Ingredients for the future of food

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A plate with grilled sausages and sliced grilled peaches on greens, set on a gray cloth. Surrounding sides include thick potato wedges, a colorful salad, salsa, and roasted onions, with a fork and knife nearby. — Source: Ivy Farm/Pexels

How new ingredients and sourcing models are driving plant-based, fermented, and cultivated innovation

As consumer preferences continue to change, brands face pressure to improve nutrition, reduce additives and control input costs. These demands are placing ingredients and formulation strategy at the center of product development.

In 2026 and beyond, companies that succeed will likely be those able to identify high-performing ingredients, secure reliable supply, and scale their formulations effectively. These capabilities matter across categories, from meat and dairy alternatives to ready-meals, beverages, and nutrition products.

Three areas of ingredient innovation in particular are shaping the next phase of food development: novel inputs for better products, smarter sourcing of key materials, and emerging supply roles in fermentation and cultivated systems.

1. New ingredients for next-generation products

Many newer ingredients are designed to improve taste and nutrition, simplify labels, and support more sustainable formulations.

Taste and texture

Several microbial and plant-based ingredients are helping companies improve structure, mouthfeel, and flavor release.

Mycelium, the root-like structure of fungi, can be grown into dense, fibrous forms suitable for whole-cut or deli-style meat alternatives. Producers such as Meati (US) and Libre Foods (Spain) use it to deliver texture without complex binders or extruders.
Koji (Aspergillus oryzae) is a fermentation culture traditionally used in Japanese foods such as miso and soy sauce. It’s now being applied in plant-based meats for its savory flavor and tenderizing effects. Prime Roots (US), for example, uses koji to mimic cured meats.
Upcycled fibers – produced by drying and milling by-products from oat, barley or citrus processing – are used to improve water retention and texture in plant-based products. These ingredients repurpose material that would otherwise go to waste, support fiber content claims, and reduce reliance on added texture agents.¹

Nutrition and functionality

Beyond protein content, brands are seeking ingredients that offer improved amino acid profiles, micronutrients, or better digestibility.

Fava beans are gaining traction for their high protein content, low allergen potential, and improved processing methods. These developments help reduce bitterness and improve digestibility.²
Microalgae such as chlorella and spirulina are rich in protein, iron, B vitamins and omega-3s. Companies, including Brevel, are producing neutral-tasting algal protein using sugar feedstocks.
Duckweed (lemna) is a fast-growing aquatic plant high in protein and minerals. It can be cultivated in small water systems, requiring less land and fertilizer than conventional crops.³

Emerging materials

Air protein is produced by feeding microbes with carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and hydrogen to create a nutrient-dense biomass. Air Protein by Solar Foods (US) is commercializing this approach using renewable electricity.
Seaweed is being developed as a protein source, gelling agent, and mineral ingredient. It grows rapidly without fertilizer, freshwater or arable land.⁴
Single-cell proteins from fermentation are regaining interest. EniferBio (Finland) is commercializing Pekilo – a fungal protein originally developed in the 1970s – using forestry by-products as feedstock.

2. Sourcing strategies for high-demand inputs

plant-based fish. A close-up view of a pond surface densely covered with small, green duckweed plants—often used as plant-based fish food—creating a textured, floating carpet with a few dark patches of water visible. — Source: Unsplah/Ted Balmer

Access to key raw materials is becoming a strategic concern for plant-based brands. Volatility in commodity crops, pressure on land, and growing demand for supply transparency are driving a shift in sourcing strategy.

Alternative crops and regional supply

Relying on a narrow set of global commodity crops, particularly soy and yellow pea, creates exposure to supply volatility, monoculture risks, and geopolitical disruption. To address this, producers are turning to alternative crops with regional advantages and co-products already present in existing supply chains.

Promising options include:

Fava beans, lupin, and hemp – high-protein crops suited to temperate climates that can be integrated into crop rotations and local sourcing strategies.
Potato protein – a by-product of starch extraction, in which potatoes are processed for food and industrial applications, and the recovered protein offers solubility and emulsification benefits for plant-based meat and dairy formulations.

These crops and co-products support diversification of supply and reduce dependence on imported soy or yellow peas (the source of pea protein). They also open opportunities for regional processing, shorter transport chains and more transparent ingredient sourcing.

Upcycled ingredients and functional by-products

Agricultural and food manufacturing processes generate large volumes of material that are often discarded or used as low-value animal feed. Increasingly, this material is being transformed into upcycled ingredients – inputs that deliver functional benefits while also reducing waste.

food ingredient innovation. close-up view of a pile of fresh, whole oranges with bright, vibrant orange-yellow skin, stacked closely together.

These ingredients support sustainability goals, lower formulation costs, and contribute to nutrition or fiber content. Common sources include:

Oat and barley fiber from plant milk and brewing
Citrus peel and apple pomace, rich in fiber and polyphenols
Oilseed press cakes, which retain protein, fiber and flavor

These materials can be dried, milled, or fractionated into flours and concentrates that enhance texture, improve water retention and support label claims in plant-based products.

Companies like Planetarians and Upcycled Foods are commercializing these inputs, offering B2B ingredients with both functional and strategic value. A growing number of consumer-facing brands are also adopting the Upcycled Certified™ mark — a third-party standard that helps communicate the environmental value of these ingredients on pack.⁵

Low-input and regenerative systems

As scrutiny grows over the full environmental footprint of food production, some brands are shifting focus from ingredient type alone to include how that ingredient is produced. This includes partnering with suppliers that operate low-input or regenerative systems to reduce emissions, fertilizer use and land degradation.

Examples include:

Crops grown in intercropping or agroforestry systems, where biodiversity and soil health are prioritized over yield maximization.
Low-input rotations that rely on minimal synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, reducing chemical load and protecting water systems.
Organic production systems that generate protein-rich co-products, such as sunflower press cakes, which can be repurposed as functional ingredients.

3. Inputs for precision fermentation and cultivated systems

Precision fermentation and cultivated meat production rely on defined inputs – including feedstocks (the sugars that fuel microbial growth), growth media and structural materials – all of which must meet food safety and functional standards. These specialized requirements are creating new demand for ingredients that are scalable, consistent and approved for use in food.

Fermentation feedstocks

In precision fermentation, microbes such as yeast, fungi, or bacteria are programmed to produce specific target compounds, for example, dairy proteins, enzymes, or fats. To do this, they require a steady source of carbon as a base material and energy source.

This carbon typically comes from glucose or sucrose, which are widely available and derived from crops such as corn, wheat or sugar beet. However, concerns around price volatility, land use, and sustainability are driving interest in alternative feedstocks. These emerging inputs could improve the resilience of precision fermentation, reduce reliance on food crops and better align with long-term sustainability goals.

Examples include:

Side streams from food or beverage production – These are secondary outputs from existing industrial processes. A common example is hydrolysed starch, which is starch broken down into fermentable sugars during potato, cereal, or corn processing. These side streams can be used to feed microbes instead of primary food crops.
Waste valorisation – Agricultural and industrial residues, such as crop husks, fruit pulp or spent grain, can be processed and used as low-cost fermentation inputs. This approach lowers environmental impact by reducing waste and the demand for new raw materials.
Non-food carbon – Some companies are developing feedstocks from inputs that bypass agriculture entirely. These include methanol, derived from natural gas or biomass, and carbon dioxide captured from industrial emissions or the atmosphere. Solar Foods, for example, is using hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria to convert CO₂ and nitrogen into edible biomass.⁶

Media and growth factors

Cultivated meat production relies on growth media – a carefully balanced mixture of water, salts, amino acids, vitamins and growth factors. These components supply the nutrients and signals needed for animal cells to grow and form structured tissue. Growth factors are particularly costly, as they are typically proteins that must be produced to pharmaceutical-grade standards.

food ingredient innovation. A plant-based burger with lettuce, tomato, and red onion sits on a wooden table. A small flag labeled Mewery is placed on top of the burger, and the background is a plain blue. — Cultivated meat burger. Source: Unsplash/Petra Coufalova.

Historically, these inputs have come from pharmaceutical supply chains, making them expensive and unsuitable for large-scale food production. Reducing the cost, complexity and reliance on animal-derived components is one of the main technical challenges in cultivated meat.

Qkine (UK) has launched a portfolio of animal-origin-free, carrier-free, food-grade growth factors and cytokines tailored for cultivated meat, fish, fat and dairy applications. Their products are certified for HACCP and manufactured under ISO 9001 standards.
ORF Genetics (Iceland) produces MesoKine, a barley‑based protein expression platform supplying animal‑like growth factors for cultivated meat. MesoKine is endotoxin‑free and reduces costs by leveraging plant molecular farming.
Other companies are producing plant-based or microbial growth factor analogs designed to meet food safety requirements while avoiding the ethical and supply issues associated with animal cell culture.

As production scales, there is also growing interest in media recycling, media-free systems, and hybrid approaches that reduce dependency on high-cost components.

Fats and scaffolds

In both cultivated meat and next-generation plant-based products, fats play a critical role in replicating the flavor, mouthfeel and cooking behavior of animal products. Texture, melt behavior, and flavor release all depend on the type and structure of fat used.

Traditional plant oils often fail to deliver the richness and thermal behavior needed in analogs. To address this, companies are developing fermentation-derived lipids – fats produced by engineered microbes that can be tailored for specific applications.

Yali Bio and Nourish Ingredients are creating designer fats with controlled melting points and flavor profiles, aimed at improving the sensory quality of dairy and meat alternatives.

Scaffolds also play a critical role in cultivated meat. These are the materials that give structure to growing cells, allowing them to form tissue-like arrangements. Effective scaffolds must be edible, biocompatible and porous enough to allow nutrient flow.

Current approaches use plant-derived fibers, fungal mycelium, or biopolymers as scaffolding materials. Some are designed to degrade during cultivation, while others remain part of the final product.

Supply-side opportunities

As precision fermentation and cultivated meat move toward commercial scale, upstream supply bottlenecks are becoming more visible. A growing number of B2B suppliers are emerging to serve these systems with specialized, compliant and scalable inputs.

Key areas of opportunity include:

Custom microbial strains and fermentation-ready substrates, tailored for high yield, specific functionality or use with non-standard feedstocks
Functional scaffolds and hydrocolloids for structure and water retention in cultivated or hybrid products
Contract manufacturing services for precision fermentation inputs, including proteins, fats and functional metabolites
Food-grade production of amino acids, vitamins and cofactors (non-protein molecules required for enzyme activity), aligned with regulatory and safety standards

These inputs sit earlier in the supply chain but directly affect product quality, cost structure and regulatory compliance. For investors and manufacturers, they represent a set of critical, underdeveloped niches in the alternative protein supply chain.

However, progress in these areas is constrained by several factors. Production infrastructure is still limited, particularly outside North America and parts of Asia. Intellectual property restrictions can delay supplier partnerships, especially for proprietary microbial strains or scaffolds. And while some inputs are technically feasible, achieving consistent regulatory compliance across markets remains a barrier to commercial rollout.

These upstream inputs will play a defining role in the commercial viability of precision fermentation and cultivated systems, they underscore the growing importance of ingredient strategy in the future of food production.

Conclusion

Ingredient strategy is now a defining factor in how food companies compete. As regulation tightens, consumer demands evolve, and environmental constraints increase, sourcing and formulation decisions are shaping product performance, scalability and market access.

For companies and investors, four areas merit close attention:

Functionality – ingredients that improve flavor, texture or shelf stability while reducing reliance on additives
Nutrition – inputs that enhance protein quality, support micronutrient delivery, or contribute to gut and metabolic health
Sourcing – reliable supply chains with lower environmental impact, regional adaptability or regenerative potential
Platform compatibility – inputs optimized for precision fermentation or cultivated production, especially media, lipids and scaffolds

Understanding these trends is critical to navigating a food system that is becoming more competitive, more regulated and increasingly resource-constrained.

For more support on your alternative protein industry, get in touch with our experts at [email protected].