The Protein Digest

SunOpta opens $35m plant-based dairy line at Texas facility. The $35m manufacturing line at the company's Midlothian, Texas, plant is its fourth of this type, designed to boost capacity for plant-based milks, creamers, tea, and broths across multiple packaging formats. (dairynews.today)

Maple Leaf Foods to close two plant protein facilities amid falling demand. The Mississauga-based company will shutter facilities in Seattle and Turners Falls, Massachusetts, consolidating all plant protein production at its Indianapolis plant by late 2027, citing declining volumes and unsustainable structural costs. (realagriculture.com)

AI model predicts and designs bitter-tasting peptides in food production. The method, developed at the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at TUM, combines a protein language model with a graph convolutional network and achieved roughly 80 percent accuracy in sensory validation, with potential applications for controlling bitterness in fermented foods and plant protein ingredients. (idw-online.de)

Elian raises €40M to expand soy processing at Barcelona port. The investment, facilitated by Spain's COFIDES development finance agency, supports a broader €300 million project to add over 100,000 tons of annual soy protein derivative capacity at the Port of Barcelona by early 2028. (foodingredientsfirst.com)

Australia's first food-grade microbial fermentation pilot facility opens in Queensland. The QUT Pioneer BioPilot, backed by the Australian Food and Beverage Accelerator and government partners, provides companies with infrastructure to develop, test, and validate microbial fermentation products between lab research and commercial production. (foodmag.com.au)

Cats and dogs prefer microbial protein kibble over fish-based feed in short trial. A Portuguese palatability trial by MicroHarvest and Sense Test found that both species ate significantly more of kibble in which fermented microbial protein fully replaced fish meal, though the two-day study cannot speak to long-term health or acceptance. (earth.com)

React Foods turns CO₂ into food-grade yeast protein via gas fermentation. The Danish spin-out, backed by the BioInnovation Institute, uses gas fermentation to convert captured CO₂ and green hydrogen into food-grade yeast protein ingredients, positioning itself as a B2B supplier for manufacturers seeking carbon-negative raw materials. (foodanddrinktechnology.com)

Steakholder Foods shareholders approve massive share capital expansion. The Israel-based cell-cultured meat company authorized up to one quadrillion ordinary shares at a special general meeting, granting broad flexibility for future financing despite ongoing financial struggles and a market capitalization of roughly $346,000. (theglobeandmail.com)

Iowa hog farm converts barns to mushroom production with transition support. The Faaborg family retrofitted a former hog confinement barn in central Iowa to grow specialty mushrooms, supported by a $216,000 contract from the Transfarmation Project to serve as a demonstration hub for other farmers considering similar transitions. (iowapublicradio.org)

NTU scientists use oyster mushroom fermentation to upcycle soybean waste. The lab-scale study, conducted in partnership with Ichimasa Kamaboko and published in Food Chemistry: X, showed that solid-state fermentation with oyster mushroom mycelium boosted okara's protein content and umami flavor while reducing sourness, pointing toward a potential upcycling pathway for the soybean by-product. (miragenews.com)

ASU researchers use air-captured CO2 to grow algae via rotating belt system. The polymer-based system adsorbs CO2 from ambient air when dry and releases it into liquid growth medium when wet, supporting cyanobacteria and algae cultivation at scales from bench flasks to an 840-liter outdoor pond at Arizona State University's Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation. (news.asu.edu)

FDA streamlines animal food ingredient review with faster timelines and clearer rules. The Center for Veterinary Medicine's finalized changes address long-standing industry frustrations over unpredictable timelines and unclear data requirements, introducing documented benchmarks for GRAS Notice evaluations and expanded flexibility in safety documentation. (petfoodindustry.com)

Manure digesters triple ammonia emissions compared to lagoons, study finds. A study published in Biogeochemistry found that digestate stored in lagoons releases 3.5 to 5.5 times more ammonia than raw manure, intensifying concerns about air quality near hog operations in North Carolina and elsewhere as the industry expands. (thenewlede.org)

Oregon appeals court upholds state discretion over Tillamook dairy water rules. The ruling affirms the Oregon Department of Agriculture's discretion to address dairy manure pollution through its broader North Coast Basin plan rather than adopting watershed-specific restrictions sought by Hayes Oyster Co. (capitalpress.com)

California tightens dairy manure pollution rules to protect groundwater. The State Water Resources Control Board unanimously approved new nitrogen discharge limits for more than 900 Central Valley dairy farms, aiming to reduce nitrate contamination of groundwater and drinking water linked to serious health risks. (cbsnews.com)

USDA recalls 167,639 pounds of uninspected meat bearing counterfeit inspection marks. FSIS found that Star Meat Delivery Inc. of North Carolina produced the raw pork, beef, and goat products without federal oversight and applied a fabricated establishment number before shipping them to A&D Foods for nationwide distribution to restaurants and retailers. (foodpoisonjournal.com)