Using 3D printing technology to redesign healthy staple foods, “moodles” completed tens of millions of yuan in Pre-A round of financing

February 24, 2022
food
The technology company “moodles” has recently completed a Pre-A round of tens of millions of yuan
financing
this round was led by GGV Capital, and the old shareholders Fengwu Capital and Renshan Capital also participated in the investment.
This is the second round of financing completed by the company in the last six months.In October last year, moodles was also awarded a joint venture by Fengwu Capital and Renshan Capital.
Invest
nearly 10 million yuan in angel round financing.

moodles was founded by Zhu Peiran in July 2021. moodles chooses to cut in from the perspective of technological innovation and integrate3D printingTechnology, molecular cuisine, modern nutrition and other multidisciplinary fields. Redesign the product form of staple food, and find the best solution for a daily diet that takes into account health, efficiency and deliciousness.
The healthy upgrade of staple food is an important part of a balanced diet. Traditional staple foods are high in carbohydrates and low in protein, and the efficiency of nutrient intake is low. For people who pursue nutrition and deliciousness, fat-reduced meals are the mainstream choice, but how to scale up fat-reduced meals remains to be solved. Another option is functional foods such as milkshakes and protein bars. Although these foods can be the ultimate in health and efficiency, they lose some of the “delicious” part of the food, and it is difficult to become a habitual full meal replacement. .

Before answering “what kind of staple food can be healthy, efficient and delicious?”, there is still a question whether this pursuit of “extreme balance” is really necessary.
“This exploration direction of moodles is the result of a series of market insights.” In Zhu Peiran’s view, consumers’ health needs and cognition are becoming more and more profound. Compared with 10 years ago, consumers have higher requirements for delicious food, and the pursuit of food intake efficiency is also subtly releasing huge demand.

“Moodles solves not only the efficiency of eating, but also the efficiency of ingesting nutrients,” Zhu Peiran said. The appearance and taste of the staple food made by moodles are very similar to those of traditional staple food, but the ingredient system is more diverse. It is a combination of animal protein meat products, All nutrients involved in three meals a day, such as plant protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins, and trace elements, are made into ingredients in the form of technology, and then used3D printingIt is formed into cooked staple foods such as rice and noodles, which greatly improves the efficiency of ingesting nutrients.

The practice of using materials to innovate the traditional food industry is related to Zhu Peiran’s background.During the master’s study,
biology
Combination of science and mechanical engineering.After graduating and returning to China, he participated in the founding of
orthopedics
3D printing company, led the development of a number of new high-speed additive manufacturing equipment. In 2019, he studied for a doctorate in materials engineering at West Lake University, with a research direction of new3D bioprintingmaterials and biofabrication methods, and began to develop bioprinting material systems. After that, in 2021, he will take a leave of absence and choose to start a second business.

3D printing technologyNot a new concept, but its application in consumer goods is still relatively early. Zhu Peiran told 36氪 that there are some inherent bottlenecks: First, the limited printable materials naturally limit the application space in the field of consumer goods, making it difficult to meet complex and interesting functions and application scenarios; second, as an industrial proofing and initial test, The cost has been significantly optimized, but once it rises to industrial-level mass production, the manufacturing efficiency is slower than that of traditional manufacturing.
After a series of studies with professional technical partners of meat products, Zhu Peiran and his team found some solutions and worked out a set of general technical paths: nutrient formula guidance → molecular cooking food processing → slurry rheological property testing → fluid
simulation
Design→3D processing nozzle design→Carb water taste simulation correction.

According to Zhu Peiran, moodles has made a refined SKU layout to support the reproduction of most staple food items on the market. , to reproduce the food with the taste of the staple food.”
Flavored Chinese food based on rice and noodles is the first destination for moodles products. For example, chicken noodles made from moodles can increase the protein content by 114.3% compared with traditional noodles, and reduce the carbohydrate content by 71.26% compared with traditional noodles.

Specifically, moodles products are divided into two categories, one is based on standard rice and noodle products, and according to different sub-groups, the core formula will also be designed. The first category is to supply B-side industrial standard rice and noodles for chain restaurants; according to Zhu Peiran, moodles will also develop super convenience store channels to provide staple food products such as full meals and pre-made dishes.

Facing different target groups, moodles has made a differentiated layout of product price bands. For white-collar workers, it will provide basic staple food products whose prices are comparable to daily takeaway prices to meet the staple food needs of body management groups; for catering channels, moodles mainly cooperates with high-end restaurants; in addition, for groups who have a need for daily blood sugar control, it will highlight Cost-effective.

In terms of team, moodles has completed the formation of the founding team of the interdisciplinary master and doctoral expert group, and established a joint laboratory of healthy food with Jiangnan University. In addition, the landing of a large-scale experimental factory has also been completed. The latest round of financing is expected to be used for the construction of a flexible production intelligent factory, which is expected to be officially put into production in May this year.

(responsible editor: admin)