The session will delve into the evolving landscape of the pea protein market, focusing on the impact of the anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duties (CVD) ruling. As global demand for plant-based proteins rises, food makers must navigate trade policies that can affect sourcing, pricing, and supply chains. Industry experts will unpack the latest AD/CVD rulings, explore their implications for the pea protein industry, and provide actionable insights for food makers. Attendees will learn how to adapt their strategies to maintain competitive advantage and ensure supply.

The U.S. Army’s Combat Feeding Division (CFD) focuses on the research, development, and testing of combat rations and feeding logistics for Soldiers in the field. Food additive manufacturing (FAM) is being considered by the CFD for its potential to personalize nutrition, provide customized aesthetic expression, and support “untethered logistics.” This presentation will highlight several cases where the CFD is utilizing FAM to offer mobile feeding solutions to sustain Soldiers on the go.

This presentation will delve into the significance of proactive communication and digital community building, emphasizing their role in shaping brand perception. We'll explore the impact of social media platforms like TikTok, highlighting how discovery algorithms and cultural trends influence consumer engagement. Current trends, such as the carnivore diet, will be examined alongside success stories and challenges, featuring examples from Oatly and other notable brands. We aim to uncover valuable lessons and strategies to master cultural relevance and consumer engagement in the evolving digital landscape.

In this panel, experts will discuss strategies to enhance return on investment (ROI) through resource optimization. We'll explore cutting-edge technologies that reduce energy consumption in processing while maintaining product quality and safety. The panel will also address extending resource efficiency beyond processing to the entire value chain to further minimize costs and environmental impact. Additionally, we'll delve into the valorization of co-products through biorefinery technologies, showing how companies can turn waste into valuable assets, reduce carbon emissions, and significantly boost ROI.

A panel discussion focused on the evolving landscape of plant-based and alternative protein products. With consumer preferences shifting towards clean labels and increased demand for functional ingredients and transparency, the industry faces the challenge of meeting these demands while ensuring taste, affordability, and accessibility. This panel discussion explores strategies to bridge this gap, focusing on innovation, marketing, and education. Experts will delve into the latest trends, technological advancements, and consumer perceptions shaping the future of this sector.

Follow Cargill's journey through the alternative protein value chain, from innovative ingredient solutions to state-of-the-art manufacturing. This session will provide insights into supporting customers with complete solutions that drive growth and sustainability in the alt-protein category.

Showcasing the application of AI and technology in accelerating product development processes, optimizing formulations, and meeting consumer preferences in the alternative protein sector.

This presentation will introduce LDC to the audience, then highlight the need for meeting consumer demand for higher quality plant proteins with some published data. Presentation will address LDC’s approach to developing excellent quality plant proteins via sustainable development to food and beverage industry to provide for daily protein requirement for current global human population and 10 billion by 2050. This presentation will further follow-up on LDC’s strategic growth intent and mission to develop best in class plant proteins and its success to bringing excellent quality new LDC plant proteins to the market by process innovations, scaling-up, and by building its plant proteins manufacturing plant to deliver the same to its customers and consumers.

85% of new products fail, including in the food and beverage industry. While the details of those failures differ, they share common themes:

• Lack of cross-functional input, communication and strategy from the very beginning.

• Failure to evaluate the merits and opportunities in each of the industry’s three channels – retail, foodservice and industrial/ingredient.

• Insufficient, misunderstood or misinterpreted data and insights about the customers and consumers in each channel and their respective needs.

• Broken or nonexistent feedback between strategy and execution that would otherwise allow for the necessary pivots and course changes. Stephanie Lind will speak from her more than thirty years of cross-functional, multi-channel experience in the food and beverage industry. Having spoken with and followed the journeys of over a thousand companies from all over the world, Stephanie’s experience with innovation and new products is both deep and wide. She’ll offer examples and cautionary tales from more than a decade of work with both innovative start-ups and established brands to illustrate the ways things go bad and how to avoid them. 

Dry fractionation processes are gaining traction as a promising alternative to wet extraction methods due to their reduced environmental impacts and the quality of native proteins. Tribo-charging electrostatic separation is a well-established method of dry fractionation in fly ash and mineral processing but has been getting renewed interest in food and feed applications in recent years. Combined techniques such as dehulling, milling, and air classification followed by electrostatic separation have shown to be effective in enhancing protein purity of legume, cereal, and oilseed meal protein concentrates, yet products with increased protein have not been introduced to the market. Therefore, the functionality and nutritional quality of protein concentrate enriched by a tribo-electrostatic separator of yellow pea protein concentrates from two commercial sources and a defatted canola meal were investigated.

The optimized process condition yielded a pea fraction with a 9-11% increase in protein, 48% less fiber, and 34% less total starch compared to the starting protein. Triboelectric separation of defatted and milled canola meal with 43% protein and 32% fiber (dry-basis) produced a lighter color high protein fraction with 53% protein and 14% fiber.

This talk will provide useful insights on pea and canola protein concentrates with improved protein content and co-products for potential food, feed and other industrial applications. Furthermore, various examples of tribo-electrostatic separator-enriched protein concentrates from oil seed meal, cereals, brewers spent grain, and legume flours will be introduced.

Showcasing successful collaborations and formulation innovations catering to diverse culinary settings, from fine dining to food service and retail, driving adoption and acceptance of alternative proteins.

Scaling up, designing, and commissioning a novel protein facility is no easy task. A start-up company must navigate technical, commercial, and food safety challenges to successfully bring a new product to market. This presentation will draw on first-hand experience in this field and present some perspective on what considerations should be made for a successful venture. Specific attention will be given to equipment specifications, procurement, and operation, facility design for food safety and quality, and market avenues for co-products of protein manufacturing. The discussion will illustrate some of the crucial challenges faced by market entrants and provide guidance on how to avoid some of the growing pains associated with scale-up and start-up. The importance of front-end engineering design informed by industrial best practices, subject matter experts, and lessons learned from previous experience cannot be overstated. As margins tighten on global commodities, it is more critical than ever to choose a design team with the right set of skills and reduce the downstream risk once the time comes to break ground.

Chefs play a pivotal role in steering trends and satisfying consumer palates. This panel explores the seamless integration of alternative proteins into restaurant menus and culinary experiences, addressing key considerations such as:
- Unpacking the key factors to include a product on the menu - is it price, taste and texture or nutrition?
 - Assessing product categories with high potential for menu incorporation.
- Prioritizing versatility or convenience in product formulation, tailored to diverse dining settings.
- Adapting to the preferences of younger generations (Gen Z and Gen Alpha) in environments like school cafeterias.
- Promoting synergy between the food industry and chefs to develop products optimized for food service demands.

This presentation explores superior dairy proteins, how to drive new product development with precision-fermented dairy proteins, and the role of an ingredients company in this space. This session aims to define superior dairy proteins, compare them to conventional ones, highlight their unique functionality and how to leverage this to develop beautiful food and beverage products, supported by successful product examples. The role of ingredient companies is examined, focusing on their responsibilities, challenges, and importance in evolving our food system to meet the world’s growing need for nutritious, functional, and sustainably-produced protein.

Navigating consumer perceptions and market positioning strategies for alternative seafood products, addressing challenges and opportunities.

Explore the dynamic intersection of food technology and new product development in the alternative protein sector. This panel will delve into the critical challenges in formulating alternative proteins, particularly addressing the hurdles posed taste and texture. Our discussion will highlight how food technology offers innovative solutions to these formulation issues and how big tech can play a pivotal role in overcoming these barriers. We will also explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in driving product innovation, optimizing formulations, enhancing nutritional profiles, and improving texture and taste, ultimately shaping a sustainable future for alternative proteins.

More information coming soon!

Plant proteins are increasingly popular, and many ingredients are now being produced from a variety of breeds, origin and processes. Strong differences exist between commercial products, however the reasons for these differences are still not fully understood. The objective of this work was to better understand what determines plant protein functionality: protein composition, non-protein material, and level of protein denaturation. At the pilot scale, we have fractionated individual pea proteins and pea constituents and evaluated their functional properties individually and in combination to model different manufacturing processes. We observed that protein nature, structure and interaction with non-protein material have a strong impact on its application. These findings will be useful for cultivar selection and to better tailor process design to the application targeted.

This comprehensive session explores Zeppelin's cutting-edge technologies that are transforming both plant-based protein production and large-scale baking operations. We'll examine advanced systems for handling, mixing, and conditioning starches and proteins, enabling the creation of high-quality meat alternatives and baked goods. Key innovations like the DymoMix® for controlled moistening and the CODOS® continuous mixing and kneading system will be highlighted, demonstrating how these technologies achieve consistent product quality, increased efficiency, and sustainability in food manufacturing. The presentation will cover the benefits of these systems, including energy savings, improved product consistency, and integration with modern control technologies for enhanced safety and traceability. Join us to discover how Zeppelin's solutions are meeting the growing demand for sustainable, vegan food options while revolutionizing industrial baking processes.

The global alternative protein market has seen significant growth over the past decade. With increasing product availability and variety, the industry’s supply chains must evolve to avoid shortages and enhance access and affordability. Scale-up and continued product innovation are critical for appealing to consumers and ensuring long-term category growth.

 This session will examine the current state of alternative protein manufacturing capacity and explore the strategies for expanding production across the industry. We’ll discuss the trade-offs of strategies to scale manufacturing capacity, including partnering with contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs), building greenfield sites, or retrofitting brownfield facilities and equipment. Using these approaches, the industry can position itself to meet rising consumer demand and drive the global growth of alternative proteins.

This panel explores the convergence of innovative protein strategies, cutting-edge agricultural practices, and international collaboration. Experts will delve into sustainable agriculture techniques (e.g., gene editing, regenerative agriculture, side stream valorization) to enhance productivity and environmental stewardship. The discussion will highlight prospective initiatives for protein diversification and discuss positive examples from other countries (Denmark - government support, no polarization). Emphasis will be placed on the collaborative efforts between the United States, Canada, and other global players to shape the agri-food system and food policy at local, national, and international levels, aiming to ensure food security and sustainability for future generations.

Track I and Track II Wrap-Up

Closing Remarks