-KH News Desk (cbedit@imaws.org)
Roquette, a pioneer of plant proteins and a global leader in plant-based ingredients, is happy to announce its investment in DAIZ Inc., a Japanese food tech startup that has created ground-breaking technology that uses the germination of plant seeds in conjunction with an extrusion process to improve the texture, flavour, and nutritional profile of plant-based foods. Roquette and DAIZ will be able to address the growing global demand for inventive and sustainable plant-based ingredients that have great taste and high-quality nutritional content thanks to this alliance, which will enable them to continue achieving their ambitious growth goals.
One of the most promising solutions to promote sustainability while supplying wholesome and delicious food is plant proteins. Roquette further solidifies its position as the leader in plant innovation and helps to develop revolutionary solutions to better meet market needs thanks to DAIZ’s proprietary technology, which was originally developed for soy and is now used to pea.
Roquette’s dedication to innovation and long-term goal of building a better and healthier tomorrow based on its plant-based solutions make an ideal match for partnering with DAIZ. The upcoming months will permit strengthening a relationship to provide the best textured pea-based ingredients, allowing food innovators to create a variety of delicious and healthy meat alternatives for today’s picky customers.
In order to create a novel method of selective plant-based protein extraction for future generations by utilising seed germination, Roquette and DAIZ will also investigate technical cooperation. Along with meat alternatives, they will look into joint development in other areas including dairy, fish alternatives, and other food industries. In 2023, the first items are anticipated to be released on the market.
Pierre Courduroux, CEO of Roquette, said: “Our objective is to be the best partner for our customers as they develop delicious products that will encourage more consumers to enjoy plant-based food more often. This investment in DAIZ reflects our commitment to developing plant-based ingredients to meet those expectations. This latest initiative comes a year after we opened the world’s largest pea protein plant in Canada and adds to our NUTRALYS® plant protein range extension in organic pea and rice protein. We have also continued to build an impressive set of capabilities to co-develop with our customers and scale new plant protein ingredients.”
Tsuyoshi Ide, President and Representative Director of DAIZ, added: “We are very glad to partner with the Roquette group, the France-based worldwide leader in pea protein as well as in plant-based ingredients for food, nutrition and health markets. Pea protein is an indispensable ingredient for plant-based meat alternatives that are expanding in Europe and North America. Through the partnership, we anticipate that DAIZ’s germination technology (Ochiai Germination Method JP-5795679) would be able to contribute to the further enhancement of functionalities of pea protein to the market of plant-based meat alternatives and beyond. DAIZ’s goal is to expand Miracle Meat to the market of plant-based alternatives not only in Japan but also in Europe and North America. We are confident that the partnership with the Roquette group will represent a significant leap forward.”
