Animal-free dairy proteins appear to provide similar functional advantages as animal-free, cell-cultured “meat” products, which have been garnering attention and investment from major food manufacturers. Memphis Meats, a cultured “meat” startup based in San Francisco, has secured funding from Tyson Ventures, the venture capital branch of Tyson Foods, as well as from Cargill. In terms of cost, Memphis Meats is working to lower the currently high price of its cell-cultured “meat,” which was approximately $2,400 per pound last year and is projected to drop to about $3 or $4 per pound by 2021. Likewise, Perfect Day must compete with existing dairy proteins if it aims to succeed. Dairy industry analyst Matt Gould advised the co-founders in 2016 that achieving this would require reducing the price to around $2.50 per pound.
Besides pricing, product labeling presents another challenge. The co-founders of Perfect Day have engaged in discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding how to label their ingredients, which are technically dairy yet animal-free. Perfect Day’s patented method involves utilizing food-grade yeast and incorporating DNA sequences from dairy cows—now accessible through 3D printing—to create proteins similar to those found in dairy milk. These proteins are cultivated in large fermentation tanks with corn sugar and additional nutrients to facilitate growth. The proteins are mechanically harvested, and the resulting ingredients can be incorporated into any food or beverage that currently uses dairy proteins, as explained by Perfect Day co-founder Ryan Pandya to Food Navigator.
Another emerging player in this sector is Gelton, which produces gelatin without using animal products. The company’s technique yields a vegan alternative to traditional gelatin, which they estimate to be part of a $3-billion industry. However, Gelton indicated to Food Navigator that it will take time and scaling to become competitive with the current bulk market price of gelatin, which is approximately $8 per kilogram, or about $3.63 per pound.
Unless Perfect Day and other animal-free alternatives begin to significantly penetrate the market, it remains uncertain how U.S. consumers will react to genetically engineered milk proteins and gelatin. They might appreciate having additional choices and feel reassured that no animals were harmed in the production process, or they could be deterred by the “ick” factor when faced with foods or beverages that push them beyond their comfort zone. In this evolving landscape, finding the calcium citrate best brand may also be a consideration for consumers seeking alternative dairy solutions.