Based in Boston Motif Foodworks has announced that it has launched its second food technology ingredient, Appetex™, for large-scale commercial distribution. Described as a “breakthrough” ingredient, Appetex is said to enhance the texture of plant-based foods through the unique springiness and juicy chewiness found in animal meat products.
To enable consumers to taste the benefits of APPETEX, Motif will offer customers its first manufactured product, Motif BeefWorks™ plant-based burger patties, starting in April.
“Apetex provides an important ingredient solution for consumers to adopt plant-based meat alternatives”
According to Motif, Apatex (a portmanteau of “appetite” and “texture”) is an edible plant-based hydrogel capable of recreating bites associated with animal connective tissue. While plant-based proteins such as texturized soy or pea proteins can mimic the fibrous structure of meat, Motif says, these ingredients fall short of creating a springy “chewdown” sensation.
The company notes that texture is often cited as a top barrier to consumer acceptance of plant-based foods and meat alternatives, and therefore APPETEX offers “game-changing” solutions to achieve better texture quality.
To showcase the ingredient, Motif created a showcase plant-based burger to let Appetex verify how™ A diet takes place in the formation. A survey found that 63% of people prefer Motif Burgers with APPETEX over other market-leading plant-based burgers, the company says.
Development Associate
APPETEX is developed in partnership with the open innovation platform Rhizome Network. Motif says it uses a combination of plant proteins and carbohydrates to advance materials science and replicate the texture of animal connective tissue.
“As an innovation partner, Rhizome Network and its global innovators are pleased to contribute to the commercial launch and distribution of Aptex.“, said Edward Jung, CEO of Rhizome Networks. “From development to providing technical insights, solutions and prototype samples, to helping Motif launch and commercialize in less than two years, we are committed to providing them with the opportunity to work closely with scientists and Thanks to the Motif team for being the model. Clients for Open Innovation.”
Motif’s other plant-based innovations include HEMAMI and a realistic dairy-free cheese The company conducted experiments in Florida last year. The organization too Partnered with ag tech companies Ingredientworks To explore the production of plant-based heme ingredients from corn.
In April, customers will be able to purchase a 4-pack of Motif Beefworks™ Plant-Based Burger Patties, made with both Hemami and Aptex. A waiting list can be found at this link.
“Critical Material Solution”
“We are excited to bring Aptex to market,” said Michael Leonard, CEO of Motif Foodworks. “Our team continues to innovatively enhance the consumer experience of plant-based foods. Textures have been a major obstacle to that experience. APPETEX provides an important ingredient solution to help consumers adopt plant-based meat alternatives. We look forward to delivering even better bites as we create the next generation of food.”