The future of food will bear little resemblance to the past. The impact of the pandemic on consumers, the exponential emergence of new technologies, and the significant challenges in sustainability will be crucial. Future food will be customizable, convenient, and safe, but above all, it will be healthier and more sustainable. To achieve this, it will rely on enabling technologies such as biotechnology and artificial intelligence, among others.
The 10 trends in innovation in food products
On the occasion of the International Day of Innovation, we share some prominent trends in research and innovation in food products, with inspiring examples from companies, startups, and technological providers in the food chain who have developed differentiated solutions, in some cases disruptive, to enhance their competitiveness.
1. New healthy foods and ingredients: The significant impact of Covid-19 on society has accelerated consumer interest in foods that improve our health and well-being. Some examples include “superfoods” with a balanced nutritional and quality profile, or enhanced profiles, with lower salt, sugar, or fat content. Also, bioactive ingredients and compounds obtained from natural and sustainable sources strengthen our defenses and immune system, and help prevent diseases. A special mention goes to probiotic, prebiotic, or postbiotic ingredients with enormous potential for food innovation and growth.
2. Precision nutrition. Analyzing and integrating the human genome or genetic information, intestinal microbiome, and cultural habits or lifestyles of specific population groups to understand which diseases they might develop and design diets that help prevent their development or positively influence their health. Omics technologies are becoming increasingly affordable. Sequencing a human genome is becoming cheaper. The technology company BGI has announced that it will achieve a cost of 100 euros per genome. There are already companies that prescribe diets based on the individual’s genome, such as Habit, DayTwo, or Inside Tracker.
3. Cell-cultured meat. In vitro cultivated meat using animal cells. It relies on the application of cell culture knowledge and techniques from regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. A recent life cycle analysis and technical-economic feasibility study by CE Delft shows that cell-cultured meat could reduce the climate impact of meat production by 92%, reduce pollution by 93%, use 95% less land, and 78% less water. Moreover, when produced at scale, the production cost could decrease to as low as $5.66 by 2030. Aleph Farms is a leading Israeli company in cultivated meat development and has successfully grown the world’s first cell-cultured ribeye steak using animal cells and 3D bioprinting technology. Other prominent companies in this race include Memphis Meats and Mosa Meat.
4. Plant-based foods. A “plant-based” food comes from plant sources such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, soy, etc. The interest in analogues to animal-based products is driving this market. One notable example is the plant-based burger from Impossible Foods or the sausage from Beyond Meat. Various technologies like dry or wet texturization enable the development of a meat-like appearance and taste without compromising nutritional value. The design of extruded products, with specific textures and flavors, as well as the optimization and control of processes, pose a challenge for research. The “plant-based” trend extends to milk alternatives, eggs, sauces, condiments, bars, etc. and is here to stay.
5. Alternative proteins. Another trend is the emergence of alternative protein sources such as insects, microalgae, fungi, or new plant species. All of these are touted as more sustainable than animal-derived proteins and a potential solution to address the growth in demand by 2050. Some innovative companies in the field of insects include Ynsect, BioFly Tech, or Trillions. Proteins derived from fungi or mycoproteins are also a very interesting alternative source, with production even more eco-efficient than other plant proteins. Companies like Prime Roots, Quorn, or Meati are working in this area. On the other hand, Perfect Day Foods is producing whey and casein proteins through “precision fermentation” and recently launched the derivative brand Brave Robot to sell dairy-free ice creams. Clara Foods is also creating egg proteins using this technology. Lastly, at ainia, we are researching lemna, an aquatic plant poised to become a new “superfood,” which is already the basis of business for companies like Parabel or Hinoman.
6.3D food printing. 3D printing technology specialized in printing pasta, chocolate, or foods with infinite shapes, being able to combine laser technology for cooking. Companies like Natural Machines offer machines that print chocolate, pasta, sugar, and even different foods, giving the opportunity to create new innovative, healthy foods or dishes with new sustainable, and fun flavors and textures. An attractive opportunity for the restaurant sector with future challenges regarding its scaling to an industrial level.
7. Computational food. Formulating products analogous to those of animal origin from thousands of plants, including species that are edible but not exploited. Collecting and processing data on their nutritional, functional, and sensory properties using artificial intelligence and machine learning with the aim of obtaining products nearly identical in quality and flavor to the original products, with much lower resource usage and environmental impact. Companies like Just or NotCo are at the forefront of these alternatives with mayonnaises or alternative milks already on the market.
8. Vertical farming. Highly resource-efficient plant cultivation technology using minimal water or fertilizers and occupying very little ground space by stacking successive layers vertically on inclined surfaces and/or integrated within structures like large buildings or through modular growing containers as offered by the startup iFarm to enable anyone to produce their vegetables. It adopts controlled environment cultivation techniques under greenhouse conditions and can simplify the supply chain for low environmental footprint food to cities or environments with limited arable land. Other examples of companies include Aerofarms or Agricoo.
9. Precision agriculture. Encompasses control systems, sensors, robotics, drones, autonomous vehicles, automated hardware and software, and everything that makes agriculture more precise and controlled. At AINIA, we have developed platforms based on mobile robotics and hyperspectral vision that allow optimizing certain processes in the field, such as the exact moment of harvesting (degree of ripeness), pest control, or fertilizer application processes, contributing to a more sustainable food chain.
10. Genetic editing. CRISPR is a molecular editing technology of ‘cut and paste’, with which an organism can be genetically modified by introducing new characteristics or eliminating harmful ones. It is a simple, economical, and fast system that offers a universe of applications including crop improvement and pest control in agriculture. Although the transmission of external genes is not necessary, the EU has not provided a different regulatory framework from GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms), which could hinder its development in Europe compared to other parts of the world. The Netflix documentary “Human Nature” explains the importance of this innovation and the role of Spanish researcher Dr. Francisco Mojica from the University of Alicante in its discovery.
Also, upcycling, solutions for utilizing surplus fruits and vegetables transformed into high-quality nutritional vegetable powder to be used as a food ingredient. Start-ups like Outcast Foods or Agroingularity are driving these innovative proposals that help curb food waste.
Conclusions on food innovation
When the environment changes more rapidly than the company, it must innovate more to maintain competitiveness. Today, the environment is changing rapidly, so accelerating food innovation to adapt or anticipate these changes is not an option, but the fundamental factor for recovery and growth. Investing in “technological” innovation generates significant competitive advantages and barriers to entry for competitors. For this, it is necessary to invest in our own R&D, assuming economic and technical risks that public funding and the expertise of research centers help to reduce. There is no better time to do this than in the period 2021-2023 with the European Next Generation EU funds in sight. Some say we are not in a crisis, but we have entered a new era, and it is the era of innovation. Without innovation, there is no future.
