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- Background
- What we're looking for
- What we can offer you
- Who we are
- Q&A
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Get them answered by the team at Kraft Heinz.
Background
Some of the common preservatives used in food are sorbic acid, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate. While these preservatives are considered safe for use, some consumers prefer to avoid food containing synthetic additives.
Therefore, there has been a rising consumer demand and a business need for natural & cleaner ingredients in foods, especially in the preservation space, to inhibit spoilage and prolong shelf life.
What we're looking for
We are looking for natural ingredients and technologies that can replace artificial preservative ingredients in foods to inhibit spoilage microorganisms like molds and yeasts including the acid-tolerant yeast Zygosaccharomyces bailii.
Solutions of interest include:
- Organic acids
- Fermentation byproducts (like cultured sugars)
- Postbiotics
- Process control
- Live cultures that have antifungal/anti-yeast activity
- Antifungal peptides
- Plant-derived/extracts
Our must-have requirements are:
- Effective against yeast (including acid-tolerant yeast) and/or mold.
- Achieve yeast/mold kill of at least 2 to 3 log-reduction over time.
- Ability to scale-up (for processes & products) for industrial application.
- Suitable for food application.
Our nice-to-have's are:
- The ingredient shall have minimal impact on organoleptic attributes of the food product.
- Ingredient stability for a wide range of pH and temperature (heat stability)
- Regulatory approval or plan for regulatory approval in USA and Canada (or other countries with pathway to approval in USA and Canada)
What's out of scope:
- Methods or technologies not feasible for scale-up for industrial applications
- Synthetic additives, such as sorbic acid, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate
Acceptable technology readiness levels (TRL):
Levels 3-9
What we can offer you
Eligible partnership models:
Sponsored research
Benefits:
Sponsored Research
Funding is proposal-dependent starting with proof-of-concept, typically ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 for a 6-month length project with the potential for expansion based on results and opportunities.Who we are
We are driving transformation at The Kraft Heinz Company, inspired by our Purpose, Let's Make Life Delicious. Consumers are at the center of everything we do. With 2021 net sales of approximately $26 billion, we are committed to growing our iconic and emerging food and beverage brands on a global scale. We leverage our scale and agility to unleash the full power of Kraft Heinz across a portfolio of six consumer-driven product platforms. As global citizens, we're dedicated to making a sustainable, ethical impact while helping feed the world in healthy, responsible ways. Learn more about our journey by visiting www.kraftheinzcompany.com or following us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Learn moreReviewers
AD
Aiswariya Deliephan
Senior Scientist
MS
Mirjam Spreeuwenberg
R&D Technology Lead
MR
Maxine Roman
Lead, Innovation Collaboration & Partnerships
Q&A with Kraft Heinz
The Q&A is now closed.
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Q.
I see in the responses to other questions below the discovery of new preservatives is of interest, however the TRL scale indicates experimental results are the earliest point to engage. Can you please clarify?
JH
February 5, 2024
4
A.
Hi Jasmin,
Thank you for your question. We are looking for commercially-available/fully scaled-up preservatives as well as discover new preservatives that have the potential to scale up. As long as we can see a potential for scale up for experimental results in preservative discovery projects we are interested. I hope this answers your question, if you need any further clarification please feel free to reach out anytime.
Thanks,
Aiswariya.
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Aiswariya Deliephan, Senior Scientist, Kraft Heinz
February 15, 2024
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0
0
Q.
Are SME's / companies eligible for this RFP? Or just academic researchers?
1
A.
Hi Joshua,
Thanks for reaching out. SME's/companies as well as academic researchers are all eligible for this RFP.
Regards,
Aiswariya.
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Aiswariya Deliephan, Senior Scientist, Kraft Heinz
January 17, 2024
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0
0
Q.
Live cultures that have antifungal/anti-yeast activity. Are bacteria with strong antifungal properties (volatiles or metabolites) of interest for further identification of compounds and potential for application?
1
A.
Hi Bart,
Thank you for your question. Yes, absolutely - bacterial metabolites or volatiles are of interest for potential application as antimicrobials.
AD
Aiswariya Deliephan, Senior Scientist, Kraft Heinz
February 15, 2024
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0
0
Q.
Hello Kraft/Heinz Team,
Are you looking for us to discover a new preservatives? Or are you willing to work with a commercially available preservatives? And do you have a specific product in mind as well?
Ann
AV
January 5, 2024
1
A.
Hi Ann,
Thank you for your questions. We are looking for commercially available preservatives as well as discover new preservatives that have the potential to scale up. Currently we do not have any specific product in mind; we prefer the technologies/categories mentioned under 'solutions of interest' in the proposal.
Aiswariya.
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Aiswariya Deliephan, Senior Scientist, Kraft Heinz
January 9, 2024
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0
0
Q.
Could you please explain more about the expectation for the level of detail for proposals based on the "basic principles observed" and the "concept development", which are the requested technology readiness levels?
1
A.
Hi Gloria,
Thank you for your question. The requested technology readiness levels are 3-9 i.e. experimental proof of concept (number 3) at the minimum, up to product in market (number 9). TRL-3 means that we prefer some experimental evidence to support the antimicrobial/antifungal efficacy of the proposed ingredient. I hope this answers your question.
Regards,
Aiswariya.
AD
Aiswariya Deliephan, Senior Scientist, Kraft Heinz
February 27, 2024
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0
0
Q.
Hi: I have several bacterial strains that inhibit filamentous fungi; but they have not yet been tested for achieving the target yeast/mold kill over time. Is that enough work done to submit to this rfp?
1
A.
Hi Bruce,
Thank you for checking with us. Have the bacterial strains been tested on a lab scale against any spoilage yeasts or molds? We are primarily interested in food spoilage yeasts and molds, including acid tolerant yeasts. We would prefer some evidence in the RFP, preferably lab scale antimicrobial assays or if not, other literature evidence supporting that the bacterial strains have antifungal/antimicrobial effect against food spoilage molds and/or yeasts.
Regards,
Aiswariya.
AD
Aiswariya Deliephan, Senior Scientist, Kraft Heinz
February 26, 2024
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0
0
Q.
Could you outline the time line of this process? If a competitive proposal is submitted, what is the soonest date it could be funded?
1
A.
Hi Gloria,
Thank you for your question. We will notify within one month after the closing of the requests for proposals if it is under consideration for funding and then set up a call to review and outline next steps with those proposals being considered. Timing of funding is dependent on contract negotiations that take place outside of the Halo platform. I hope this answers your question.
Regards,
Aiswariya.
AD
Aiswariya Deliephan, Senior Scientist, Kraft Heinz
February 26, 2024
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