Record 960% rise in alt protein patents signals industry rebound

Following a challenging decade, the alternative protein industry is now thriving, with an estimated global market value of $22.95 billion, and a projected CAGR of 14.1% over the next five years (Grand View Research).

And its renewed popularity has clearly caught the attention of European food and beverage manufacturers, as alt protein patents shot up by a whopping 960% over the past decade. This puts the total number of patents published by European organisations at more than 5,000, with everything from alt meats to alt creams and ice creams, featuring in the new product development list.

The figures, published by the Good Food Institute (GFI), saw Switzerland emerge as the clear leader in patents published (1,232), with the Netherlands coming in second (884), Germany third (596), the UK fourth (431), and Sweden fifth (291). Meanwhile Lithuania, Croatia, Latvia, Estonia and Malta have published no alt protein patents since 2015.

Digging deeper into the numbers, we find that Nestlé tops the charts for the manufacturer with the most patents published (744), followed by Roquette Frères (324), DSM-Firmenich (221), Unilever (210), and Givaudan (142).

“The sharp rise in alternative protein patents – particularly when viewed within the wider context of increases in public funding and academic publications – points to rapid growth in Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem,“ says Dr David Hunt, research support manager at GFI Europe. ”Innovators are exploring a wide range of technological areas and achieving exciting breakthroughs.”

What types of alt protein products are most in demand?

Patent applications have so far been dominated by the more mature field of plant-based meat, dwarfing the number of patents related to fermentation and cultivated meat, which remain in their infancy. This highlights a clear need for more targeted research and innovation funding, to enable these fields to catch up.

The report also found that plant-based patents are mostly focused on ingredient optimisation and end-product formulation, with no patents found on crop breeding.

Furthermore, many of the patents cover areas such as plant protein texturisation, as well as the techno-functional properties of plant proteins including gelling and emulsification characteristics, and improvements in these attributes.

And while there are a growing number of patents on plant-based cheese and eggs, this area is clearly ripe for innovation.

Also read → Plant-based watch: The latest on plant-based in food and beverage

How does Europe compare to the rest of the world?

Europe has potential to be a “world leader” in alternative protein innovation, says Dr Hunt.

And additional research is revealing more opportunities daily, with new research hubs like the UK’s National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC), ready to unleash additional insights.

What is the future for the alt protein market?

Renewed interest in the alt protein market, is continuing to fuel innovation within the sector, leading to the continued increase in patents published.

And it’s not just plant-based products garnering interest amongst consumers.

According to a recent YouGov survey, between 35% and 63% of European consumers are already interested in trying cultivated meat, even at this early stage.

Furthermore, consumer research conducted by GFI Europe, found that more than half of participants would try precision fermentation dairy and egg products.

However, the industry is facing some challenges, in particular, its ability to convert ideas into innovation and new product development, with Dr Hunt noting Europe’s ongoing struggle to convert its scientific excellence into successful market innovations.

“To make sure Europe does not fall behind other regions, companies and research organisations should adopt new approaches enabling them to collaborate and commercialise research findings to accelerate innovation,” he says.

Another major challenge for the alt proteins market, and the plant-based industry as a whole, is the issue of taste, texture, affordability.

“People routinely cite factors like taste and affordability as the main barriers stopping them from buying plant-based foods,” says Dr Hunt. “Companies and research organisations need to invest in developing key technologies, such as novel texturisation methods, needed to propel plant-based innovation and ensure that these foods become tastier and more affordable.”

Furthermore, there are concerns that key factors, needed to commercialise these foods, are being overlooked.

“In order to drive green growth and boost food security, governments and funding bodies must build a thriving ecosystem by providing more opportunities for public research organisations to collaborate closely with private companies,” says Dr Hunt. “This would deliver open access innovation that will benefit the entire field and help bring findings to market more quickly.”