New Ingredients

Advancing innovation in fermentation and plant-based protein crops to create novel, sustainable, and healthy ingredients.

What are new ingredients?

How do we feed a growing global population using less land, with a smaller carbon footprint, and using fewer inputs such as fertilisers and synthetic plant protection products?

Innovation in biotechnology and plant science is creating new ingredients that support balanced diets with less impact on our planet. Plant-based products that offer alternatives to meat and dairy, or offset the import of commodities such as soya, are particularly in demand.

Types of New Ingredients

Plant Proteins

Researchers are developing new varieties and production methods to grow more legumes and pulses in the UK. New techniques allow us to extract proteins from plants like seaweed and grains.

Fermentation

Advances in biotechnology are enabling scientists to create new ingredients from fermenting fungi and algae as alternatives to meat.

Novel Systems

Developments in insect farming and aquaculture are broadening and transforming the production of proteins for human and animal consumption.

New Ingredients Case Studies

Woman stands by a table with Root Mylk brochures and products in the Medway Food Innovation Centre lab. Wears patterned dress and glasses, looking at the camera.

Stabilising African Superfoods for the Plant-Based Market with Root Mylk

Root Mylk, a Kent-based wellness brand, successfully stabilised their plant-based Tigernut drinks using advanced processing techniques supported by Growing Kent & Medway. By collaborating with the University of Greenwich, they developed a clean-label formulation that eliminates separation and increases shelf life, paving the way for a major retail launch.

Growing Kent & Medway

4 min read

Person (Nimisha Raja MBE) in a hat lectures a group in orange coats and blue caps in a food factory. Focus on attentive expression and industrial setting.

Turning Surplus Fruit into Sustainable Food Powders with Nim’s Naturally

Nim's Naturally, a Kent-based snack producer, is achieving its zero-waste ambition, supported by Growing Kent & Medway, by turning surplus dried fruit and veg into a new range of products. This R&D project developed recipes for affordable meal kits and snack bars, creating new revenue streams and tackling the challenge of food waste in the agri-food sector.

Growing Kent & Medway

4 min read

Growing Gourmet Mushrooms from Zero-Waste Whiskey By-Products with Canterbury Brewers & Distillers

Canterbury Brewers & Distillers, an award-winning Kent spirit producer, used support from Growing Kent & Medway to solve their primary waste problem. One of our medium-sized grant programmes helped prove they could utilise whiskey by-products – spent grain, water, and CO₂ – to cultivate speciality gourmet mushrooms, creating new high-value food products and a true circular economy model.

Growing Kent & Medway

4 min read

Report

Alternative Proteins

In partnership with UKRI, we produced a roadmap to set out the challenges and opportunities in growing the domestic market of plant-based, fermentation, and novel proteins.

Read the report

INNOVATION CENTRE

Medway Food Innovation Centre, University of Greenwich

Leading expertise in alternative proteins, novel processing, and plant and algal protein-based new product development.

USEFUL LINKS

Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein
National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC)
Quadram Institute: Fungal biology, gut health and future food