A new report highlights the progress of the plant-based space as the industry taps into the innovation opportunities of animal-free F&B. Patents published by European alternative protein innovators have spiked over the last ten years with 5,000 being published since 2015 — and the publication rate has grown by an average of 32% each year.

However, according to the Good Food Institute (GFI), the burgeoning plant-based sector is being dominated by a handful of countries.

The non-profit think tank says there is an “inconsistent picture” as just five countries (Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the UK) were named on 72% of all patent “families” — groups of documents related to the same invention.

These five countries dominate filings, with most plant-based patents coming from established food industry players. Meanwhile start-ups are the biggest group when it comes to cultivated meat patents. The report notes that the two companies with the most patents have also been the first to submit regulatory dossiers to the European Food Safety Authority.

Switzerland emerged as a clear leader, with Swiss companies and organizations publishing 1,232 patents from 265 patent families since 2015. Germany has the highest number of individual “assignees” — the organization or individual who owns the patent’s rights, totaling 82.

Degrees of innovation

This report reveals the rapid pace of Europe’s alternative protein innovation. However, alongside the breakthroughs, GFI also found key areas needed to commercialize these foods  that are being overlooked. The organization notes there is a risk that some countries “may be left behind.”

“Up until now, the scale of Europe’s alternative protein patent landscape had never been explored. Our research aims to present a thorough overview, help innovators understand how they can best contribute to the development of this field, and provide recommendations for businesses, public research organizations, and funding bodies,” Dr David Hunt, research support manager at GFI, tells Food Ingredients First.

“The dominance of particular countries — as well as the strong per capita performance of Nordic countries — is in line with wider R&I trends, wher we see high degrees of innovation in northern and western Europe and areas of emerging innovation in southern and eastern Europe.”

“In order to tackle this discrepancy, mechanisms such as the European Regional Development Fund should be used to boost R&I in less developed regions, enabling them to build thriving alternative protein ecosystems and capitalize on the economic benefits this sector has to offer.”

In order to drive green growth and boost food security, governments, and funding bodies must build a thriving ecosystem by providing more opportunities for public research organizations to collaborate closely with private companies, flags Hunt. “This would deliver open access innovation that will benefit the entire field and help bring findings to market more quickly.”

Boosting crops & technologies

The report also reveals that essential technologies are needed to ensure plant-based F&B is high-quality, appeals to consumers, and affordable. In contrast, more open-access research capable of advancing the field is urgently needed. 

It also highlights how underutilized crops could unlock new plant-based innovation while offering consumers healthy end-products that are also championed for being environmentally friendly. 

“Improving protein fractionalization and functionalization can help food manufacturers develop higher-quality ingredients, using less energy and with less need for processing, while novel texturization methods such as 3D-printing will also be vital to propelling plant-based innovation,” Hunt continues.

“The use of novel ingredients such as those made through precision fermentation, capable of mimicking animal fat properties, will also be important to developing next-generation plant-based products with better taste, texture and nutritional profile.”

Breeding better protein crops is also an issue that needs more attention. The report warns that more robust and sustainable crops will be required to provide the raw ingredients for plant-based products. Currently, this area is neglected.

“Creating the flavors and textures of meat using plants involves finding new ingredients. Plant protein sources have so far mainly been limited to widely grown crops such as soy and wheat, and few of the world’s plant protein sources have been rigorously explored or optimized for this purpose.”

“The more closely tailored a raw plant protein is for making plant-based meat, the less effort is needed to achieve the desired taste and texture through steps such as flavoring, formulation, and mechanical production.

“Developing better raw ingredients through crop breeding and increasing the use of underutilized crops — such as mung bean, fava bean, and chickpea — with higher protein yields and functionality will mean less costly and time-consuming processing.”

Future developments 

Finding new sources of alternative proteins to develop a diverse array of plant-based offerings is key to feeding the world’s growing population.

Plant-based and cultivated meat could help satisfy the demand for beef with up to 90% less land, and fermentation can help Europe achieve a circular bioeconomy, using agricultural and food processing side streams that would otherwise go to waste.

In addition, more innovation is needed in cheese and egg analogs. Given the role that precision fermentation can play as an enabling technology in improving the sensory and functional attributes of these products, GFI would like to see more innovations harnessing the power of hybrid products, which combine the beneficial traits of plant-based and fermentation-made ingredients.

Meanwhile, there is significant opportunity for more alternative seafood innovation as the pace of innovation in this category is falling behind plant-based meat and dairy, wher, to date, most of the focus has been.

Meat is the most common end product, with 41% of patent families, while just 1% of dedicated families relate to fish and seafood. 

Increase in research & funding

Hunt concludes that the increase in patent publications comes alongside a rapid increase in the amount of academic research taking place in this field — with a quarter of all European studies related to alternative proteins published in 2023 — as well as an increase in public and philanthropic funding.

“This increase in the amount of academic research is likely to present opportunities for the food industry in the coming years, with findings from newly announced research hubs such as the UK’s National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre likely to unleash a wave of insights manufacturers will be able to draw on.” 

“Patent applications have so far been dominated by the more mature field of plant-based meat, dwarfing the number of patents related to cultivated meat, which still remains in its infancy. There is a clear need for more targeted R&I funding to enable cultivated meat to catch up in order for Europe to benefit from its huge economic and food security potential.”