Wide Open Agriculture (WOA) announced that it is moving forward in identifying a large-scale manufacturing plant for the production of buntine protein, a key ingredient in a variety of food applications.
WOA is convinced that business development initiatives will validate the need for buntine protein as a food additive, which will support the current site selection work for commercial-scale manufacture, the company said in an ASX announcement.
CEO Jay Albany and executive director Dr Ben Cole said they have expanded the database of potential clients to over 100 businesses over the past two months, including ingredient wholesalers, plant-based dairy, baked goods (biscuits and noodles), and the market for protein supplements.
Over the course of the quarter, Albany said the company had made excellent progress in creating a variety of applications that highlight the adaptability, flavour, and functionality of buntine protein.
“This is a key signal to the food industry that Buntine Protein® is ready for use in the commercial development of a wide array of foods,” noted the CEO.
He added that production at WOA’s innovation centre and pilot plant in Kewdale, WA, has been steadily improving and is now generating the finest quality product since its beginnings.
Albany further detailed that buntine protein provides food makers with unique features such as high levels of solubility, gelation, and emulsification, as well as the greatest sustainability story in the segment.
Since the optimisation of the Kewdale innovation centre and pilot plant, samples have been delivered to 14 high-quality prospects.
These prospects are businesses with at least an eight-digit annual turnover that have expressed interest in buntine protein for examination for a particular application.
A total of 24 high-value prospects in the protein supplement, alternative dairy, baked goods, and plant-based meat industries with locations in North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia have received more than 79 product prototypes.
The company said it remains positive and committed to its stated ambition to confirm additional offtake partners by the end of this financial year.
