1. Faculty of Environment
  2. School of Food Science and Nutrition
  3. Research and innovation
  4. Research projects
  5. Plant-based egg

Research project

Plant-based egg

  • Start date: 5 July 2021
  • End date: 4 January 2023
  • Funder: Innovate UK
  • Value: £220,424
  • Partners and collaborators: University of Leeds and Plant Meat Ltd (THIS)
  • Primary investigator: Professor Brent S. Murray
  • Co-investigators: Dr. Alan Javier Hernandez Alvarez
  • External co-investigators: Luke Byrne (Plant Meat Ltd THIS)
  • Postgraduate students: Dr Nur Liyana Sulaiman

Partners:

This logo

 

The KTP is a partnership project between the academic, University of Leeds and the company, Plant Meat Limited (THIS) and is aimed to transfer the knowledge between the academic and the company.

The growth in the plant-based food sector has largely been driven by the mainstream emergences of the flexitarian consumers as well as increased numbers of vegetarians and vegans due to ethical, environmental and health concerns.

Through this KTP, it is aimed to accelerate the company’s knowledge of the science needed to put them at the forefront of plant-based protein product innovation. The partnership will strategically empower the company with more hard, scientific, technical skills that will enable the company to develop more plant-based products in the future. Successful knowledge transfer will help bridging the knowledge gap in food science broadly in particular food chemistry, novel protein and functionality which is vital in the next stage of the innovation using alternative proteins for different applications.

The transfer of knowledge from the plant-based food sector to the University will be used to enrich the University research-led teaching at both BSc and MSc Food Science and Food Science and Biotechnology courses.

The aim of this project is to develop, test and commercialise an innovative plant-based egg product which is nutritionally and functionally comparable to egg for the plant-based and flexitarian market, using potential plant protein ingredients, technologies from food chemistry, plant proteins and value- added food processing.

Impact

  • Securing a potential plant-based egg alternative formulation and a successful launch
  • Improve a wider spectrum of consumers
  • Accelerate the company R&D and break new ground in the plant-based food sector from new procedures, methodologies, and the final product
  • Contribute to the University of Leeds’ excellence in Food Science research through cutting edge innovation
  • Undergraduate and postgraduate student placement at a fast-growing company