “Chicago’s academic epicenter”, where the startup will develop high-quality cultured beef, pork and chicken. Clever Carnivore’s CEO says it …
Aqua Cultured Foods Appoints Food Industry Celebs to Advisory Board
Chicago’s Aqua Cultured Foods, producer of alt seafood products through microbial fermentation, announces the appointment of three industry heavyweights to its Advisory Board: Chuck Muth, Ingeborg Gasser-Kriss, and Gonzalo Ramírez Martiarena. The female-led food tech startup is developing calamari, shrimp, scallops, and whole cut filets of tuna and whitefish. The company’s fermentation methods are free of any animal inputs, genetic altering or modification and can be marketed as non-GMO. Impressive …
Aqua Cultured Foods Doubles Production Output of Novel Fish and Seafood Alternatives
Food tech startup Aqua Cultured Foods announces new advancements in its fermentation technology that allow it to double the biomass output of whole-muscle seafood alternatives. According to Aqua, these developments have dramatically improved the growth timeline for its seafood products, which include tuna, whitefish, calamari, popcorn shrimp and scallops. The startup says it has filed five patents relating to its unique method of protein production, and is preparing for its …