Equii Takes on GLP-1 Space with High-Protein, High-Fibre Pasta Made from Microbial Fermentation

Californian food tech startup Equii has expanded its microbial protein product range into pasta, with rigatoni and mac and cheese SKUs rich in protein and fibre.

As the GLP-1 craze and America’s fibre deficiency rages on, the food world continues to react with products that fit consumers’ evolving demands.

Equii, known for its complete-protein breads, is now turning its fermented yeast protein flour into pasta. The San Francisco-based startup has introduced boxed rigatoni and mac and cheese that are high in fibre and protein, and play straight into consumer trends for 2024.

A 3,000-person survey by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) this year found that the two nutrients Americans are most interested in consuming are protein (71%) and fibre (64%) – and these figures have increased from the poll’s 2023 edition.

Equii is leaning into this. The rigatoni has 28g of protein (with all nine essential amino acids) and 10g of fibre per 100g, four to five times higher on both fronts than conventional varieties. And the mac and cheese contains 19g of protein and 6g of fibre per 100g, far outperforming Kraft’s market-leading boxed variety.

How Equii makes ‘complete protein’ from microbial fermentation

Equii uses a microbial fermentation process similar to cheese or yoghurt production to turn grains into protein powerhouses. Once added to the grain, the yeast breaks down the starch and sugars to convert them into a protein mass.

The fermentation tanks contain wet microbial and plant biomass, which undergo further processing to refine the proteins and ensure they function as required. Since Equii is fermenting wheat grain, the native protein stays the same, meaning this isn’t a novel protein, but instead a new way of harnessing it.

The company was launched in 2021 and has raised $8M in funding to date. “With the plant-based protein market projected to reach over $40B in the next 10 years, now is the time to continue pushing the envelope with product innovations to disrupt the status quo of pantry staples,” said co-CEO Baljit Ghotra, who founded the startup with co-CEO Monica Bhatia.

While Equii says it wants to disrupt “age-old fermentation methods with modern-day innovation” to make “animal-free products that deliver great taste and complete protein”, it’s worth noting that the mac and cheese isn’t actually vegan, as it contains dairy cheese.

More than nine in 10 Americans who are trying to consume protein and fibre get it from food products, instead of beverages or supplements, according to the IFIC survey. So moving into pasta – a food eaten by 96% of Americans every week – is a smart move by Equii.

“The introduction of EQUII Rigatoni and Mac & Cheese to the pasta category allows us to stand out amongst competitors and empower consumers to eat without compromising on foods they love,” said Bhatia. “And with the added benefit of complete protein, these new pastas offer balanced nutrition for all ages and dietary needs.”

High-protein, high-fibre pastas play to GLP-1 trend

The new microbial protein rigatoni and mac and cheese enter an American market where 30 million people have tried these GLP-1 agonist drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and the like. Estimates suggest that this number could reach 100 million – or 40% of the US population – in the coming years.

These medications work by replicating a natural hormone found in our bodies, called incretin, which boosts GLP-1 to help regulate blood sugar, fulfil satiety and manage weight. Incretin can be regulated by dietary fibre and fermented foods – both major features of Equii’s products.

In the US, only 5% of adults meet the daily requirement of fibre intake, with the average consumption half the recommended amount. This is despite the link between fibre-rich diets and lower risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, strokes, high cholesterol and heart disease (the leading cause of death in America).

Even with the various side effects of GLP-1 drugs, they’re not going anywhere. Meanwhile, as of March, 21% of US users of weight-loss drugs had been spending more on protein in the previous six months. All this has spurred gut health startups and food companies to ramp up product innovation and deliver products that can both compete with and complement the GLP-1 market.

Equii isn’t the only one hitting this space through protein-packed pasta, which is already a billion-dollar market and is poised to grow by 3.5% annually until the end of the decade. The largest food company, Nestlé, has launched its own brand of high-protein, high-fibre made specifically for Ozempic users. The frozen Vital Pursuit line will feature $5 whole-grain bowls, sandwich melts, pizzas, and – you guessed it – protein pastas.

Now, Equii is doubling down on pasta, with more pasta shapes – farfalle, rotini, cavatappi and shells – coming out this fall, alongside new mac and cheese flavours, such as Cheddar, white Cheddar, five-cheese, smoked Gouda, and Cheddar-jalapeño.

Time will tell if it sticks to its animal-free promise with non-dairy cheeses, but the startup’s latest offerings are still on-trend.