Spanish plant-based food company Heura Foods has inaugurated a new innovation laboratory in Barcelona, and plans to file six new technology patents this year.
The laboratory is located in the Spanish city's 22@ technology district, where Heura is now headquartered. It offers more space, advanced equipment and the capacity to integrate various scientific disciplines. This will facilitate technology transfer from the laboratory stage to the prototype and industrial scales.
Heura released its first patent-pending technology in 2023, designed to create clean label plant-based food products. The company has revealed it will continue to expand its range beyond plant-based meat this year, focusing primarily on developing healthier and more nutritionally dense foods in the most widely consumed categories.
The first prototypes of cheese, pasta and snacks were presented last October, developed with this patent-pending technology and marking the beginning of Heura’s next innovation phase.
The company plans to file six new patents this year, focusing on offering alternatives with greater impact by replacing additives, modified starches and saturated fats with plant proteins and healthy lipids to structure product matrices.
In doing this without compromising taste, Heura aims to transform the ‘ultra-processed foods’ category, setting a new nutritional standard for the industry.
The new technologies will not only shape the next generation of Heura’s products, but will be available to the wider food industry through technology licensing. Heura’s goal is to maximise the reach of its solutions while fostering the production of food that meets global health and sustainability challenges.
Marc Coloma, CEO and co-founder of Heura Foods, said: “These new technologies aim to transform current food production methods, but their real strength lies in how effectively they scale and adapt to regional consumer preferences. That's why we are forging partnerships with industry leaders to accelerate a change that no one can drive alone.”
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