According to this year’s report by specialist consultancy DigitalFoodLab, in 2020, start-ups in the food tech sector attracted a remarkable 2.7billion Euros in investment, which serves to finance projects as diverse as insect farms and the production of lab-grown meat.

Much of this money will be used for processing which is set to increase by 245%. And that is a sure sign that a host of surprising products will soon be making their way to the general market.

Here is a quick look at some of the remarkable innovations, which could soon be commonplace in our fridges and on our plates.

Worms, anyone?

French company Ynsect has found success farming mealworms, the larval form of the poetically named Tenebrio Molitor, a species of darkling beetle. The company recently obtained a favorable decision from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for a human food product. The new innovation, which will not contain whole bugs but flour produced from the insects, will target the health-food and sports markets.

Sushi

The Chicago-based start-up, Aqua Culture Food, is offering plant-based seafood that is virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. The company makes use of microbial fermentation for an authentic fishy flavor. In the short term, the start-up is planning to target the fast-food restaurant market.

Fauxmage for everyone

Cheese eaters may soon be tucking in to fauxmages, which as the name suggests, provide a high-end alternative to traditional dairy products. One of the leading brands in this emergent market, The Fauxmagerie, has succeeded in developing a host of delicious new products using cashew nuts, probiotics and traditional fermentation techniques.

Lab-grown burgers

To create this innovation, a Dutch company, Mosa Meat, has developed a process involving the sampling of peppercorn-sized clusters of bovine muscle cells, which are then nurtured in a laboratory. However, consumers who are eager to test out this innovation will have to wait for the outcome of a Food Safety Authority decision, which is expected in 2022.