NPD Discovery Zone

NovaBite is the expertise centre for sensory research and product optimisation in the food industry. We support the entire product development process, from idea to market launch. Through in-depth knowledge, practical research, high-quality facilities, and clear advice, we provide insights into consumer preferences and help determine what is allowed, what is possible, and what is meaningful. Our four core services include: sensory research (taste testing), qualitative research (focus groups), in-company panel training (training panels of sensory experts), and food legislation advice. Our goal is clear: to help create successful products that match the needs and experiences of consumers and the market.  
  
80% of product innovations disappear from the market within one year. Food companies often face challenges like unclear consumer needs, disappointing taste profiles, poor packaging choices and complex regulations. NovaBite helps tackle these issues by guiding consumer-driven innovation, grounded in real consumer insights and scientific research. We support improvements in taste, quality, sustainability, advise on packaging, presentation, and pricing. Our sensory testing, qualitative research, legal expertise, or in-company trainings ensure that every decision is informed and effective. NovaBite reduces risk and accelerates time to market by helping companies launch products that are relevant, compliant, and valued by consumers.  

Rousselot launched Nextida® GC, a specific collagen peptides composition developed to support metabolic wellness by:  

• Stimulating natural GLP-1 secretion  

• Reducing post-meal glucose spikes  

• Improving insulin response  

Nextida® GC is supported by scientific research. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, healthy individuals (normoglycemic and prediabetic) consumed 5 or 10 grams of the ingredient 30 minutes before a carbohydrate-rich meal. The results showed:  

• On average, 42% reduction in glucose spikes  

• Increased GLP-1 secretion  

• Enhanced insulin function which helped priming the body’s metabolic response  

  

Nextida GC represents a new frontier in collagen technology, expanding the potential of collagen peptides applications.    

Growing awareness of healthy lifestyles and the global metabolic health trend have fuelled interest in glucose control and GLP-1 supplements. High blood sugar spikes after meals can disrupt energy, mood, cravings and lead to overeating. Rousselot addresses these challenges with Nextida GC—a science-backed, safe, and versatile ingredient developed for glucose control and GLP-1 natural boosting.  

It integrates easily into various formats like powders, shots, and gels. Offering instant solubility in hot or cold water, neutral taste and odour, and stability across temperatures and pH.  

Nextida GC is a pure, sugar- and fat-free protein that enables flexible, hassle-free nutraceutical formulation.  

Through our exclusive distribution partnership with RELSUS™, Aminola brings the next generation of plant-based protein and starch ingredients to the European and UK markets. RELSUS™ Ultra-Precise Filtration™ platform sets its protein concentrates and isolates from chickpea, mung bean, pea, and rapeseed apart by ensuring a neutral sensory profile in combination with high-functionality, ideal for various plant-based and hybrid food applications.   

Relsus™ proteins are recognised for their purity and neutral taste, excellent solubility and ingredient specific functionalities like gelling, emulsifying, water- and oil binding properties. Highly suitable for application in sports-nutrition, bakery, beverages and plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. The functional starch ingredients are equally advanced, offering a clean-label substitute to modified starches in soups, sauces, coatings, snacks, and other applications.   

Our sustainable, nutritional, and functional ingredients are designed to meet the evolving demands of the modern Food & Beverage industry, offering practical solutions to common formulation and production hurdles:   

• Improve the taste, aroma, and texture of plant-based and hybrid foods for better consumer acceptance   

• Enabled by chemical-free, sustainable production methods   

• Support the development of clean-label products with simple, recognisable ingredients   

• Help reduce your product’s environmental footprint   

• Provide options that eliminate common allergens, supporting inclusive and safe food choices  

ENOUGH mycoprotein, known as ABUNDA®, is putting a new spin on a trusted fermented protein that is nutritious, delicious, and sustainable. Mycoprotein is a sustainable protein source that is transforming meat, dairy, and seafood alternatives and hybrid products. It has a clean taste, natural meat-like texture, and it’s packed with nutrition—high in fiber and protein, a source of zinc and iron, and it contains all nine essential amino acids. ABUNDA is also sustainably produced with minimal waste, so food brands can produce delicious products that are good for people and the planet.   

At ENOUGH, we’re on a mission to Make Protein Sustainable. With a global population that’s expected to hit 10 billion by 2050, some estimates say we’ll need the resources of three Earths to feed everyone. But we only have one—and it has to be enough. Meeting this challenge means rethinking how we produce protein. ENOUGH is a B2B ingredient provider focused on scaling one powerful ingredient with enormous potential: ABUNDA® mycoprotein. Proven, nutritious, and sustainable, ABUNDA offers a smarter way to feed a growing planet—without compromising enjoyment. 

We believe that there is value in everything. That manufacturing primary products does not create waste, it creates opportunities. For more than 55 years we have been dedicated to innovating processes that extract the maximum value from co-products and translate them into new products, services and applications. In a world where a circular economy and sustainability are becoming increasingly important, we answer two great needs: the need for sustainable management of co-products and the creation of commercial value for every stakeholder in the process. From the suppliers of co-products, to our customers who receive high quality products and services every day.  

 Within food, Duynie develops ingredients focused on helping the food industry reduce emissions (scope 3). In addition to helping food manufacturers to become more sustainable, our ingredients also support other challenges that are faced. For instance, rising ingredients costs, the protein transition and consumer demand for clean label and nutritional products. Our constant pursuit of the highest quality ingredients combined with our industry-leading expertise, help us to guarantee the supply of circular ingredients to the food industry today and tomorrow. In turn, helping you to meet your sustainability and business targets.  

Proxy Foods offers an AI-powered SaaS platform built for F&B product development and R&D teams. Users create new products and formulas or optimise existing ones by using state-of-the-art AI models, a feedback-loop mechanism, analytical tools, and an expansive ingredient database of nutritional values, organoleptic properties, costs, and regulations. Our data-driven feedback mechanism mitigates trial-and-error and bias from formulation, enabling teams to create better products in fewer iterations. Our platform is plug & play and customizable to organisational needs and infrastructure. Users retain full ownership of proprietary formulations, intellectual property, and data uploaded and outputted by the platform, and such information will remain strictly confidential to your team.  
   
Formulation is the cornerstone of success in F&B, but it is complex, dynamic, and endlessly iterative. As regulations, preferences, and supply chains rapidly change, companies operating on already challenging margins must develop new products or optimise their existing ones to succeed. Today, scientists are left to navigate the infinitely combinatorial formulation landscape through unguided trial and error, fragmented feedback loops, siloed knowledge, bottlenecks, and unstructured communication. Our platform eliminates these pain points by centralising knowledge, standardising communication, and replacing what was once guesswork with guided, data-driven formulation.  

ProDigest is an expert in the in vitro and ex vivo simulation of the gastrointestinal tract and its microbiome. Our services allow to demonstrate efficacy, MoA and related health effects of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, botanicals, ingredients, LBPs and APIs; from pure ingredients to final formulations. In addition, we provide insights in digestibility and bioaccessibility of nutraceuticals, ingredients, complex food products and their formulations.  By combining the best-in-class technology platforms, broad diversity in the end points and years of expertise, we support our clients’ product development from early research to late-stage development.  

ProDigest offers tailored solutions to support food and supplement development using our unique approach that combines:  

• The broadest range of technology platforms allows to offer the best approach for each research question, no one size fits all;  

• Personalisation of our gut models allows to focus on the most relevant population group, dietary habits or disease categories;  

• Customisation of readouts warrants the optimal use of the available budget.  

We use our expertise to the benefit of our clients and create added value in the form of high-quality data, actionable insights that are predictive of the in vivo reality, and boosting R&D pipeline. 

PISANE™ pea protein is a nutritious, functional and sustainable whole range of plant proteins sourced from European yellow peas and developed by COSUCRA. It contains all the essential amino acids in significant quantities for a well-balanced profile (AAS=0.96) and has excellent digestibility (98%). PISANE™ is also highly functional, and its wide range enables it to meet the principle of “one application, one product solution”. Thus, PISANE™ actively contributes to the protein shift by offering versatile solutions that empower formulators to develop innovative products, without compromising on nutritional value, environmental responsibility, or sensory quality for consumers.

PISANE™ pea protein range tackles 3 major challenges across food and beverage categories: rebalance the nutritional profile of end-products, answer plant-based market needs and actively contributes to the protein shift. From sport and weight management to specialised nutrition, PISANE™ is part of the solution. Its wide range of pea proteins responds to a global demand for healthier, nutrient-rich products, while delivering a satisfying sensory experience. With its low carbon footprint and local sourcing, PISANE™ also addresses sustainability concerns—making it a key player in the protein transition, whether used alone or in combination with other protein sources.

Arborea’s unique and patented Biosolar LeafTM technology captures and converts carbon dioxide into food and feed at scale without fertile land. The process enables the industrial photosynthesis of virtually any of the 30,000 known microalgae from which we can extract natural, multifunctional, low-cost food ingredients. For example, from Spirulina, we make ingredients such as NOvo Protein™ - a multifunctional, water-soluble, neutral taste and colour protein, Pure Blue™ - a natural blue pigment and Biosolar Ultra Pure SpirulinaTM - bioactive nutrient-rich extracts all made from an essentially free feedstock. The carbon dioxide does not need to be pressurised and can come from virtually any industrial source such as breweries, bioethanol plants or just agricultural waste with only natural sunlight. There is no need for fertile land and only minimal water so the microalgae is carbon negative with zero deforestation and zero loss of biodiversity. 

Microalgae are highly nutritious ‘superfoods’ offering a source of complete amino acid profiles, essential omega fatty acids, and a huge range of bioactive vitamins and minerals ideal for diverse food, beverage, petcare, aquaculture, agrochemical and even personal care applications. The Biosolar Leaf™ facility, based in Portugal, is outdoors but a fully closed, controlled, traceable process offering taste and nutrition consistency preventing any cross-contamination and ensuring purity for safe and sustainable ingredients across the food chain.

Arborea addresses critical global challenges including deforestation, loss of biodiversity, shortage of fresh water, soil degradation, contamination and traceability, food security and even the threat of tariffs. Virtually any ingredient found in any photosynthetic microalgae can be made at low cost, hyper-efficiently and at scale on just barren land providing a huge economic opportunity. Most importantly, the ingredients are nutritious, natural and can be readily used in everyday consumer products such as plant-based/hybrid milks, beverages, chocolate, bakery or savoury products. 

There are no wasted side-streams as all parts of these ‘superfoods’ can be used for multiple applications including making existing fertile land more fertile by replenishing soil, for animal and pet-care, biofuels or even feedstocks for other processes all made by converting a greenhouse gas. We also tackle issues of cross-contamination, microplastics and high production costs associated with fermentation and open-pond microalgae. The technology is modular, easily scalable with low capex, low opex and can be located anywhere in the world. An area the size of Greater New York can, in theory, produce as much nutritious protein as a land area the size of Africa!

Standing Ovation is a French protein company founded in 2020, developing animal-free proteins for the food industry through patented precision fermentation technology. Our flagship product is casein - milk's primary protein providing essential curdling, stretching and melting properties for dairy products.

Using innovative microbiology and engineering, we produce caseins identical to those found naturally in milk via fermentation with microorganisms. We are among the few startups worldwide to master fermentative casein manufacturing, with patent families covering the entire value chain - from fermentation substrate to purification processes.

Our expertise attracted major food industry players, including a 2022 strategic partnership with Bel Group. Beyond dairy, we are expanding into functional ingredients for specialty applications while developing additional alternative proteins for pet food and protein-enriched solutions.

Standing Ovation is pioneering alternative proteins for food and environmental transition through precision fermentation.

Facing the urgency to reduce the carbon footprint of traditional food production, our precision fermentation-derived proteins revolutionize the Dairy Industry. We produce bioidentical casein, an essential and versatile protein for recreating the creamy texture and authentic taste across all types of dairy applications.

As an innovative protein supplier, we enable nutritional enrichment of plant-based and dairy products without relying on animals while decarbonizing their production. Our eco-responsible process reduces GHG emissions by up to 80% and integrates resource reuse into a virtuous production cycle. Building resilient and sovereign food systems for a sustainable future.

 

Fidesse is a natural sugar beet fibre that fits seamlessly into the development of plant-based and hybrid food products. Thanks to its unique properties, Fidesse delivers a juicy bite, neutral flavor, colour and aroma, along with a firm texture. The fibre is sourced from the pulp that remains after sugar is extracted from sugar beet.

This pulp undergoes minimal processing and is then individually quick frozen (IQF), preserving its natural structure. The fibre retains water exceptionally well and gradually releases it during consumption, resulting in a juicy mouthfeel and pleasant bite.

Fidesse® offers a wide range of advantages:

• Texture & bite – Ideal for plant-based and hybrid foods, can be added as an ingredient in coextrusion.
• Juiciness – Retains water excellently and releases water during consumption.
• Neutral taste & colour – Blends in applications seamlessly without negatively affecting organoleptic and sensoric properties.
• Versatile – Use as-is or grind into smaller particles; suitable for a wide range of applications.
• Plant-based & local – Made from sugar beet pulp from locally grown sugar beet.
• Healthy – Low in fat, high in fibres.
• Price competitive – Cost-in-use reduction.
• Easy to use – IQF free-flowing particles for smooth handling.

At Nutriearth, we develop a new, natural, and sustainable source of vitamin D3 for nutraceutical and healthy food actors. Nutriearth’s vitamin D3 (oil and flour) is produced using a patented, unique method that replicates the body’s natural vitamin D3 synthesis.

Our vitamin D3, sourced from Tenebrio molitor, offers significant advantages:

• Highly efficacious: absorption and bioavailability proven.

• Novel and natural: a unique and simple method validated by over 60 worldwide patents.

• Clean and sustainable: a solvent-free production method that requires no chemical extraction or additives, ensuring both environmental responsibility and supply reliability

Vitamin D3 is vital to overall health, yet millions worldwide face a deficiency, often due to limited dietary sources. Reducing deficiencies has become a global health priority, prompting rising demand for more efficient, natural, and sustainable food products. Nutriearth addresses this widespread health concern with innovative, natural solutions, crafting vitamin D3 sources that both support human health and protect our planet.

Current global vitamin D3 production is based on chemical processes and remote supply chains. At Nutriearth, we commit to using an ecodesign approach that preserves resources and reduces environmental impact compared to traditional methods, while also guaranteeing excellent quality.

We support our customers with tailor-made solutions and services. Depending on their needs, we can source raw materials, mix ingredients, (re)pack products, and provide packaging solutions. Every service is fully customised—customers can choose exactly what they need, without being tied to a fixed supplier. As an independent partner, we select ingredients based on each project and the service required, always focusing on consistent quality and reliability. By outsourcing blending and packing to us, customers benefit from stable and homogeneous quality, no risk of cross-contamination, and safe handling of allergen or non-allergenic products in dedicated zones. 

Food producers today face complex challenges: increasingly strict regulations, rising consumer expectations, and the demand for innovation. Developing and producing new blends can be time-consuming and costly, especially when confidential recipes need to be handled with care. We take away this burden by offering tailor-made solutions based on our customers’ own formulations—or by helping them create new recipes together with our experts—in full confidentiality. By partnering with us, customers avoid heavy investments in expensive equipment, staff training, or recruitment. They also save valuable time by removing inefficient weighing and mixing steps from their own process.

From the ancient Zechstein Sea in the Netherlands, Novasal – Nature’s Smart Salt is a pure magnesium salt that lowers sodium while adding essential magnesium for a healthy balance. This natural, clean-label alternative preserves taste and texture, making it ideal for bread, dairy, snacks, sauces, meat, fish, and plant-based foods. Novasal enhances nutritional value, supports better Nutri-Scores, and helps create healthier products without compromising flavor. This revolution in sodium reduction is called Novasal, Nature’s Smart Salt.

Excess sodium consumption is a major global health concern, with the WHO calling for urgent salt reduction to combat hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Salt substitutes like potassium have been a common choice for food producers, but challenges with taste and consumer acceptance remain. Novasal – Nature’s Smart Salt offers a new path: a natural alternative from the ancient Zechstein Sea. It not only cuts sodium but also enriches foods with essential magnesium, supporting overall wellbeing. Without altering taste, texture, or functionality, Novasal opens the door to a revolutionary step in salt reduction and healthier food innovation worldwide.