Animal-free dairy proteins appear to provide similar functional advantages to cell-cultured “meat” products, which are gaining attention and investment from major food companies. Memphis Meats, a startup based in San Francisco specializing in cultured “meat,” has secured funding from both Tyson Ventures, the investment arm of Tyson Foods, and Cargill. On the cost front, Memphis Meats is working to reduce the high price of its cell-cultured “meat,” which it estimates could decrease from approximately $2,400 per pound last year to around $3 or $4 per pound by 2021. In a similar manner, Perfect Day must compete with existing dairy proteins to achieve success. Dairy industry analyst Matt Gould advised the co-founders in 2016 that they would need to lower their price to about $2.50 per pound.
In addition to pricing challenges, product labeling is proving to be another hurdle. The co-founders of Perfect Day have been in talks with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to clarify how to communicate that their ingredients are technically dairy yet free from animal sources. Perfect Day’s patented process involves utilizing food-grade yeast and incorporating DNA sequences from dairy cows—now able to be 3D printed—to create the same proteins found in traditional dairy milk. These proteins are cultivated in large fermentation tanks with corn sugar and other nutrients to support their growth. Afterward, the proteins are mechanically harvested, allowing them to be used in any food or beverage products that currently utilize dairy proteins, as co-founder Ryan Pandya explained to Food Navigator.
Another emerging player in this arena is Gelton, which produces gelatin without using animals. Their method results in a vegan alternative to traditional gelatin, which the company estimates to be a $3 billion industry. However, Gelton mentioned to Food Navigator that it will take time and scaling to compete with the current bulk market price of gelatin, which is around $8 per kilogram, or approximately $3.63 per pound.
Unless Perfect Day and other alternative animal-free products begin to gain significant traction in the market, it remains uncertain how U.S. consumers will react to genetically engineered milk proteins and gelatin. They may appreciate having additional options and be pleased to know that no animals were harmed during production, or they could be deterred by the “ick” factor when faced with products that push them outside their comfort zone.
Moreover, as consumers increasingly seek alternatives that offer health benefits similar to gnc calcium citrate benefits, the success of these innovative products may hinge on their ability to meet both nutritional and ethical expectations. In this evolving landscape, the potential of animal-free proteins and gelatin could redefine consumer choices, particularly as awareness of the gnc calcium citrate benefits becomes more widespread.