Spotlight on IFF: Company details agreement with MycoTechnology and unveils cheese starter culture

25 Jan 2023 --- F&B innovators IFF announced a distribution partnership with mushroom mycelia R&D production company MycoTechnology to co-develop alternative proteins and next-generation functional F&B products for European markets.

NutritionInsight speaks with professionals from both companies and details IFF’s latest offering.

“We have the ambition to support and lead in innovation and to help create sustainable systems,” Marcus Pesch, IFF’s VP of global innovation, tells us. “Toward that, we are investing heavily into innovation programs like Re-Imagine Protein, that is dealing with all aspects of dairy analogs and meat analogs, but we felt we were missing a strong partner for that.” 

“We found in MycoTechnology, a partner with a very strong existing portfolio, which they have developed and that is very complementary to what we are doing at IFF, where we seek to give our analogs the right taste and texture.”

Magnificent mycelia
Mycotechnology specializes in the application of precision fermented mushroom mycelia solutions that the company says can improve the taste, texture and smell of products while enhancing the functional properties of proteins.

”We are harnessing the power of mushroom mycelia, which is the underground root system of the mushrooms that you might see in your grocery store,” Lisa Whetstone, senior director of marketing and strategy at MycoTechnology, explains. “It has an incredible potential to create superior food ingredients that could help to take our food system to the next level.”

“What we’re doing is developing novel Ingredients to solve taste, texture and nutritional challenges. With IFF, we can actually transform these novel ingredients into ready solutions that can help our customers bring all new products to market.”

The partnership will allow both companies to explore the potential of mushroom mycelia.Looking forward
IFF and Mycotechnology agree that the greatest benefit of the partnership will go to the consumer.

“It means that we are able to answer what the consumer requires for the most benefit and to give them superior and diverse products,” Sonia Hupper, global innovation and marketing leader of the plant-based segment of IFF, details. 

“With this partnership, we expect to be able to develop novel solutions, bring them faster to the market and to support our customers to launch new products that meet their consumer’s requirements.”

Aging cheese in North America
IFF is also unveiling its latest innovation in cheese aging solutions, Choozit Vintage – a cheese starter culture to help cheddar cheese manufacturers in the US and Canada overcome flavor challenges related to the aging process.

The company notes that as consumers are increasingly opting for affordable and versatile products to meet their nutritional needs, cheese brands can use the new offering to address a range of applications.

Moreover, the company states 1.78 billion kg of cheese was produced in the US last year and the country’s cheese market is expected to increase by almost 5% per year until 2029, almost US$15 billion over 2021. 

The company notes that by leveraging its biotechnology, cheesemakers can increase functionality, improve flavor profiles and extend shelf-life, which will help customers meet this growing consumer demand.

By William Bradford Nichols