Nexture, the Milan-based ingredient group behind CSM Ingredients, HIFOOD and Frulact, has opened applications for the 2026 cohort of Generate. Its structured programme that takes ingredient startups from proof of concept through to industrial scale. Applications run until 4 May 2026.

The programme is worth understanding both as a signal of where ingredient R&D investment is heading and as a potential route to early access to technologies before they reach the open market.

What Generate actually does

Generate offers selected startups 12–18 month programmes combining R&D access, application development and commercial support across Nexture's manufacturing network. The evaluation and scouting is handled with URIKA Partners, a specialist in agri-food innovation strategy.

Past cohorts have included companies such as Green-On, Kokomodo, YEAP, PoLoPo, Ingrediome and ImaginDairy.

The 2026 call targets five technology domains. Two are directly relevant to bakery production lines.

Bakery evolution: enzymes and gluten technology

The programme is actively scouting for advanced freshness and softness enzymes and what it describes as next-generation gluten-related technologies, solutions capable of modifying texture, structure and nutritional profiles simultaneously.

For those already navigating shelf-life targets, clean-label pressure and reformulation for protein or fibre enrichment, these are live operational challenges rather than distant innovation horizons.

Oils and texturisation: palm replacement with functional parity

This strand targets palm oil alternatives, laminated fats and novel lipid structuring technologies. The emphasis is on delivering the full technical package, functionality, stability and mouthfeel, alongside improved sustainability credentials. Laminated fat performance in particular remains a significant technical hurdle for any palm substitution strategy in puff, croissant or Danish production.

Three further domains with indirect bakery relevance

The remaining three categories, alternative carbs and proteins, nutrition, and future-proofing are more forward-looking for most bakery applications but worth tracking.

Alternative carbs and proteins covers fibre enrichment, sugar reduction, digestible proteins and cost-effective bulking agents, with specific interest in high-performance proteins and fibres suited to emulsification, gelling and texturising.

Nutrition targets metabolic health ingredients including GLP-1 pathway support, low glycaemic index formulations and microbiome-targeted ingredients, all requiring robust clinical data. Future-proofing includes cocoa replacement and natural preservation systems, among them bioactive peptides and alternatives to potassium sorbate. Responding to both supply volatility and clean-label demand.

How to read this for procurement and technical planning

Innovation programmes of this type typically take two to four years from startup selection to commercially available ingredient. Technologies entering the Generate 2026 cohort now are likely to reach scaled supply in the 2028–2030 window. For technical and procurement teams, that timeline is relevant when building roadmaps around palm reduction commitments, clean-label preservative strategies or fibre and protein enrichment targets.

Applications for the Generate 2026 Open Call are open at nexture.com/global/en/innovation/generate until 4 May 2026.