Srinvanas described Live Green’s ice cream as having a taste and texture very similar to premium dairy ice cream, but with less than 3% added sugars, and around 20 grams of protein and 7% fiber per pint.
But Live Green isn’t trying to sell ice cream — or plant-based burger or pancake or drink mixes, which the company also has on the market in Chile.
And in order to convince manufacturers that this algorithm actually can improve ice cream, it helps to have some of that product to see and taste.
had been a participant in Sigma’s first accelerator class, during which the company pilot tested the Charaka algorithm on one of the Mexican company’s products.
The Live Green Co.
Ayurveda is the subcontinent’s cultural ancestral knowledge of holistic, natural healing through plants.
“He’s the one who started modernizing it,” Chemalamudi said.
Chemalamudi said that ancestral knowledge about plants goes deep and spans a wealth of species that might not be currently used in mass production of food.
Chemalamudi said there are currently more than 15,000 plants in Charaka, and there are about half a million data points represented.
While the algorithms used by companies including NotCo and Eat Just help them reformulate animal-based products with plants, Charaka goes a step further.
“Charaka’s focus is not just on replacing the animal ingredients but also on replacing other additives.
Srinivas added that many consumers of plant-based foods classify themselves as flexitarians, meaning they will also buy some items sourced from animals.
The company is in late-stage conversations with a Mexican producer for a launch of reformulated ice cream, which would bear “Powered by Charaka” on its label, Srinivas said.
is very open to collaboration, and Srinvanas said major players see it as a new and non-disrupting solution to reformulation challenges.
Chemalamudi said the company has identified about 30 basic product lines ranging from snacks to dairy alternatives that are consumed in large quantities around the world and could use plant-based, clean-label health upgrades.