A recent announcement by the Israeli company Perfect Day that they had Precision Fermentation Food cost-competitive already. Tony Seba predicted in Food Disruption precison fermentation would be cost-competitive by 2026. Price parity has happened, 6 years ahead of predictions. Jim Mellow of Agrinomics termed Moos Law where rapid advances in AI and genomics would accelerate the change in 2024.
Imagindairy has unveiled an industrial-scale facility to produce animal-free dairy proteins at price parity. Two weeks after becoming just the third precision fermentation dairy company to receive a ‘no questions’ approval letter (GRAS) from the FDA, Israeli startup Imagindairy has announced the acquisition of an industrial-scale plant in the Middle East that will allow it to manufacture cost-competitive animal-free dairy products. (report from Green Queen). The announcement included
- 100,000-litre fermentation facility
- Plans to triple in 2 years
- Already producing industrial-sized batchs at price parity to dairy protein
Precision Fermentation proteins are chemically the same as cow proteins. This is the second domestication of plants and animals. Instead of microbes producing a given protein through the rumen of the cow, microbes can produce the exact same protein in a fermentation tank. Think beer. PF proteins can be 10x-20x more resource efficient than the cow. That’s the Great Transformation.
Tony Seba Food Disruption https://x.com/tonyseba/status/1748426849871659395?s=20
RethinkX’s Food and Agriculture report in 2018 predicted precision fermentation protein cost curve will keep falling over the next few years. The result would be a collapse in the dairy industry. The industry is already balancing on a knife edge will be uncompetitive by a higher-quality, healthier, locally-produced product that will also be far cheaper. His date? 2030.
What Is Precision Fermentation?
These products are free from antibiotics, growth hormones, and other additives common in dairy. Moreover, they are lactose-free. Dairy has been on the decline since the 1970s. One of the biggest reasons for the shift is lactose intolerance, which is extremely common in Black and Asian communities as well for Ashkenazi Jews, among other groups.
ImaginDairy
Founded in 2020, Imagindairy uses precision fermentation technology to produce dairy proteins, without the cow. It’s starting with the protein beta-lactoglobulin. The main whey protein found in bovine milk accounts for 65% of the total whey content. FDA provided regulatory approval in a ‘no questions’ letter two weeks ago. Beta-lactoglobulin is a self-affirmed Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status. This was announced in August 2022.
Perfect Day (US) and Remilk (Israel) also produce Beta-lactoglobulin. They both have GRAS approval from the FDA. Israeli startup TurtleTree, which is producing lactoferrin, has self-affirmed GRAS status. It plans to obtain the ‘no questions’ letter this year.
News Releases
| Company | Date | Web Address | Press Release Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| ImaginDairy | Jan 2024 | As reported by GreenQueen | Funding to purchase large production facility |
| Perfect Day | January 19, 2024 | https://perfectday.com/ | Announces commercial launch of whey protein made through precision fermentation, partnering with global brands for food and beverage applications. |
| Nature’s Fynd | November 29, 2023 | https://www.naturesfynd.com/press-and-media | Secures $50 million Series B funding to scale production of its kiwifruit protein, developed using precision fermentation, and expand market reach. |
| Motif Foodworks | November 16, 2023 | https://madewithmotif.com/press-releases/ | Unveils HEMO, a plant-based heme derived through fermentation, enabling realistic meat flavor and texture for plant-based burgers. |
| Ginkgo Bioworks | October 26, 2023 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/johncumbers/2022/12/15/ginkgo-has-hired-a-new-head-of-biopharma-to-disrupt-the-gene-and-cell-therapies-market/ | Achieves significant milestone in high-density cell fermentation technology, paving the way for cost-effective production of biopharmaceutical ingredients. |
| Clara Foods | October 11, 2023 | https://www.fooddive.com/news/the-every-company-egg-white-clearegg-fermentation-clara-foods/607347/ | Announces successful production of egg white protein through precision fermentation, aiming to offer a sustainable and ethical alternative to animal-derived egg whites. |
| Remilk | Jun 10, 2022 | Remilk’s Precision Fermentation Dairy Is the Second to Earn U.S. GRAS Status (greenqueen.com.hk) | Remilk’s announcement in April that it was beginning construction in Denmark for the largest precision fermentation dairy factory in the world. The news followed its $120 million Series B raise in January. |
