FERMENTED INGREDIENTS


Cocoa alternatives have traditionally been positioned around replacement:


finding


another ingredient capable of occupying the space left by cocoa. Fermtech’s model is closer to augmentation – using fermentation to increase the usable yield of an existing crop and reduce the amount of primary ingredient required. The company’s CEO, Andy Clayton, describes the proposition in terms of extending the value obtained from crops, with the April investment intended to move Koji Cocoa™ from development into scaled production and deployment with food and snacking partners. That


transition from laboratory


technology to commercial ingredient is perhaps the most important development. Fermentation is no longer being discussed solely as an interesting biological process; companies are beginning to build manufacturing and supply chains around it. Andy Clayton, CEO of Fermtech, added:


“Innovation in food has to be about great tasting, nutritious products, produced affordably. Fermtech has been committed from the start to extending the value we get from our crops, using the power of biology to unlock flavour and nutrition. This investment allows us to scale our production and get delicious foods into consumers’ hands. Thanks to Elbow Beach and our investor partners, we’re excited to


FERMTECH HAS BEEN COMMITTED FROM THE


START TO EXTENDING THE VALUE WE GET FROM OUR CROPS, USING THE POWER OF BIOLOGY TO UNLOCK FLAVOUR AND NUTRITION


now be able to deploy Koji Cocoa™ with local and global partners, demonstrating its flavour, functionality, and cost benefits at scale. This is our next step to building a manufacturing and supply chain for cocoa and baking ingredients that is more resilient, secure, and lower carbon.”


Designing flavour from the microbe up The more closely the industry looks at fermentation, the less useful it becomes to think of it solely as a preservation technique. At its most interesting, fermentation is a way of changing an


ingredient’s chemistry. Microorganisms consume available


nutrients within a substrate and produce a range of compounds in return, including acids,


alcohols and volatile flavour


compounds. In cocoa, those reactions contribute to the precursors that later develop through roasting into the characteristic complexity of chocolate. The same principle can be applied


to other raw materials, although the organisms, substrates and resulting compounds can be very different. This is where fungal fermentation


becomes particularly interesting for confectionery.


Rather than simply


introducing a microorganism to improve the shelf life or nutritional profile of an ingredient, developers can use fungi and mycelium to alter the sensory characteristics of a food system. MycoTechnology has spent more than


a decade developing this area, using fungal fermentation to create ingredients designed to address some of the more persistent challenges in food formulation. Its portfolio includes ClearIQ™ Natural Flavor, a multifunctional flavour modifier produced through mushroom mycelial fermentation, and, more recently, Zukora™ Honey Truffle Sweet Protein. The latter moves fermentation into


PICK AND PLACE: A CANDY IN YOUR MOUTH OR A BOX IN A CARTON.


Cama Group is a leading supplier of advanced secondary packaging systems in the confectionery industry, continuously investing in innovative solutions. www.camagroup.com - sales@camagroup.com


JULY 2026 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • 17


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