As food companies figure out which ingredients to assemble in their final products, numerous startups want to shake up the powders, liquids, and flavors that make the final cut. Food Dive recently built a growing directory of food startups, and you will see, ingredient concepts were well represented.

As consumer preferences, regulatory and health concerns continue to push old ingredients out of products and off of labels, the industry remains an open market for fresh ideas. Below, you'll find five of the most notable ingredient startups that caught our attention when we put our directory together. Check out what they have planned, and click on their company names to find more details in Food Dive's Food Startups Directory:

1. NU-TEK SALT, LLC
What it does: Nu-Tek wants to cut the amount of sodium that consumers are getting in their salt, and its parent company Nu-Tek Food Science has earned the admiration of Bill Gates for its efforts. Its Nu-Tek Potassium Chloride boasts 50% less sodium than its salt competitors, and the company has found distribution partners to help it grow in both the U.S. and Brazil.

(Image credit: Nu-Tek Salt, LLC)

2. HAMPTON CREEK FOODS
What it does: This startup has a simple mission to get the world to move away from animal-based foods and ingredients, and you can see an example in its first product, Beyond Eggs. Two Fortune 500 companies have reportedly already signed up to use is powdery egg alternative with hopes that their buyers don't notice the eggless difference.

(Image credit: Hampton Creek Foods)

3. CHIRP
What it does: Chirp represents part of a larger movement right now as startups try to figure out ways to push insects as a mainstream food source in the West. The company is currently working to set up a farm to specialize in cricket protein products, with their primary focus being cricket flour. If the world ends up eating more bugs in the near future, Chirp should find itself ahead of the curve.

(Image credit: Food Dive)

4. SUNTAVA, INC
What it does: If your company is looking for a purple corn-based ingredient, Suntava probably has a solution to offer you. With offerings such as natural purple colors, flour and corn meal,  as well as purple corn syrup with a wide range of its own applications, this Minnesota-based operation wants to become known as the next "super food" alternative for producers of beverages, confections and much more.

(Image credit: Flickr user chefranden)

5. MODERN MEADOW
What it does: Like its fellow Khosla Ventures-funded startup Hampton Creek Foods, Modern Meadow is in the business of providing meat alternatives. The company aims to take advantage of tissue engineering advances to create bio-materials that don't require slaughtering animals. Its founders hope that its production processes, which involve 3-D bio-printing and materials development will also make supply chains more eco-friendly.

Here's a talk given by Andras Forgacs, the company's co-founder and chief executive:

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