Provenance Bio unveils animal-free gelatin developed with novel microbial protein expression platform

24 Jun 2021 --- Provenance Bio, a San Francisco-based alternative proteins company, has unveiled animal-free gelatin using the company’s proprietary protein expression platform. The gelatin is designed to be identical to traditionally sourced animal gelatin without using animal inputs.

Michalyn Andrews, CEO of Provenance Bio, says the company was “inspired to make an animal-free gelatin to provide a sustainable and humane solution.”

At the same time, the company is hoping to solve major concerns with animal-derived gelatins that suffer from animal-borne illness, batch-to-batch variability and price fluctuations.

Traditionally, gelatin is made from collagens extracted from cow or pig hides and bones. Gelatin is used in capsules for vitamins and therapeutics, as an ingredient in foods for imparting texture, and as a key component used in tissue engineering.

Provenance Bio has produced animal-free gelatin from recombinant full-length, bovine type I collagen, made in their proprietary protein expression platform.Produced in a clean lab setting
Provenance Bio also makes its gelatin from collagen, which is produced in their microbial platform. Provenance currently uses full-length, type I collagen for its recombinant gelatin products, the most abundant form of collagen in mammals but made in a clean laboratory setting. 

Provenance gelatins promise to “have the same functional attributes as those derived from animal collagens but with a radically reduced environmental footprint.”

“Gelatin represents a large and growing market,” says Andrews.

“Our collagens, which are entirely animal-free, also support the growing demand for vegan alternatives to gelatin products with superior performance,” she notes.

Utilizing collagen variants
In addition to full-length bovine collagens, Provenance utilizes a library of collagen variants for tailored applications.

“We are excited about all the possible industrial applications of Provenance gelatins, as well as other proteins. The platform will produce animal-free gelatin at attractive price points. When

we began our work, there was no way to make the proteins we needed at scale,” she says.

“We took it upon ourselves to redesign a new chassis for protein production that would revolutionize our ability to deliver functional proteins at price parity with those sourced from animals. While we still have a road ahead of us, to date, we’ve been able to increase our collagen strain efficiencies by 100 times.”

As a sustainable solution for animal products, recombinant collagen has been out of reach to date due to the historic challenge of producing these functional proteins. However, access to biomimetic collagens with zero animal inputs, at price parity with current animal products, will enable broader adoption across all relevant sectors.

“Gelatin is just the first of many animal products we’re disrupting at Provenance,” Andrews underscores. “Full-length proteins are important for the markets we’re working to disrupt. We want our gelatin to be a seamless plug-and-play product for corporations ready to make their supply chains more sustainable.”

“Today, our collagen products have 1/50th the carbon footprint of bovine collagen products. By year-end, we expect to cut that number by 90 percent, making our products over 500 times more carbon efficient than collagens and related products sourced from cattle.”The company has developed a proprietary protein expression platform to make biomimetic proteins that can beat animal agriculture prices.

By partnering with large corporations for a product rollout, Provenance intends to move quickly as an impact-focused organization, furthering the strategy of transitioning sizable global supply chains for sustainable solutions.

Animal-free gelatin space heats up
As the market for plant-based products evolves, relevant solutions continue to proliferate. With this, the expanding demand for collagen alongside the global plant-based movement is prompting innovation surrounding vegan alternatives to this animal-derived protein. 

In May, US-based biotech company Jellatech revealed it is tapping into the growing demand for collagen and gelatin ingredients without the use of animals. 

Last August, bio-design start-up Geltor flagged the market dynamics driving consumer appetite for animal-free collagens, which the company produces using its unique fermentation technology.

Meanwhile, last May, Synergy Flavours’ category manager Chris Whiting predicted that the next wave of plant proteins would include bases such as collagen alongside sunflower and quinoa.

Edited by Elizabeth Green