Race to offer alternative protein

Meat the future: Gaia Foods’ first structured beef prototype, served with rice noodles. — The Straits Times/ANN

HOMEGROWN novel food such as cell-cultured and plant-based meats could soon feature more regularly on the menus here.

In the past two years, more than 15 alternative protein start-ups have set up base here, said Bernice Tay, director of food manufacturing at Enterprise Singapore (ESG).

“Local food manufacturers such as Tee Yih Jia and Growthwell have started to invest in research and development and production of plant-based meat products in response to consumer demand, ” she said.

More firms here are entering the emerging field of alternative proteins amid growing global consciousness about the massive carbon footprint of rearing livestock for food, which produces about 15% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.

A study of 10,000 users’ data and 62,000 reviews on sustainability app abillion, which helps users find vegan food options, found that local consumers’ interest in plant-based meat products like chicken saw a seven-fold increase compared with figures in 2019.

Alternative meat products also saw a 306% jump in consumer reviews on the app.

Singapore became the first country to approve the sale of a cell-cultured product last December.

The cultured chicken bites by Californian firm Eat Just have been made available for home delivery via Foodpanda from now till May 6.

A report by The Good Food Institute, which promotes protein alternatives, revealed that a record US$3.1bil (RM12.7bil) was invested into alternative proteins globally last year – three times the capital raised in 2019.

Tay said ESG was working to further grow the number of companies in this space.

ESG partnered with five global accelerators to support the growth of 100 agri-food tech start-ups.

“We also anchored accelerators and venture capitalists in Singapore to nurture and invest into agri-food tech start-ups, including those in alternative protein, ” she added.

Global food ingredient and flavour supplier ADM last Thursday launched its plant-based innovation lab in Biopolis here to offer solutions and expertise in the areas of proteins, texturing and flavour to help firms enhance their products and cater to the Asian palate.

Dr Vinayaka Srinivas, who comes from the life sciences field, co-founded local start-up Gaia Foods in 2019 to develop cell-based cuts of meat like beef and mutton.

Seeing the popularity of Impossible burgers then, he saw the potential in developing alternatives to slaughtered meat.

Most cultured meat start-ups here are still at their research and development phase, and will need a platform to make more food – especially if they do not have their own pilot facilities, said Lin Xiangliang, chief executive of local biotech company Esco Aster.

The firm, which develops vaccines, cell and gene therapies, and diagnostic products, is working to get a Singapore Food Agency licence for one of its labs to produce novel food ingredients.

This will enable it to help food-tech firms mass produce alternative proteins affordably.

Its proprietary bioreactors can be used for growing cell-cultured meat, while its fermenters can be used for plant-based and microbial proteins.

Prof William Chen, director of Nanyang Technological University’s Food Science and Technology programme, said Singapore was one of the leading countries in the alternative protein space, mainly because of its strong biomedical core.

“Fermentation technology is very similar to vaccine production, and cultivated meat is very similar to tissue engineering, ” he said.

“The growth potential is certainly bright if we can export the technology for alternative proteins to South-East Asia and beyond.” — The Straits Times/ANN