These days, there is a lot of buzz about plant-based food. Plant-based food alternatives have a plethora of options. One such alternative is Plant base chicken. The plant-based meat industry has been gaining an immense rise in popularity only recently. According to a new report published by UnivDatos Markets Insights the Plant-based chicken Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 17% from 2021-2027.
A major reason for the instant growth can be attributed to the increased marketing and endorsements by the prominent players in the market, and the trend of technology on social media. The major strategy used by these prominent players in the industry is the targeted marketing of the products to ‘Flexitarians’, along with the niche vegans and vegetarians.
The plant-based nutritional substitutes for animal products bring a positive shift for both the environment as well as human health. According to a study by Michigan State University, 90% of consumers of plant-based meat are willing to eat it again.
In this article, we will discuss a brief about patent trends in the plant-based chicken industry and investigate some emerging start-ups in the plant-based chicken industry.
What is plant Based Chicken?
Plant-based chicken is a food product designed to ape the taste and texture of meat. Generally, it is produced by convincing meat replacements with plant ingredients like pea protein and soybean roots, and it’s shaped into nuggets, patties, or roasts. It is considered a healthier alternative to meat and helps to create a positive shift for animal welfare with every bite. The plant-based chicken generally has high fiber and iron and low cholesterol and saturated fats.
Targeted Consumers For Plant-Based Chicken Industry
Plant-based chicken is generating its own consumer base. Generally, the main target consumer group includes:
Flexitarians i.e. consumers who eat meat and animal-based products but prefer a primarily vegetarian diet are the largest market for plant-based meat products currently. It allows them to enjoy the taste of animal chicken without actually consuming animal chicken.
The younger generations, specifically Millennials and Gen Z are more favorable to including plant-based food products in their diets and find the food appealing.
Health Conscious Consumers, Protein Deficient Consumers, Guilty Meat Eaters, and Ethical Consumers are also a part of the target consumer group for plant-based chicken.
Geographic Innovation Hubs
USA is the biggest innovation hub, brimming with start-ups, following in the steps of the domain pioneers – Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. In Asia, China, Japan, and Korea are the most prominent innovation hubs. Both China and Korea have research institutes actively investing and innovating technologies in the domain. The emergence of Germany as an innovation hub can be attributed to the growing number of meat-replacing vegetarian and vegan populations. As a result, even though the market in the region is driven by the population who are quitting meat, which raises a need for meat alternative products that mimic the flavor of animal-based food.
Top Patent Holders’
Out of the top assignees, Firmenich and Air Protein have shown the most consistent filing in the domain in the last two years (2020-21). Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST) issued the country’s first-ever voluntary standard for plant-based meat products, which came into effect in June 2021. Research Institute of Atomic Energy Util and Institute of Agro-Food Science & Technology Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, both of which are Chinese research institutes, use peanut protein as their common source of plant-based protein for preparing plant-based chicken products. Impossible Foods, which is a US-based company, has maximum granted patents and uses corn oil as its most commonly used fat source. Most of the plant-based products of the assignee, Fuji Oil Holdings are made by using soy protein and corn starch as their protein and starch source.
TOP CITED PATENTS
The patent US20210259290A1 filed by Beyond Meat focuses on meat-like food products made by extrusion in the form of the patty and generic meat. The product contains polysaccharides, plant-based protein, fats, and other ingredients that have properties similar to chicken meat, such as juiciness, texture, and tenderness.
The patent EP2731446A4 filed by Impossible Foods focuses on the chicken analogue, which is produced by extrusion in the form of fillets and sausages. Plant-based proteins, such as chickpea protein and soy protein, are used in the chicken analogue. Polysaccharides such as methylcellulose, gums, starch, and fat oils are also added as ingredients to provide texture, fibers, mouthfeel, and a pleasant aroma to the chicken analogue.
The US11266163B2 filed by Eat Just focuses on the method for creating a mung bean protein isolate that mimics the texture of chicken nuggets and chicken meat. The extrusion process is used to create isolate. Mung bean protein, transglutaminase enzyme, pea protein, soy protein carbohydrates, gums, methylcellulose, fat oils, canola oil, and other ingredients are used herein.
The patent US10716319B2 filed by Ojah focuses on the process for producing a structured vegetable protein extrudate with a fibrous meat-like structure similar to the tenderness of chicken meat. Manufacturing is accomplished through the use of a high moisture extrusion process.
Emerging Start-up in the domain
The plant-based chicken industry is gaining more traction with a diverse set of start-ups entering the market with their vast product portfolios. These startups are actively trying to improve the plant-based chicken sector. So we have created the following list featuring the industry’s finest pioneers:
Blue Tribe
Sandeep Singh, founder and managing director of Blue Tribe launched the Blue Tribe in November 2020, in Mumbai, and introduced plant-based “chicken” nuggets, with an aim to provide the authentic taste of chicken nuggets while putting all worries about plant-based food, like the taste and texture, to rest.
Tindle Foods
Tindle was founded in 2020 by Timo Recker and Andre Menezes. They prepared chicken made from plants. The chicken obtained from plants tastes exactly like, if not better than chicken from animals.
Vesta Food Lab
Vesta food lab was founded in the year 2019 by Xun Jiang and Zihan Xie. Vesta is the first venture-capital-backed food technology company based in China to focus on plant-based substitutes. Vesta is on a mission to revolutionize how people access and consume protein. The company is led by a team of experienced serial entrepreneurs, three-starred Michelin chefs, macromolecular research chemists, and food engineering scientists.
Haofood
Astrid Prajogo, Jenny Zhu, Kasih Chen and Shaowei Liu started the Haofood company in April 2020. Their plant-based chicken is 100% vegan. The ingredients allow the user to create an almost-perfect culinary replica of real meat, preserving the pleasure derived from meat’s mouthwatering taste and texture.
THIS
THIS was founded in 2019. Andy Shovel is the co-founder of THIS. It manufactures plant-based meat alternative products intended to satisfy meat lovers with plant-meat-based dishes. The company’s products are made of plant-based ingredients fortified with nutrients and high in protein. They are designed to have the same texture and taste as meat, enabling customers to get the feel of having meat-based products and satisfy their tastes without harming animals.
Heura
Heura was founded by Bernat Ananos Martinez and Marc Coloma in 2017. Heura manufactures vegan food to change people’s perception of plant-based meat with vegan chicken. The company’s services mainly focus on offering soy-based meat alternatives which have a short ingredient list and are further enriched with vitamins and nutrients, enabling customers to buy products with the experience of meat and the benefits of vegetables.
Meatless Farm
The Meatless Farm was founded in 2016 by Morten Toft. The meatless farm is a plant-based protein company known for its meat-free burger patties, meatless, sausage, and plant-based chicken breast products.
VFC
VFC is short for vegan fried chick*n. “Vegan Fried Chick*n” was founded by Matthew Glover and Adam Lyons in York, England in 2020. They have a range of vegan fried ‘chicken’ fillets, bites, and nuggets that are made from the wheat protein in a southern fried and crispy cornflake coating.
Karana
Karana was founded by Blair and Dan in 2018. The company is leading a new category of meat made from whole plants; a step beyond sustainability with the star ingredient of their first product, jackfruit, to put biodiversity on the table, too. And with a natural meaty texture, they keep ingredients and processing to a minimum, while maximizing all the juicy flavor. They aimed to choose plants having meat-like textures and finally zeroed jackfruit: the king of all meaty plants.
Next Gen Foods
Next Gen Foods, was brought by Andre Menezes, and Timo Recker in 2020. They produce plant-based foods to create a plant-based diet that is rich in nutrition. The company’s plant-based products look and taste like meat and are developed using the agricultural food ecosystem, enabling consumers to have foods that are rich in protein and nutrients.
Liberate Foods (Brand: Shaka Harry)
Anoop Haridasan, the co-founder, Shaka Harry, started their company in Bengaluru, India in 2020 and came up with “Plant-based protein” which is becoming increasingly popular, particularly in areas where meat consumption is high, not only globally but in India as well. The products are purely plant-based but taste the same as meaty treats. Some of the products of Shaka Harry include chicken, chicken nuggets, mutton, kebabs, and many more. These products give real experience as they are replica.
BVEG
Prateek Ghai co-founded BVEG foods along with Akansha Ghai in 2019. BVEG Foods provides sustainable and quality food to the people at an affordable price and contribute to reducing the environmental pollution. The company uses power-packed plant proteins to manufacture its products. It has collaborated with both domestic and international markets to offer plant-based foods and is known for creating meat analogs, non-dairy milk, and high-protein snacks.
Phuture Foods
Jack Yap, the founder, and CEO of Phuture Foods. Phuture Foods is one of the first plant-based meat companies to come out of Malaysia. Although the main focus was only on the pork as its first product as of April 8, 2020. Their technology has made it possible for us to consume protein without meat.
They have redefined food by creating a variety of plant-based products and reinventing the meaty experience that we find in all cuisine without compromising on the essential nutrients and great taste.GoodDo
Abhinav Sinha, Abhishek Sinha, Deepak Parihar & Shruti Sonali founded GoodDo in 2018. GoodDO is a vegan kiosk chain founded by the same team behind plant-based food tech Good Dot. The core mission of the company is to popularise veganism by serving a range of dishes made from Good Dot’s mock meats, catering to both local appetites and those looking for an international fast food bite.
Nowadays
Dominik Grabinski, Max Elder the co-founder and CEO of Nowadays, started his venture-backed food tech startup making plant-based meats with only a few simple ingredients. Nowadays’ is known for its innovative vegan chicken and was founded as a Public Benefit Corporation in San Francisco in 2020.
Planterra Foods (Brand: Ozo)
Planterra Foods was founded in 2019. Darcey Macken is the CEO of Planterra Foods. The company uses a new, innovative plant-based protein start-up company dedicated to bringing exceptional variety and thoughtful plant-based protein choices – that are beneficial to both you and the planet.
Planted
Planted was founded in 2019. Jenny, Eric Stirnemann, Lukas Böni, Pascal Bieri are the founders of the company. As their name suggests, they make meats from plants that taste and feel like animal meat. Their products are made exclusively from four natural ingredients: pea protein, pea fibers, water, and rapeseed oil. Their product range includes plant-based chicken, pulled pork, schnitzel, and kebab.
Rebellyous Foods
Rebellyous Foods was founded in 2017 by Christie Lagally. It is a food manufacturing technology and production company defined solely to catapult meat alternative production toward price parity with animal-based meat. Rebellyous Foods implements novel food manufacturing equipment and processes in large-scale production to produce low-cost plant-based meat at high volumes. Working closely with industry partners, Rebellyous Foods makes plant-based meat sustainable, affordable, and widely available.
Rival Foods
Birgit Dekkers, and Ernst Breel founded Rival Foods in 2019 which has a specialization in food production and manufacturing and offers plant-based culinary whole-cuts. The company brings culinary plant-based alternatives to traditional protein sources such as meat and fish not compromising on taste and experience.
Green Rebel Foods
Co-founder and chief innovation officer of Green Rebel, Chef Max Mandias started this Indonesian food tech start-up in 2020 making whole-cut plant-based meats inspired by Southeast Asian flavors. Green Rebel products are made from 100% natural ingredients from plants with the original savory taste & texture of grilled chicken.
Tender Foods (Boston Meats)
Chantre, CEO of Tender foods started the company in 2020. This startup arose with the collaboration of professors, doctors, and scientists from Harvard University to introduce novel technologies that replicate whole muscle cuts by spinning plant protein into beef steaks, pulled pork, and chicken breasts with a meaty texture.
Conclusion
Plant-based meat and chicken manufacturers have been targeting various food chains such as KFC, Dunkin Donuts, etc., for expanding their revenue streams and bringing more products to store shelves and restaurant menus. Also, with the diversity in sources for vegan chicken, the key players are also partnering with farming facilities or investing in the manufacturing of their own farms and clean-meat labs to increase organic production. Although the technology started out to derange meat production, the big meat producers have now started to integrate themselves into the vegan meat market. While some food companies have rolled in their own lines of plant-based meat products, others like Tyson Foods are also investing in industry startups such as Beyond Meat to stabilize their market position. As the market for plant-based meat expands, innovative products and marketing strategies will be the key parameters for players to differentiate their brands. Sustainable and eco-packaging is the current key trend for brands to gain popularity within their ‘environment-friendly consumers’ community.
In this article, we have only discussed a brief about patent trend analysis and emerging startups in the plant-based chicken domain. Our team analyzed the patent trends, technology trends, and market trends and prepared a detailed report that might be of interest to you.
Key pointers mentioned in Expertlancing research report include:
- Latest patent trends in the plant-based meat market including top innovators in the domain, detailed innovation hub, and key patents in the domain
- Market trends in the plant-based meat market
- A detailed scientific literature analysis
- Trending products in the market
- Important acquisitions, agreements in the domain
- Collaborations, joint ventures, partnerships
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