Paleo’s heme protein to be served up in 2023, beef, pork and tuna on the menu

30 Jun 2022 --- Paleo has unveiled its latest fermentation technology which it claims will offer “the true taste and aroma of meat and fish to plant-based alternatives.” The World Intellectual Property Organization has today (June 30) published Paleo's patent application, finally allowing the company to share details of its precision fermentation technology.

And now, Paleo estimates the meat and fish analogs with its ingredients will be commercially available next year. 

Fermentation has been well known for centuries and is similar to beer brewing, making production highly scalable. Paleo’s heme is cleanly separated from the yeast cells, making the production process faster and also more sustainable, the company reveals. 

Animal-free heme proteins
Paleo’s portfolio of animal-free heme proteins are bio-identical to beef, chicken, pork, lamb and tuna. 

Heme is responsible for the taste and color of meat. Before cooking, heme will give meat alternatives a red color that turns brown during cooking. Heme also offers superior nutritional value; the iron in heme is easier for the human body to absorb than iron in vegetables.

According to Hermes Sanctorum, CEO and co-founder of Paleo, the company has “cracked the code of heme, allowing us to produce GMO-free heme that’s bio-identical to the most popular meats and tuna.”

Paleo is preparing for market entry in the US, Canada, Europe, Latin America and Asia. (Credit: Paleo)In side-by-side tests, the difference between a plant-based burger using Paleo heme and a conventional plant-based burger is “immediately clear,” the company underscores. The burger with bio-identical beef heme smells like a burger, changes color when cooked like a burger and tastes like a beef burger – and the other doesn’t. 

Global entry
Paleo’s process also allows food manufacturers to comply with GMO-free labeling in most markets. Paleo ingredients will live up to the standards of the most strictly regulated food markets in the world, the company states.

Paleo is preparing for market entry in the US, Canada, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Strategic partnerships with Contract Manufacturers are in place to ramp up production. 

“If we want to meet the 2025 and 2030 forecasts for meat and fish substitutes, we need game-changing technology like Paleo’s. Current technologies can’t deliver on the projections of the market for 2030 or even 2050. With Paleo, a true flexitarian lifestyle does become possible,” adds Sanctorum.

“Our heme production is only the beginning,” says Andy de Jong, COO and co-founder at Paleo. “Using our technology, we can create other ingredients essential to the meat or fish experience and mouthfeel, like fats. We’re very excited about the possibilities that our technology offers.”

Paleo has raised €2.5 million in seed funding to date and is now working with financial and strategic investors on a series A round to bring its products to the market and broaden its portfolio. 

Edited by Elizabeth Green

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