Pulmuone Collaborates with Startups to Develop Plant-Based Meat Alternatives and AI-Driven Food Products

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Pulmuone announced on the 1st that it is recruiting startup companies to promote the development of plant-based alternative meat and sustainable food products using artificial intelligence, in collaboration with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development.

As part of win-win cooperation, Pulmuone participated as a large enterprise demand company in the ‘Dae-Star (Large Enterprise-Startup) Problem Solver Platform’ project hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. This initiative aims to promote win-win cooperation by solving challenges together with startups while complementing their capabilities.

In this Dae-Star Problem Solver Platform project, Pulmuone issued challenges in the fields of ‘ESG Management (Environment)’ and ‘4th Industry (Artificial Intelligence)’ and, after final review, selected a total of two tasks to be addressed together with startups. In the ESG field, Pulmuone will work with startups on the development of plant-based textured protein (TVP), which serves as the material for plant-based alternative meat. The core of this task is to develop wet plant-based textured protein with a moist texture to provide a meat-like mouthfeel. By solving this challenge, it is expected to overcome the drawbacks of the existing dry plant-based textured protein, which is dry like flour, and develop plant-based alternative meat products with quality more similar to meat.

In the 4th Industry field, Pulmuone will collaborate with startups on a project to develop general food (sauce) products using artificial intelligence (AI). The key to this task is to build an AI new product development model that can suggest optimal recipes and mixing ratios when developing new sauce products. Using the AI new product development model developed with startups, Pulmuone plans to develop global Korean sauces utilizing AI-suggested sauces and apply this technology to various categories beyond sauces in the future. Both tasks will be mentored and evaluated mainly by Pulmuone’s R&D Center, Pulmuone Technology Institute, to discover outstanding startups.

Startups interested in participating in these tasks can apply until the 11th of next month. The Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development will evaluate and decide whether to proceed with the project. Selected startups will receive follow-up support through the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, including commercialization funds (up to 100 million KRW), technology development costs (up to 300 million KRW), and preferential treatment for technology special guarantee.

Lee Jeong-eon, Head of Pulmuone’s Win-Win Growth Promotion Office, said, “Through the Dae-Star Problem Solver Platform, we aim to discover excellent startups and provide the experience we possess.” He added, “Pulmuone will lead a culture of win-win growth that creates both economic and social value.”