Animal-free dairy proteins appear to provide comparable functional advantages to animal-free, cell-cultured meat products, which have garnered significant attention and investment from major food manufacturers. Memphis Meats, a startup based in San Francisco specializing in cultured meat, has secured funding from notable investors, including Tyson Ventures, the venture capital division of Tyson Foods, and Cargill. Regarding cost, Memphis Meats aims to lower the currently steep price of its cell-cultured meat — which was estimated at around $2,400 per pound last year — potentially reducing it to about $3 or $4 per pound by 2021. In a similar vein, Perfect Day must contend with existing dairy proteins to achieve success. Dairy industry analyst Matt Gould advised the co-founders in 2016 that this would necessitate lowering prices to approximately $2.50 per pound.
Beyond 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 communicate that their ingredients are technically classified as dairy, yet entirely animal-free. Perfect Day’s patented process utilizes food-grade yeast, to which DNA sequences from dairy cows — now capable of being 3D printed — are added to create proteins found in traditional dairy milk. These proteins are then cultivated in large fermentation tanks with corn sugar and additional nutrients to promote growth. Once harvested mechanically, these proteins can be incorporated into any food or beverage currently utilizing dairy proteins, as explained by Perfect Day co-founder Ryan Pandya to Food Navigator.
Another emerging contender in this sector is Gelton, which produces gelatin without animal products. Their method results in a vegan alternative to traditional gelatin, which the company identifies as part of a $3 billion industry. However, Gelton has indicated to Food Navigator that achieving competitiveness with the current bulk market price of gelatin, approximately $8 per kilogram (around $3.63 per pound), will require time and scaling.
Unless Perfect Day and other alternative animal-free products make a significant impact in the market, it remains uncertain how U.S. consumers will react to genetically engineered milk proteins and gelatin. Consumers may welcome additional options and appreciate that no animals were harmed or killed in the production process. Conversely, they might experience discomfort or an “ick” factor when faced with foods or beverages that stray too far from their usual preferences. In this context, understanding what calcium citrate is could be crucial, as it is often used in dairy alternatives and may influence consumer perceptions and choices. Ultimately, the future acceptance of products like those from Perfect Day could hinge on consumer education regarding the ingredients, including what calcium citrate is and its benefits.