SINGAPORE – Bunge, a global agriculture and ingredients company, has partnered with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore to produce new food flavors through fermentation.
This collaboration marks the first successful partnership of the Singapore Agri-food Innovation Lab (SAIL), funded by Enterprise Singapore, to enhance the agri-food innovation ecosystem by connecting solution providers with multinational corporations.
The new flavors will include umami, which means ‘pleasant savory taste’ in Japanese. Umami is recognized scientifically as one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. It is crucial for creating meat-like flavors in alternative protein products.
Bunge will supply fats and oils derived from oilseeds – soya bean, canola, and sunflower – as well as oilseed meal and cake, which are formed after oil is extracted from the oilseeds.
The technology produces enzymes, acids, and flavors for food production and offers a new use for oilseed meals and cakes, which are normally used in livestock feeds.
The new flavors will be used to enhance alternative proteins, such as plant-based protein products.
NTU’s Food Science and Technology Programme (FST), led by Professor William Chen, will leverage these materials to develop new flavors for alternative proteins and plant-based products.
Researchers aim to produce novel flavors, enzymes, and acids by utilizing solid-state fermentation, a resource-efficient method. This technique not only enhances flavor profiles but also offers a sustainable use for oilseed meal and cake, which are typically relegated to livestock feed.
Bunge’s Continued Investment in Plant-Based Innovations
Bunge’s partnership with NTU is part of its broader strategy to expand its footprint in the plant-based sector.
In July 2023, Bunge commenced construction of a new soy processing facility in Indiana, USA, dedicated to producing protein concentrates for the plant-based food market.
By the end of 2023, Bunge had also launched a “superior-tasting” plant-based butter for bakery applications, which a third-party study confirmed generates half the emissions of traditional dairy butter.
Further, Bunge expanded its protein concentrate offerings to include pea and faba protein concentrates, produced by Golden Fields at a new factory in Liepaja, Latvia.
“Our new pea and fava protein concentrates are setting the bar for European-origin pulse proteins, helping customers meet growth and sustainability needs across food and feed,” stated Bunge.
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