Fermented Protein Pet Food – the Future?

“We’re very clever and extremely resourceful – and we will find ways of preserving ourselves, of that I’m sure. But whether our lives will be as rich as they are now is another question.”
– Sir David Attenborough

Is precision fermentation our future way to feed not only our pets, but ourselves too?
Yes it most certainly is!

What is precision fermentation?

In the 80’s when they produced insulin to treat diabetic people, they first made it from the pancreas of a dog; then from the pancreas of cows and pigs…and thousands of animal pancreases were needed to produce a small amount of insulin to use in a syringe for people to inject.
In the 90’s, they began to use precision fermentation to produce the exact same insulin needed which is what we have today for all diabetes medication – we have done away with the organ of an animal, and we use the highly effective fermented hormone insulin made sustainably in huge steel vats!

Imagine that this exact same process of changing from using the pancreas of a cow to making precision fermented insulin happened with the protein and muscle of pigs and chickens, or the milk of a cow!….that is precision fermentation and it is our future and happening much, much quicker than you may think!

In the pet food space, we already have companies such as Calysta that sell a precision fermented air-based protein to FeedKind Pet which will soon be available to pet food manufacturers across Europe to cater to consumers looking for high-quality, sustainable protein for dog and cat food.

This vegan protein source from FeedKind Pet, is non-GMO, grain-free, gluten-free, and soya-free. It is said to be a nutrient-dense and highly digestible ingredient, offering a complete amino acid profile, while featuring postbiotic properties that help maintain a healthy gut.

It can be incorporated into all kinds of cat and dog food products, from dry kibble to tinned food and treats. The novel protein has been approved for use in the EU, UK, Canada, and other countries after extensive safety and toxicity testing.

“Sustainability is a motherlode of innovation.” – Harvard Business Review

Delivering value with a new product and capturing value in return as with a profit without regard to environmental and sustainable impact is not innovation, it’s exploitation. Innovation is usually driven by necessity, with our backs up against the wall. It also often emerges from the bottom up, because those on the “frontlines” working directly with customers or clients have the best and most immediate insights into their needs and pain points.