In modern culture, there is an increasing trend for people to opt for plant-based diets. There are many reasons for this, from increased awareness of climate change to personal concerns surrounding animal welfare or health concerns. For those that want to cut down on non-vegan products or trial the change in diet, Veganuary has become an opportune time to do so.
“Naturally” vegan recipes are expected to be made from raw ingredients, stripping back the meat and dairy that are normalised within most diets. However, with the ever-increasing switch to veganism, new technologies, brands, and products have surged, along with increased levels of innovation needed to provide desirable mass-market products.
One developing trend within the market is the replication of foods and ingredients that are widely popular in non-vegan form, such as meat and chocolate. Understandably, the convenience in substituting, rather than avoiding, non-vegan ingredients increases the accessibility of the diet and creates an easier transition between the two lifestyles.
This is clearly an increasing movement, evidenced by The Vegan Society passing their milestone of 70,000 product registrations in September 2024. However, this shift towards the re-design of existing products also necessarily requires technical innovation and, consequently, IP (intellectual property) protection for such innovations can be crucial to avoid others simply copying a product, especially for small businesses wanting to establish a foothold in the industry.
Intellectual Property and Vegan technology
In the past decade, the technology in the market has become increasingly groundbreaking, defying the expectations of what was originally thought possible for vegan eaters. The following businesses have demonstrated what is possible within the industry, but also the importance of protecting their work through IP.
Meat alternatives
Austrian brand Revo Foods have created ultra-realistic, whole-cut plant-based salmon using 3D food printing technology named “THE FILET – inspired by Salmon”. Their product is made from algae, pea protean and mycoprotein, with the extrusion technology allowing fats to be incorporated into a “fibrous protein matrix” that allows the seafood alternatives to achieve the typical flakiness of fish filets. They applied for a patent for their 3D print head with screw extruder called MassFormer.
Dairy alternatives
EVERY, a food tech company led by CEO Arturo Elizondo, have a foundational patent for their vegan egg product. Using precision fermentation, they can brew liquid egg white without the need for chickens. Recombinant ovalbumin is the primary protein found in egg whites and is responsible for its gelling, foaming and binding abilities. The company have been commended for how it ‘tastes, whips and gels like a chicken-derived egg white’.
Alternative cheese
South Korean company Armored Fresh have continued to shake up the dairy-alternative industry through their plant-based cheeses. They pride themselves on their patented technologies, including method of manufacturing vegetable lactic acid bacteria fermented almond milk and a method for producing plant-based cheese using almonds.
Danish food tech company Færm have also developed a method for making vegan cheese that closely mimics the original product. In February this year, they filed for a patent for the process for the manufacture of a legume-based food product, using their B2B company structure to provide their technology to food producers that want to utilise these methods.
‘Bee-free’ Honey
MeliBio, a US company, have applied for patent protection for their plant-based and ‘bee-free’ honey. This invention “replicates the compositional complexity of honey using solely plant-based ingredients”. The product is made with botanical extracts, sugars, and acids to replicate the taste and texture of real honey.
In such an innovative and growing industry, the role of intellectual property continues to play a vital role in supporting advancements that help expand the market. For smaller start-up businesses in particular, IP can provide a foothold for growth in the industry by protecting the core innovations on which their products are based.
If current trends continue then growing innovation in the vegan space can be expected, highlighting the value of strong IP protection to secure the value of innovations in the face of increasing competition.
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