News

Marlow Foods partnership yields sustainability and quality results

19-Feb-2024 - Last updated on 19-Feb-2024 at 15:26 GMT

From left - Mark Taylor, Professor Gary Montague and Dr Nanda Ayu Puspita.

Marlow Foods, the manufacturer of Quorn meat substitutes, has boosted the sustainability and quality of its products as part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University of Teesside.

The two-year partnership saw the use of Mass Spectrometry – an analytical method which can analyse compounds at a molecular level – to understand the behaviour of mycoprotein, the main ingredient in all Quorn products.

Led by Dr Nanda Ayu Puspita, the project was supported by the facilities and expertise at Teesside University’s National Horizons Centre, a £22.3m national centre of excellence for the bioscience sector.

Refining the product

Puspita said: “By using mass spectrometry we can get a better understanding of how the organism is behaving and what we can do to refine and control the production environment to get a better overall product.

“As well as resulting in a better-quality product, it also helps lower costs and reduces our environmental impact.”

Marlow used the findings to further develop the mycoprotein fermentation process, as well as making the production more sustainable and cost effective. The process went on the inform R&D projects in the new business unit in the company, Marlow Ingredients, which will supply other food manufacturers with mycoprotein.

Further, the KTP has also resulted in the permanent establishment of a mass spectrometry analytical laboratory at Marlow’s base at Billingham in the Tees Valley.

Insight into fermentation

Mark Taylor, senior fermentation scientist at Marlow Ingredients, said: “The dataset which was produced by Nanda’s research has given us a much greater insight into our proteomic fermentation.

“In addition, bringing Nanda into the business has allowed us to utilise her mass spectrometry skills in a range of different areas and add value to a number of other projects.

“We’ve also now established Marlow Ingredients which will enable us to do things differently as a business and will support us in our strategic ambition to produce 8 billion servings of healthy, tasty and nutritious Quorn products every year by 2030.”

Meanwhile, food scientist, chef and author Anthony Warner has published a new report highlighting the need to reduce the costs of plant-based meat alternatives.