Cargill and Cubiq Foods collaborate on novel fat technology
Cargill and the young Spanish food-tech company Cubiq Foods have signed product co-development and commercial go-to-market agreements aimed at developing and accelerating wide-scale commercialisation of Cubiq Foods’ fat technologies.
Cargill said the strategic partnership gives it access to Cubiq’s technologies to help customers develop plant-based alternative foods as well answer the call for healthier, more sustainable and better-tasting solutions.
Both companies said the benefits of the technologies surpass typical products made with animal fats or tropical oils (the nutritional and organoleptic benefits of Cubiq Foods’ ingredients depend on usage and inclusion rates), such as:
- enhances flavour,
- may improve total fats and saturated fats,
- may improve caloric content, and
- may incorporate essential fatty acids (omega 3). Cubiq’s novel fats, including Go!Drop, join Cargill’s existing portfolio of plant-based solutions, spanning plant proteins, texturisers and a full array of traditional fats and oils.
“By embracing new technologies, harnessing our full ingredient toolbox and leveraging our global application knowledge, we’re poised to accelerate the development of the next-generation plant-based products. Ultimately, it will be a win for consumers, as we enable food manufacturers to create products and solutions with an eye toward both people and the planet,” said Vivek Cherian, meat and dairy alternatives category leader for edible oils at Cargill.
The new fat technologies can be used across multiple applications and are especially relevant in the plant-based meat and dairy alternative space, where fats and oils play pivotal roles in structure, taste, texture, and nutritional profile.
Cargill said most current plant-based options fall short of consumers’ expectations, but Cubiq Foods’ line of “smarter” fats help close the gap, including advances that replicate animal fat in terms of visual appearance, mouthfeel, and bite.
“Signing the joint development and commercial agreements represents the next phase in our partnership, as our groundbreaking technology is now ready for application development, production scale-up and widespread commercialisation – roles that Cargill is uniquely equipped to help us advance,” said Andrés Montefeltro, chief executive officer at Cubiq Foods. “Together, we’ll help food manufacturers and consumers reimagine what’s possible in the quest for healthy and satisfying foods.”
Cargill first invested in Cubiq Foods in May 2022, as part of ongoing efforts to more rapidly advance promising food technology and support customers with novel solutions. The collaboration complements Cargill’s previous investments in alternative protein sources, including Puris and Upside Foods (formerly known as Memphis Meats), and aligns with the company’s ambition to be a leader in innovative food ingredients.
