Puratos has crowned BCD Bioscience as the winner of its Innovation Challenge: Technology Enabled Solutions to Enhance Gut Health competition.
The bakery ingredients giant announced the sustainable, fibre-focused start-up as the victor at the Future Food-Tech Summit in London. The contest was set up to find innovators developing solutions to modulate the gut microbiome and unlock benefits for physical and mental wellbeing.
Alongside fellow finalists Kaffe Bueno and FitBiomics, BCD Bioscience pitched its innovative grain-based fibre solution to Puratos judges and a summit audience of global food brands, corporates, start-ups, and investors at the two-day event.
BCD Bioscience, which works towards the development of new bioactive functional fibres from a variety of food sources and by-products, presented its barley beta-glucan product aimed at the bakery sector. The upcycled ingredient has been formulated to provide fibre without compromising taste, and consequently improve public health outcomes. After impressing the judging panel, the US-based start-up was revealed as winner by Puratos live on stage at the event.
“At Puratos, we have a strong belief in connecting the art of baking with the science of gut health and are dedicated to investing in the discovery of solutions that improve human health and nutrition, in a sustainable way,” said Paul Baisier, group chief R&D officer at Puratos.
“BCD Bioscience has huge potential and fits perfectly with Puratos’ core objective of food innovation for good. We look forward to helping them to optimise the nutritional aspect of baked goods, without compromising on taste and texture, through functional and technology driven solutions,” Baisier added.
As part of the winner’s prize, BCD Bioscience will be invited to pitch to Sparkalis, Puratos’ food-tech venture arm. The start-up will also benefit from senior leadership coaching during a minimum two-day internship at Puratos, and access to the ingredient supplier’s R&D capabilities and resources, including sessions at Puratos’ innovation centre at its headquarters in Belgium.
“This is a huge accolade for the BCD team and important validation of our vision and ambition, as well as our technology, said Matt Amicucci, co-founder VP of R&D at California-based BCD Bioscience.
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