IFT First 2025: Future-Proofing Food with Sustainable Ingredients

(image: Frank Jaksch, Ayana Bio CEO, featured on the Taste of Science stage at the 2025 IFT First Expo)

Start-Up Innovation at IFT First: Exploring Sustainable and Bioactive Ingredients

As demand for clean-label, functional, and climate-smart foods grows, the 2025 IFT First expo made it clear: the future of food depends on sustainable ingredients that break from convention. In a world reshaped by the rise of GLP-1s like Ozempic and heightened scrutiny of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), the spotlight is shifting to nutrient-dense and waste-reducing solutions.

While many exhibitors tackled large industry challenges—such as sugar reduction, boosting fiber, increasing plant protein, and replacing artificial colors—the Start-Up Pavilion showcased truly novel and sustainable ingredient solutions that push food innovation forward. Ayana Bio was proud to join this bold cohort of companies reimagining what’s possible with bioactive ingredients.

Upcycled Ingredients for a Circular Food System

1. Compound Foods – Cocoa-Free Cocoa and Beanless Coffee

Compound Foods creates sustainable alternatives to cocoa and coffee using upcycled agricultural waste. Their biotech-driven platform delivers consistent, scalable, and climate-resilient ingredients that reduce the environmental impact of traditional supply chains.

2. Crush Dynamics – Grape-Derived Upcycled Ingredients

Crush Dynamics upcycles wine industry waste into powders and purees that enhance sweetness, mask bitterness, improve texture, and reduce sodium. These sustainable ingredients offer a cost-effective alternative to monk fruit extract or synthetic flavors.

3. Symbio BioCulinary – Koji-Powered Waste Transformation

By applying koji fermentation to food waste like cocoa husks and dough trimmings, Symbio creates fiber- and antioxidant-rich, sustainable ingredients including rare sugars, amino acids, and clean-label functional compounds.

Fermentation Unlocks New Functional Ingredients

4. Amalthea Bio – Precision Fermentation for Bioactives

Amalthea Bio uses precision fermentation to produce high-value bioactive ingredients such as astaxanthin, beta-carotene, and zeaxanthin. Their MIT-patented tech provides a more sustainable, scalable, and cost-efficient alternative to traditional extraction.

5. Arborea – Biosolar Leaf™ for Protein and Functional Ingredients

Arborea grows photosynthetic microalgae with CO₂ and sunlight via its “Biosolar Leaf™.” The result: climate-positive, sustainable ingredients like NoVo Protein™, Ultra Pure Spirulina, and Pure Blue that also sequester carbon.

6. Meala Foods – Functional Protein Systems

Meala’s “functionally activated proteins” use fermentation to deliver gelling, binding, and emulsifying properties to plant-based products. These bioactive ingredients are clean-label and backed by DSM-Firmenich for commercialization.

Ag Innovation Reimagines Sustainable Nutrition

7. Plantible – Rubi Protein™ from Duckweed

Plantible extracts Rubisco—an abundant, complete protein—from duckweed to create Rubi Protein™, a neutral-tasting, sustainable ingredient that can replace egg whites, casein, and other functional proteins.

8. RedLeaf Biologics – Bioactive Sorghum Extracts

RedLeaf cultivates a unique non-GMO sorghum rich in polyphenols and flavonoids like quercetin. These bioactive ingredients support immunity and healthy inflammation for food, supplement, and beauty applications.

9. VelozBio – Animal-Free Caseins and Pea Proteins

VelozBio’s plant-based caseins and sprouted pea isolates are clean-label, allergen-friendly, and highly functional. Their sustainable ingredients are ideal for dairy-free cheese and protein-enhanced foods.

10. NuCicer – High-Protein Chickpeas

NuCicer has developed chickpea protein concentrates from non-GMO heirloom varieties. Compared to conventional concentrates, their proteins are richer in fiber and fat, lower in cost, and cleaner processed—ideal for scaling more sustainable ingredients.

Enhanced Delivery and Processing of Bioactive Ingredients

11. Infusd – Water-Soluble Nutrition

Infusd improves the solubility and bioavailability of fat-soluble nutrients using natural stabilizers and physical processing. These bioactive ingredients enhance taste, shelf-life, and payload capacity in functional beverages and supplements.

12. GW Nutrition – CleanSense™ Ingredient Neutralization

GW Nutrition’s CleanSense™ UV light system reduces off-flavors, colors, and odors—without chemicals—while lowering microbial loads. The result? Cleaner, safer sustainable ingredients that meet sensory and safety demands.

Ayana Bio: Leading with Plant Cell Culture

Ayana Bio spotlighted Sage 20% PCA, a breakthrough ingredient for natural food preservation. Standardized to 20% rosmarinic acid and produced through plant cell cultivation, this botanical antioxidant offers a clean-label alternative to synthetic preservatives like BHA/BHT—delivering consistency, scalability, and high bioactive content. Backed by our proprietary Plant Cell Advantage™ (PCA) platform, Sage 20% PCA supports both food safety and shelf-life while reducing reliance on agricultural inputs and supply chain variability. Learn more about the Plant Cell Advantage™ platform at www.plantcelladvantage.com.

Why It Matters

At Ayana Bio, we believe that the path to a healthier, more resilient food system runs through sustainable ingredients that nourish people and the planet. The innovations showcased at IFT First 2025 demonstrate that a wave of purpose-driven start-ups is redefining what’s possible through bioactive ingredients.

Whether it’s enhancing health, improving functionality, or reducing environmental impact, these companies are shaping the next generation of food.

We’re proud to stand alongside them in building a better future—from cell to shelf.