Flavor giant Givaudan and food processing solutions provider Bühler have jointly launched a Protein Innovation Centre for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, targeting plant-based development. The new facility is located at the Givaudan Woodlands site in Singapore. 

The plant can produce up to 40 kg of plant proteins an hour. It features dry extrusion, as well as a newer wet extrusion technology that delivers a fibrous structure “more akin to muscle” and higher protein content compared to dry extruded products. 

“Great tasting and sustainable protein alternatives are an important contributor to feeding 10 billion people sustainably by 2050,” says Ian Roberts, Chief Technology Officer at Bühler. “The changes that need to happen to our protein value chains prior to that are so deep, they can only be achieved if the various partners of the food ecosystem start working together today.”

“The Protein Innovation Centre that we open today with Givaudan at the core of Southeast Asia’s vibrant food ecosystem, is a step toward achieving our vision of a collaborative and sustainable future of food,” he adds.

“The Protein Innovation Centre will not only enable the development of more plant-based protein products across Asia, it will also ensure delicious products can be scaled to the production volumes required to create a positive environmental impact on our food chains.”

The facility is connected to a broad network of R&D innovation centers in Switzerland and key hubs across the APAC region that enables agile plant-based product development on a global scale.

As a nod to the latest wave of Asia-Pacific F&B developments, Singapore is tipped by the partnership as a country that is a “hot bed” for FoodTech Innovation.

Synergistic capacities
The center combines the pilot technology of Bühler’s extrusion and processing equipment with Givaudan’s new culinary facilities and its expertise in flavor, taste, ingredient and product development.

The new facility is outfitted with a pilot scale wet and dry extruder, a state-of-the-art product development kitchen, storage facilities, meeting amenities and a viewing area wher visitors may tour the 400 sqm facility and view live demonstrations.

“We are proud to be part of a partnership that will contribute toward a sustainable food future for Singapore and the APAC region,” comments Monila Kothari, APAC president of Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing.

“Through the Protein Innovation Centre, we aim to create an ecosystem that supports start-ups and food businesses in an environment of co-creation.”

Co-creating regional food experiences 
The partnership will be teaming up with food processing companies, start-ups and university researchers from across the APAC region keen to co-create plant-based food experiences.

At the site, customers can develop products suitable for Asian culinary applications at scale.

Businesses will be offered support throughout the co-creation process, from raw material selecion to product development and research, to application, flavor science, extrusion and consumer testing.

“The center will provide them access to the expertise, networks and technology required to create authentic plant-based protein alternatives that meet consumer needs and expectations,” details Kothari.

“By bringing flavor solutions that are vegetarian, vegan, plant-based and natural, as well as technologies such as wet extrusion to Singapore and the region, we are helping to make plant-based foods more delicious, authentic and accessible to business and consumers.” 

Garden city merits fruitful plant-based investments
With the meatless movement set to reshape Asia’s playing field, industry giants continue to make moves to grab a stake in the market’s plant-based and cellular agriculture sectors.

ADM recently inaugurated a new plant-based innovation lab, located in ADM’s Biopolis research hub in Singapore. The lab will develop “next-level, on-trend” and nutritious products to meet growing food and beverage demand in the APAC region. 

Cultured chicken meat from Eat Just was green-lighted as an ingredient in chicken bites for sale in Singapore last December. The island nation is the first to give the go-ahead to meat grown in a lab following a rigorous consultation and review process by the Singapore Food Agency.

Cell-based protein technology has also been making waves in the seafood category with Shiok Meats announcing its US$12.6 million Series A funding round. The finances are being put toward building a “first-of-its-kind” commercial pilot plant from which the Singapore-based business plans to launch its minced shrimp product in 2022.

Meanwhile, Singapore-based venture capital firm and business accelerator Big Idea Ventures has been actively attracting investors to its alternative protein fund, including Bühler as well as Tyson.