Supplier News

Ajinomoto announces winners of NGT3 competition

Ten finalists were invited to the in-person event and 6 pitched to a judging panel.

On February 5, Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc. (AHN) hosted its inaugural pitch competition, Next Generation Taste & Texture Technologies (NGT3), awarding $30,000 in cash prizes to start-up companies, along with exclusive access to their team of experts for the first-place winner.

At the end of 2024, AHN put out a call to entrepreneurs developing new functional proteins, new flavor compounds, enzyme systems, and next generation sweeteners. From that outreach, more than two dozen applications were submitted from across the globe, and 10 finalists were invited to the in-person event at AHN’s corporate headquarters outside of Chicago. Ultimately, six finalists pitched their innovations to a panel of five esteemed judges across the food and beverage industry.

The competition format was a five-minute presentation, followed by two minutes where judges could ask questions. Judges scored each finalist on a scale from one to 10 in categories that included originality, profitability, and scalability.

“Our NGT3 competition was an opportunity to showcase the way we approach innovation at Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition and provide a forum for industry experts to consider future solutions,” says Ryan Smith, chief growth officer and EVP. “Collaboration and curiosity are key elements of that. The finalists, panel of judges, and guests each brought a unique perspective, but with a collective desire to elevate the food and beverage industry. This mirrors our vision for innovation as an organization and made this event something to be proud of.”

Following the pitches, scorecards were collected and tabulated, naming three winners.

Cellibre, which transforms cells into specialized, sustainable factories for large-scale production of essential products, received a $5,000 monetary prize for their third-place finish.

In second place, The Protein Brewery was awarded $10,000 for their use of innovative fermentation technologies to produce plant-based, highly nutritious food ingredients.

First place went to Melibio. MeliBio uses plant science and precision fermentation to produce honey and other bee products without bees. They partner with food, beverage, and cosmetics companies to offer B2B solutions that benefit both humans and bees. Their first product, Mellody plant-based honey, is now available nationwide.

“On behalf of everyone at MeliBio, I’d like to thank Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition North America for the opportunity to participate in NGT3, and even more so for what our first-place win will mean for us,” says Darko Mandich, CEO and co-founder of MeliBio. “We’re obviously excited about the monetary prize, but we are especially looking forward to the mentorship from AHN that is included in the winning prize. That will be invaluable as we continue to grow.”

In addition to the three winners, the other finalists were:

Alcheme Bio, who uses advanced sensory analytics and enzymes to infuse robust, natural flavors into plant-based, precision-fermented, and cultivated foods. Their proprietary Cellular Flavoring platform enhances taste profiles and significantly reduces costs for alternative proteins.
Equii enhances flour, one of the most common food ingredients, by boosting its protein content by 20-30% and including all 9 essential amino acids. Their fermentation technology creates high-quality, flour-like proteins, improving nutritional value without compromising taste or texture. Their products include bread, pasta, and baking mixes and are available across the US in retail and foodservice.
Tasteomics aims to improve human nutrition through taste innovation. They developed Peakaroma, the world’s first modulator of the kokumi receptor, unlocking new dimensions in sensory experiences.

Guests of the event included Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition colleagues from around the world, along with representatives from numerous food and beverage companies in the Chicago area.