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Developing a plant-based seafood product line

Technology
Technology priority

Make

PROJECT TIMELINE
April 2021 to March 2023
PROJECT STATUS
Fund I: Complete
TOTAL INVESTMENT
$3,680,016

Consortia Contribution
$1,840,008

Cluster Contribution
$1,840,008

Partners

New School Foods

Liven Proteins

Goal

To incorporate pulses grown and processed in Canada into a first-of-its-kind seafood alternative.

Project Summary

The consortium used pulse concentrates and isolates to form the structural matrix of plant-based salmon. The pulse ingredients are sourced from western Canada and will be complemented by algae-based ingredients and vegan proteins to achieve nutrition, flavour and texture profiles analogous to salmon.

Results and Impact

  • Developed a highly complex prototype of a plant-based salmon filet, using a proprietary food processing & texturizing technology that emulates salmon in look, taste, texture and cooking behaviour—no other companies have accomplished this, no less with a scalable production technology.
  • Built a list of over 100 restaurants interested in working with New School Foods to garner feedback on prototypes and further ready the product for eventual commercialization in late 2023.
  • Forecasted 19 kilotonnes of GHG reduction per year.
  • Advanced toward the regulatory gap for plant-based seafood and precision fermentation in Canada.
  • New School Foods was selected as a semifinalist in the XPRIZE's Feed the Next Billion Competition and secured $15 million CDN in additional venture capital and grant funding to build its first pilot 30,000 sq. ft facility.
  • Liven Proteins transitioned from a fully R&D-focused company to a scalable ingredients company.

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