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Industry Influence

Feb 22, 2023

Should Plant-Based and Other Alternative Proteins Supplant Animal-Derived Proteins?

Article by NCFIL Executive Director William Aimutis For the past few years, media coverage emphasized the growing need for plant-based and other alternative proteins to replace animal-derived proteins in the…

Aug 10, 2022

Sustainability of Alternative Meats: Aimutis Weighs In

Bill Aimutis, Executive Director of the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab (NCFIL), was recently quoted in “How sustainable are fake meats?” in Knowable Magazine, the digital publication from Annual Reviews.  The…

Jun 22, 2022

Plant-Based Proteins: Aimutis published in “Annual Review of Food Science and Technology”

Bill Aimutis, executive director of the NC Food Innovation Lab (NCFIL), recently authored “Plant-Based Proteins: The Good, Bad, and Ugly,” published in the Annual Review of Food Science and Technology. The journal…

Apr 20, 2022

NCFIL Executive Director’s Perspective: April 2022

NCFIL Facility + Business Update NCFIL has been abuzz since September 2021. As the pandemic waned, several start-ups inquired about NCFIL’s assistance to move their products toward commercialization.  Several companies…

Oct 21, 2021

Plant-Based Beverages: Rising Through the Ranks

If you’ve been inside a grocery store lately, you may have noticed the ever-expanding options on the shelves for milk alternative products. Everything from almond milk yogurt to coconut milk…

Sep 1, 2021

NCFIL Executive Director’s Perspective: September 2021

NCFIL Facility + Business Update The NC Food Innovation Lab is fully operational and quite busy. Our project portfolio is well-balanced, with projects covering many of our core technical disciplines.…

Jul 14, 2021

Food Entrepreneurship: Aimutis Featured on Farms, Food and You Podcast

NC Food Innovation Lab Executive Director Bill Aimutis spoke about North Carolina’s agricultural processing potential on an episode titled “Growing Food Entrepreneurship in NC” on NC State’s podcast Farms, Food and You hosted by Dee…
hydroponic lettuce

Jun 7, 2021

The Role of Agriculture + Food Processing in the Energy Economy

NCFIL Executive Director Dr. Bill Aimutis recently had the privilege to speak and participate on a panel for the E4 Carolinas Association. This trade group focuses on the Carolinas’ energy economy to provide…

May 20, 2021

NCFIL Executive Director’s Perspective: April/May 2021

Good news! NCFIL is very nearly at 100% operational status. In April, we commissioned our GEA spray dryer, and we have been busy running piping and building a catwalk for the Bühler…

Mar 4, 2021

NCFIL Executive Director’s Perspective: Jan/Feb 2021

NCFIL Facility + Business Update For the past few months, the NC Food Innovation Lab has been busy. Our Bühler twin-screw extruder arrived in late January, and we’ve worked hard on installing…