The search for more responsible use of natural resources, alternative solutions to (hyper)consumption of food, and ways and methods of reducing waste production inspired participants in the “Io ci credo”(I Believe) call, organized by In Cibum Lab, an incubator of projects in the foodtech field.

We met some of the featured companies.

Dismeatable

As the demand for vegan and cruelty-free products increases, the market for plant-based meats is also growing. Targeting this segment of the market, and those who want to embark on a more sustainable diet without sacrificing a gourmet experience, is Dismeatable, one of the two startups that won the call.

Pamela Adediwura, future co-founder, along with lawyer Adebowale Adediwura and Dawe Carlo Bale of the Venetian startup, and the only black woman in the competition, comments, "For us, it's critical to use plant-based products and techniques that are already known to create products that resemble animal foods."

She continues, "But before that, for us the innovation lies in reframing the 'plant-based foods-taste' association because what we want to do is to create a taste experience that is on par with eating animal products. As for the product itself, we want to bring products to the market that have not yet been explored. Therefore, if we cannot call it caviar exactly, we are, however, developing something that really resembles caviar just as we are working on a substitute product for French tartare and a vegetable-like slaw.

So for us, innovating means using plant-based products to create foods that can be substitutes for those of animal origin and at the same time promote that taste experience that animal-derived products have. Not only is the market asking us to do this, but it is also a way to bring more and more people closer to a plant-based diet, meaning by diet not a strict dietary program where you give up taste, but a style of eating that allows you to eat in a way that is certainly healthy and balanced and above all without giving up pleasure. We are also working to create a supply chain that is as sustainable as possible."

Nous Energy

Ex-aequo prize for Nous Energy, a biotech startup that develops ingredients for the food, beverage and nutraceutical sectors and has patented Mindave: an active ingredient, of natural origin, that has the stimulating properties of caffeine, such as increasing the ability to concentrate and energy, without the side effects associated with caffeine consumption such as anxiety and gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disorders.

"We have patented an innovative product and the process, which is very specific, that, together with the raw materials, allows this ingredient to be made," Lorenzo Pessini, CEO of the Piedmont-based startup, explains.

"An active ingredient that, compared to competitor products, is almost tasteless, so it has the advantage of not masking the taste of the foods in which it can be used, has faster assimilation times, and is produced in an environmentally sustainable way: compared to coffee production, it allows for a 30 percent reduction in CO2 emissions, less deforestation (-30 percent), and a 40 percent saving in water consumption. The startup's goal is to reach zero waste in 2027."

"If, as statistics say, about seven hundred million people should not take caffeine due to their health conditions, it is easy to see the potential applicability of our ingredient," Pessini comments.

Vitigna

The circular economy is also imprinted with one of the projects that received a special mention in the In Cibum Lab competition. It is the project developed by startup Vitigna, which created a superfood by reusing waste from wine processing. Taking advantage of the properties in which the marc is rich, namely the high concentration of fiber, protein, omega 6 and polyphenols, and the absence of gluten, a flour is made, which is excellent for producing gluten-free cookies, suitable for diabetics and those with hypercholesterolemia.

ANostra

The autonomous driving revolution applied to agriculture to improve the quality of life and work of farmers, to also make work in the fields more inclusive and define the figure of the farmer of the future. This is the interesting project of startup ANostra, which also received a special mention for its automated solutions for optimizing work and processes through the use of AI: a farm management app to organize work and supervise the operation of the fleet of automated tractors.