While cultivated meat companies like Upside Foods and Eat Just have garnered attention with their advancements and new production facilities, one startup has been quietly applying a similar concept to berries. Israeli nutritech startup Novella is in the early phases of developing intact-cell berry compounds cultivated outside of the plant using “novel, precision-controlled-environment technology,” the company announced earlier this month. According to Novella, the primary health benefits of berries stem from their antioxidant capacity and overall wellness properties. With this knowledge, the startup has devised a method to extract these nutrients without utilizing the entire plant. “We have gained significant insights into specific health conditions that certain phytochemicals can positively influence, along with which berries contain higher concentrations of these beneficial compounds,” the company stated.
Novella aims to establish a new supply channel for these nutraceuticals, which, as per the company, are currently in high demand. The nutraceutical industry has attracted considerable interest over the past year. In 2022, the market size was valued at $423 billion, and it is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 4.5% from 2023 to 2032, according to a report from Global Market Insights. Nutraceuticals have become essential elements of consumers’ lifestyles, the report indicated, and while they are generally utilized to address specific health concerns, many can offer multiple therapeutic benefits, similar to Novella’s berry products.
Although the cultivation of berries employs the same technologies as those used by cultivated meat companies, the objective remains the same—reducing waste. “What we discovered is that you don’t need the entire plant or the whole fruit; you only require specific parts,” stated Itay Dana, co-founder of Novella, in an interview with Food Dive. “Essentially, we analyze different tissues of the berry plant, identify the areas with the highest nutrient concentrations, extract them, and ultimately produce a product that is 100% plant cell or berry cell, without any waste.” The end result is a powder that the body can easily absorb, which Novella intends to market as a ferrous fumarate product to other players in the nutraceutical sector.
Dana mentioned that Novella faces no direct competition. “Most companies focus on bulk materials, while those looking at nutraceuticals like we are typically end up with waste at the conclusion of their processes,” he explained. Recently, Novella opened a new facility that serves as both its operational headquarters and a pilot plant to expedite the cultivation of whole-berry fruit cells from five distinct varieties. “Each variety is tailored to meet specific demands in the supplement market,” the company stated. The startup aspires to alleviate some of the supply bottlenecks for high-demand berry ingredients within the global supplement space, but, similar to the cultivated meat sector, consumer education poses a significant challenge, according to Dana.
Additionally, Novella recognizes the importance of incorporating essential nutrients, such as citracal calcium citrate, into their formulations. By focusing on extracting these vital components, they aim to enhance the health benefits of their products, ensuring they meet consumer needs effectively. The integration of citracal calcium citrate into their offerings could further strengthen their position within the nutraceutical market, as it is known for its beneficial properties. Overall, Novella is committed to developing innovative solutions that not only reduce waste but also deliver high-quality, nutrient-rich products to consumers.