You can’t walk down your grocery’s meat department without noticing them. Plant-based burger patties and other alternative proteins are here and are taking market share.
Alternative protein is any protein source that is not from animals. This includes plant-based proteins, lab-grown meat or “cultivated/cultured meat”, and other non-animal sources of protein.
The popularity surrounding alternative proteins can be attributed to a variety of reasons. Some see it to address the environmental and ethical impacts of animal agriculture. Others are simply curious as to what all the buzz is about.
Alternative proteins are a growing market, and new products come to market daily. And ready-or-not, they are a growing sector of the food industry.
Equipment and Instrumentation for Alternative Proteins Development
For companies involved in alternative proteins development, the testing laboratory is often central to their operation. Scientists are focused on researching and quality testing several factors, including:
- Nutritional content of protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals
- Microbiological safety from harmful bacteria, viruses, and parasites
- Physical properties like texture, flavor, and color
- Chemical composition
To conduct their research properly while staying competitive, food and alternative protein manufacturers often need a rich assortment of analytical instrumentation and specialized lab equipment.
On top of the many large pieces of specialty equipment needed for alternative proteins manufacturing, they must have R&D and quality labs to support their business. Some of the most common pieces of equipment and lab instrumentation include:
- Bioreactors and fermenters
- Centrifuges to separate solids from liquids
- Gas chromatographs to understand the chemical composition
- Mass spectrometers to identify the different elements
- Spectrophotometers and microscopes for non-destructive analysis
- Refrigerators and freezers to safely store food samples at a constant temperature
Financing Lab Equipment for Alternative Proteins Testing
When starting up a company in the alternative proteins industry, ensuring the laboratory has the right equipment to perform the tasks and research needed is critical. The sophisticated nature of analytical instrumentation makes them expensive capital assets.
For start-ups and early-stage companies that are pre-revenue, high upfront costs can be overwhelming to the cash reserves. This can be detrimental to keeping a new business viable in the long run.
Financing and leasing programs are a great path to getting the analytical instrumentation your laboratory needs without the large upfront capital needed. And it starts with working with the right financing partner.
At Bold View Capital, we help scientific start-up companies get the analytical instrumentation they need through financing and leasing programs. Although Bold View Capital’s services are enjoyed by well-established companies, we specialize in helping early stage (seed & series) start-up companies with their equipment financing needs.
Bold Views Capital’s knowledge of science, start-ups and financing has made it a preferred partner for early-stage companies looking to finance scientific instrumentation.
