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The Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Innovation Science and Technology have set a budget of 4 million shekels for more than $ 1 million, supporting researchers to pursue new food technologies, especially in the alternative protein sector.
The ministers called for resolutions last Thursday. From Good Food Institute (GFI) Israel, a non-profit organization wants to promote research and innovation in food technology.
The overall food technology industry is a broad field that includes nutrition, packaging, food safety, processors, fresh ingredients and alternative proteins. The latter are based on plants instead of meat, milk and eggs. Crop milk, meat and seafood; Insect proteins; And fermentation products and processes.
Many of the technologies used in the field are firmly rooted in academic research. The technologies behind the two major Israeli meat companies, Alef Farm and Future Meat, are based on a bio-engineering study by Professor Shulammite Levenberg, a professor of technology at the Israeli Institute of Technology and Professor Jacob Nahmias of the Hebrew University. Of Jerusalem. Both are well-known experts in tissue engineering.
The ministry’s funding supports nearly a dozen academic studies that provide scientific and technological solutions to traditional meat, fermentation and plant-based alternatives. The studies are aimed at improving the final product or improving the production process, the ministers said.
Environmental and animal welfare studies will be given priority, the statement said.
Ala Voldman-Rantzer, director of the GIF Israel Strategic Coalition, told the Israeli Times by email that the presentations would be open until August 1 and that any findings would be made public.
SavorEat plant-based beef burger (right) and pork breakfast sausage patty (left) served in the company’s office office in Rihovot, November 2021. (Israeli time workers)
“Most public and government grants are intended to apply open science principles and open access, so that all research results produced as a result of the grant will be made available to the public. , And could benefit from the research findings, ”said Voldman-Rantzer.
“The grant is intended to support early-stage projects and does not require prior confirmation of the concept. It is an opportunity for new and existing scientists to explore new approaches to address the challenges and bottlenecks in alternative protein R&D and the industry, ”she said.
One obstacle is the lack of sufficient scientists and engineers to develop food technologies that will propel the industry forward. Other challenges include taste, texture, scale, and price.
“We have been working tirelessly to identify existing and future bottlenecks as well as promising solutions to the industry’s most pressing challenges,” said Voldman-Rantzer GFI.
“Alternative proteins are technologies designed to reshape the organic properties of animal-based food products using plants, microorganisms or animal cells,” she said, noting that GFI may be a “priority for some of the most important” in the selection process. White areas, including “fat biomimery, crop optimization, seafood options, and texture improvement processes.”
Chicken Nog made by Israeli meat maker Future Meat. (Future Meat)
Earlier this year, GIF Israel published a report urging Israel to develop a national strategy to support the country’s growing food technology industry if it hopes to continue its key role in the sector in the coming years.
Part of this strategy will be to build a multi-industry research center, technology transfer programs (from university laboratory to industry), research support and training, and infrastructure to support processed meats and plant proteins. , And the beginnings of fermentation technology.
“We need more researchers. This is very important because the field is built on an academic study that requires government funding,” Nir Goldstein, GFI Israel Managing Director, told the Times of Israel in January.
According to a GIF report, 1.4 billion NIS ($ 450 million) will be needed over the next 10 years, with the Israeli government providing 56 percent of this funding, or about 900 million NIS ($ 291 million). The rest are made up of private investors.
A strong domestic food technology industry could establish food security and become a strategic national resource for Israel, Goldston said.
Future Meat In June 2021, Rehoboth, Israel began a new production facility. (Future Meat)
Israel’s alternative protein sector grew by about 450% by 2021 last year, with Israeli startups raising $ 623 million in the field, according to a separate GFI report in March.
A.D. By 2021, 70% of investments in Israeli food technology companies will go to alternative proteins by 2021, the report said. In addition, 11 new alternative protein companies were established in Israel last year – six meat and seafood companies, four plant protein companies and one fermentation company.
According to the report, the growth in the alternative protein sector in Israel is due to the fact that companies are moving closer to business development, expanding their operations and focusing on the international market.
According to the Barclay Group forecast By 2030, the global market value of meat alone is expected to reach $ 140 billion, covering 10% of the total meat market.
Remedel, a beginner in Israel, says the company uses yeast-based fermentation to produce animal-free milk proteins, which are indistinguishable in taste and function from cow’s milk proteins but are free of lactose, cholesterol and growth hormones. (Note)
Voldman-Rantzer: Government-sponsored research can be seen as a statement of the government, giving priority to the field and creating a ‘high tide’ at the national and international levels in a field where Israel is leading the way. Academic, entrepreneurial and industrial alternative protein.
Goldstein said in a statement that Israel “is considered a world leader in the field of vegetable protein or meat, but thanks to the academic research business, it is important to support the academic research that requires funding.
“Over the next decade, the global food crisis will be exacerbated by climate change and other challenges.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is set to hold a table meeting with the Israeli Ministry of Health in Tel Aviv in September on “Cell-Based Food and Future Food Security and Food Security.” The organization called on researchers and developers in the industry and academy to apply at their next meeting to present their products and research.
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