Published in the latest edition of the Encyclopedia of Agriculture and Food Systems, the article “Emerging Technological Advances and Startup Initiatives in the Fat Industry” is authored by Giulia Cestonaro, Francesca Turetta, Alex Menardi, Enrico Costanzo (Cereal Docks), Matteo Leonardi (Grey Silo Ventures), and Prof. Giorgia Spigno (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – DiSTAS).
The article provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the latest technological innovations in the field of alternative fats for the food industry, with a particular focus on the role of startups leading this transformation.
Its goal is to explore emerging solutions as sustainable and technologically advanced alternatives to tropical vegetable fats—such as palm and coconut oils—and animal fats, particularly butter.
The publication delves into the state of the art of key emerging technologies: from oleosome extraction to biomass fermentation, from precision fermentation to carbon-capture-based fermentation, as well as oleogelation and cellular agriculture.
For each technology, the article evaluates scalability, expected time to market, consumer acceptance, and regulatory implications, identifying the most promising areas for industrial application.
Three main innovation opportunities are highlighted as the most strategic:
The article also includes a historical overview of fat usage, an analysis of the sector’s main technological needs, and a detailed classification of active startups based on the technologies used and their stage of development.
Cereal Docks’ participation in this prestigious editorial project underscores the Group’s strong commitment to sustainable research and innovation in the agri-food sector.
