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After a difficult decade, alternative proteins are now flourishing, with a global estimated market of $22,95 billion and an expected CAGR of 14,1% in the next five (Grand View Research).
Alt protein patents have increased by 96% in the last decade, indicating that the renewed interest has attracted the attention of European manufacturers. The total number of European patents is now over 5,000. Everything from alternative meats to creams and ice-creams are included in this list.
According to the Good Food Institute, Switzerland was the country with the most patents (1,232), followed by Germany (596), UK (431), Sweden (291) and the Netherlands (884). Lithuania, Croatia and Latvia have all published alt protein patents in the last five years.
Published Country Patents Switzerland 1 232 Netherlands 884 Germany 751 France UK 431 Denmark 215 Sweden 377 Finland 233 Italy 133 Spain 95 Poland 42 Ireland 37 Austria 16 Luxembourg 16 Slovenia 13 Czechia 13 Hungary 6 Romania 7 Norway 4 Cyprus 3 Portugal 3 Slovakia 3 Bulgaria
Nestle is the top manufacturer in terms of patents, with 744. This is followed by Roquette Freres (324) DSM-Firmenich (221) Unilever 210 and Givaudan 142.
The rapid increase in alternative proteins patents, especially when seen in the context of increased public funding and publications in academic journals, points to rapid development in Europe’s innovation and research ecosystem,” Dr David Hunt says. He is a research support manager for GFI Europe. Innovations are being made in a variety of areas.
What is a published patent?
“Published patent” is basically a request for a patent. A patent becomes “patent pending” once it has been published.
Patents are automatically published. This does not mean that the patent was granted or examined, but it informs other people in the field of what product has been patented.
Which types of alternative protein products are in the highest demand?
The number of patents relating to fermented meat and cultivated animals, both of which are still in the infancy stage, has been dwarfed by those related to the matured field of plant-based animal meat. It is clear that more funding should be allocated to research and innovation to help these areas catch up.
A report found that patents on plant-based products are mainly focused on the formulation of end-products and ingredient optimization, but no patents were found for crop breeding.
Many of these patents also cover the texturisation of plant proteins, the technological-functional properties, such as gelling or emulsification, of plant protein, and the improvement of those attributes.
This area, which is ripe with innovation despite the growing number of plant-based eggs and cheese patents, has a lot to offer.
Read also: Plant-based Watch: The Latest on Plant-Based in Food and Beverage The growing variety of options is part of what has led to the sector’s success. (Image: Getty/MEDITERRANEAN)
What is the comparison between Europe and the rest of world?
According to Dr Hunt, Europe can be “a world leader” when it comes to alternative protein innovations.
Additional research is uncovering more and more possibilities, as new hubs such as the UK’s National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre are ready to provide additional insight.
Alternative protein sources include fish, eggs, dairy products and plant-based meats. (Image: Getty/AsiaVision)
What will the future of the alternative protein market be?
Patents continue to increase due to renewed interest in alternative proteins.
Consumers are interested in more than just plants-based products.
Even at this stage, a YouGov study found that between 35 and 63% European consumers were interested in trying the cultivated meat.
GFI Europe conducted a consumer survey and found that over half of the participants were willing to try products made by precision fermentation, including dairy and eggs.
The industry faces some challenges in terms of its ability to transform ideas into innovations and new products, as Dr Hunt noted.
He says that to ensure Europe doesn’t fall behind, businesses and research organizations should adopt new ways to work together and to commercialise findings of research to speed up innovation.
The issue of affordability, taste and texture is another major obstacle for plant-based products, including alt proteins.
According to Dr Hunt, “people routinely mention factors such as taste and affordability” when they are hesitant about buying plant-based food. Companies and research organizations need to invest to develop key technologies such as new texturisation techniques, to drive plant-based innovations and to ensure that these food products become more tasty and affordable.
There are also concerns about the fact that certain key elements, which are needed for commercialising these products, may be overlooked.
In order to boost green growth and food security, government and funding agencies must create a vibrant ecosystem by giving more opportunities to public research organizations to work closely with private businesses,” says Dr Hunt. This would lead to open-access innovation, which will be beneficial for the whole field and speed up market entry.
As the consumption of animal products decreases, sales of plant-based food are increasing. (Image: Getty/Eva-Katalin)
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