Heura’s Next Big Leap: Expanding Beyond Plant-Based Meat to Pioneer High-Value Nutrition Across Multiple Food Categories

• Aiming to transform the so-called ultra-processed food categories: with innovative technology that enables healthier, nutrient-dense alternatives using plant proteins and healthy lipids, avoiding additives, carbohydrates, and saturated fats to create product matrices. A scalable process that relies on simple thermo-mechanical techniques.
• First Cross-Category Prototypes: Heura showcases prototypes from its patent-pending technology, expanding beyond plant-based meat to offer high-protein, low-saturated fat cheese, snacks, and pasta. These clean-label products deliver unprecedented nutritional density without compromising on indulgence.
• A new era for the alternative proteins industry: unlocking high-value nutrition in the most consumed food categories by using only plant proteins and healthy lipids to structure product matrices, while achieving exceptional taste and texture. Bringing high-protein content in categories where there wasn’t any.
• Upcoming patents: Heura anticipates filing six additional patents in the next nine months, aimed at extending these principles to a wider range of food categories and setting new nutritional value standards throughout the food industry.
• Empowering consumers and the food industry: these prototypes will not only be part of the company’s new generation of products, as Heura also aims to drive meaningful change across the industry through partnerships and collaborations with category leaders in the industry to maximize the impact of these solutions.

 

London, October 2, 2024 – Heura Foods, a leader in plant-based protein innovation, is set to transform the food industry by unlocking some of the most consumed food categories while offering unprecedented nutritional density without compromising on taste.

Heura’s pending-patent technology can replace additives, modified starches, and saturated fats with plant proteins and healthy lipids, using simple thermo-mechanical techniques to structure product textures in food categories where it has been technologically impossible to date. A once impossible feat that now marks a new era of possibilities for the ‘alternative proteins’ industry.

The food industry is still in the early stages of harnessing the full potential of plant-based ingredients and microorganisms to create more impactful foods. To date, the alternative protein sector has focused on enhancing the sustainability and nutritional value of plant-based meat substitutes. With this recent technological innovation, Heura can now structure products replacing low-nutrient dense ingredients with plant proteins in new categories where there was none before, accelerating the protein transition and making high-quality nutrition more accessible.

“Rather than focusing solely on new ingredients, we need better technologies for product design,” said Marc Coloma, CEO and co-founder at Heura Foods.

Today at Future Food Tech London, Heura unveils its first prototypes of cheese, snacks and pasta leveraging its patent-pending technology. This breakthrough represents a significant leap beyond its well-known plant-based meat offerings, setting a new standard for nutritional excellence while maintaining the sensory experience, providing better food choices accessible to everyone.

At a live demo kitchen attended by over 100 industry leaders, Heura showcased its vision for a healthier food future, emphasizing the company’s commitment to enhancing nutritional density while ensuring exceptional taste:

• Cold Cuts: The only clean-label plant-based cold cuts with high protein, low saturated fat, and no additives while having an unparalleled sensory experience.
• Cheese: A unique plant-based cheese that delivers a rich and creamy texture with 20% of protein and low saturated fat.
• Pasta: A high-protein pasta featuring over 50% protein and a 74% reduction in carbohydrates, ensuring perfect cooking performance while enhancing nutritional value without compromising texture.

“We no longer need to wait years for new functional ingredients that are biomimic animal proteins. We can now develop the next generation of products at scale, directly from plant proteins.” states Marc Coloma.

And adds “Who wouldn’t want to replace excess saturated fats, simple carbohydrates, and unnecessary additives with nutrient-dense products made from plant proteins and healthy lipids? And we can do this by leveraging readily available, consumer-friendly ingredients that require no regulatory approval.”

“Today’s prototypes shatter expectations, proving that exceptional taste and unmatched nutritional value aren’t goals for the future—they’re realities we can deliver right now.” states Marc Coloma.

 

Empowering consumers and the food industry

These innovative prototypes represent the first wave of Heura’s new product generation designed to reshape health standards of the food industry.

“Six additional patents to cover more food categories with these principles are expected in the next nine months, which will redefine nutritional value standards across the food industry,” notes Coloma. With these new technologies Heura aims to disrupt the so-called ultra-processed food categories. Setting a new standard by developing healthier, nutrient-dense alternatives through efficient thermo-mechanical techniques that utilize only plant proteins and healthy lipids. Redefining nutritional benchmarks throughout the industry.

“What was once deemed impossible now ignites a new era for the alternative protein industry, thrusting plant proteins to the forefront of revolutionizing health solutions across countless food categories” accounts Marc Coloma.

Heura’s mission is to contribute to build a net positive food system and accelerate the protein transition. This technology will not only drive Heura’s product innovations but also empower other food companies through technology licensing. The goal is to enable the production of foods that address global health challenges, while preserving the taste and convenience consumers desire.

“These new technologies are set to transform current food production methods, but their real power lies in scaling efficiently and adapting to regional consumer preferences. That’s why we’re forging partnerships with industry leaders to accelerate a change that no one can drive alone.” Coloma concludes.

 

About Heura Foods Technologies

Heura Foods is a 100% plant- based food tech startup founded by activists in Barcelona. The company is dedicated to creating solutions that address the shortcomings of the current food system, promoting habits that positively impact human health, animals, and the planet.

Heura uses a unique scientific approach called process controlled microstructure design to develop proprietary technologies using plant proteins and healthy lipids.

By controlling ingredient interactions, the microstructure of the products is designed to deliver targeted functionalities and sensory attributes. The focus has been on developing new scientific knowledge on plant proteins and the ability to generate a wide range of high-protein, with no compromises on taste & sensor this approach.

The technologies are based on physical techniques (e.g. hydration, mixing, heating, cooling, with no chemical modifications) that can be scaled in a cost-effective manner.

This is an innovative approach versus current narratives saying that the food industry challenges will be solved through ingredients (e.g. biomimicking animal proteins). Heura is looking at the science of the product by designing the interactions between the ingredients rather than focusing on new extraction or modification methods for making functional ingredients. Already a market leader in Spain, Heura is expanding its presence in Europe and beyond.

 

Contact Information:

Anna Monreal Public Relations, Heura Foods

anna.monreal@heurafoods.com

Phone: +34 620 46 06 62