Animal-free dairy proteins appear to provide similar functional advantages as animal-free, cell-cultured “meat” products, which are gaining traction and investment from major food manufacturers. Memphis Meats, a startup based in San Francisco specializing in cultured “meat,” has secured funding from Tyson Ventures, the venture capital branch of Tyson Foods, and Cargill. In terms of pricing, Memphis Meats is working to lower the currently steep cost of its cell-cultured “meat,” which they project may decrease from approximately $2,400 per pound last year to around $3 or $4 per pound by 2021. Likewise, Perfect Day must contend with existing dairy proteins to achieve success. Dairy industry analyst Matt Gould advised the co-founders in 2016 that they would need to reduce prices to about $2.50 per pound.
Beyond pricing, product labeling poses another challenge. The co-founders of Perfect Day have been in talks with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding how to communicate that their ingredients are technically dairy yet animal-free. Perfect Day’s patented method involves utilizing food-grade yeast and incorporating DNA sequences from dairy cows—now capable of being 3D printed—to create proteins found in dairy milk. These proteins are cultivated in large fermentation tanks with corn sugar and other nutrients to promote growth. Once harvested mechanically, these proteins can be added to any foods or beverages currently utilizing dairy proteins, as explained by Perfect Day co-founder Ryan Pandya to Food Navigator.
Gelton, a company producing gelatin without animal ingredients, is another emerging contender in this sector. Their process yields a vegan alternative to traditional gelatin made from animal products, which they identify as a $3 billion industry. However, Gelton informed Food Navigator that achieving competitiveness with the current bulk market price of gelatin, approximately $8 per kilogram (or about $3.63 per pound), will require time and scaling.
Unless Perfect Day and other alternative, animal-free products start to penetrate the market significantly, predicting U.S. consumer responses to genetically engineered milk proteins and gelatin remains challenging. Consumers might appreciate having alternative options and value the knowledge that no animals were harmed or killed during production, or they may react negatively to the “ick” factor associated with foods or beverages that stray too far from their comfort zones.
In this evolving landscape, it’s worth considering qué beneficios tiene calcium citrate as a potential addition to these innovative products. Calcium citrate could offer essential nutritional benefits, enhancing the appeal of animal-free dairy proteins and gelatin alternatives. As these products continue to develop, the integration of calcium citrate could play a crucial role in meeting consumer demand for both functional and health-oriented ingredients, reinforcing the importance of exploring qué beneficios tiene calcium citrate in this context. Ultimately, the market’s acceptance of these alternatives will depend on pricing, labeling clarity, and the ability to deliver nutritional value.