• Wide Open Agriculture (WOA) has signed Research Services Agreement worth nearly $55,000 with Perth’s Curtin University to conduct early-stage product development of plant-based food and drinks
• Product development will focus on high-growth categories including vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and non-GMO for items such as milk powder, plant-based meat and gluten-free pasta and noodles
• The research program will take place over eight to ten weeks, led by technology co-founders and global lupin experts based at the university
• Research will provide information on the application of the proprietary lupin protein for WOA’s own Dirty Clean Food’s product range, as well as potential strategic relationships with global food companies
• The Australian market for plant-based protein is projected to be valued at $3 billion by 2030
• Wide Open Agriculture is up 3.40 per cent, trading at 76 cents

Wide Open Agriculture (WOA) has signed Research Services Agreement worth nearly $55,000 with Perth’s Curtin University to conduct early-stage product development of plant-based food and drinks.

Plant-based protein is a key ingredient in consumer food alternatives within the alternative meat, dairy, beverage and egg sectors. These items are becoming increasingly popular in supermarkets globally, with the products said to minimise the impact of climate change, protect animal-welfare and offer potential health benefits.

Following the CSIRO’s successful production of food-grade lupin protein at pilot scale, WOA is now moving into the product development phase, signing the agreement with Curtin.

The agreement focuses on early-stage product development, which will include milk powder, plant-based meat and gluten-free pasta and noodles.

WOA and Curtin University entered into a Licence and Option Agreement on 13 May 2020, valued at $54,672 for an eight-to-ten-week period of engagement.  

The company says this agreement will bring them a step closer towards commercialising the proprietary plant-based lupin protein technology and becoming the cornerstone research used to develop and launch products into multiple plant-based food categories.

Western Australia is currently a leading global exporter of Australian Sweet Lupin, accounting for over 60 per cent of global production. Lupin seed contains high levels of protein and has the benefits of being non-genetically modified, with a low glycaemic index.

Previously, concerns were presented about the texture of lupin and its capacity for gelling and thickening. However, recent breakthroughs from both Curtin University and CSIRO have addressed these issues, allowing WOA to step in as to harness lupin protein in the formulation of plant-based alternative meat, eggs, dairy and gluten-free products.

Curtin’s first task towards formulating food products is understanding how the lupin protein functions as a texturising food ingredient in simple food systems, known as matrices.

These matrices will be vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and non-GMO, with research outcomes aiming to reduce the time required for future product development work and discover how to incorporate them into existing consumer food products.

The effectiveness of the modified lupin protein to form these matrices will be evaluated at laboratory scale, with formulations and methods then forming the basis of consumer product development and sensory evaluation in future phases of product testing.

The global market for plant-based foods was estimated to be valued at US$185 billion (roughly A$242 billion) in 2019 and is forecast to grow by 14 per cent each year, to reach US$40.6 billion (around A$53 billion) by 2025. The Australian market for plant-based protein alone is projected to be valued at A$3 billion by 2030.

Co-founder of Curtin’s lupin technology and prominent agrifood scientist, Dr Stuart Johnson, will serve as a consultant to the company.

Dr Johnson is no stranger to serving up plant-based alternatives, gaining extensive experience and success with the launch of Sanitarium’s gluten free, sorghum-based breakfast cereal, Weetbix.

WOA’s research will test how the lupin protein can be applied to the company’s own Dirty Clean Food’s product range, which distributes regenerative food products across Australia and South-East Asia.

Wide Open Agriculture is up 3.40 per cent, trading at 76 cents at 9:45 am AEDT.