A company just took a major step closer to animal-free eggs

The road to real animal-free proteins

The EVERY Co., formerly Clara Foods, was launched in 2014 and is one of several food technology startups trying to manufacture true animal-free proteins through a process known as precision fermentation.

This process, which involves breaking down certain animal products like milk and eggs to their molecular components, is what's the company is focusing on using the same technique to produce chicken-free egg whites. The company is working with engineered yeast to produce proteins found in egg whites, and while it hasn't disclosed the specific combination of proteins used to create its final egg white product, New Atlas reported that it's likely that ovalbumin, which is the primary protein component in egg whites, plays a big role in the recipe. 

The company most recently announced a collaboration with San Francisco-based bakery Chantal Guillon to introduce the product in a line of iconic French macarons baked using its animal-free egg white.

"The egg white is one of the crown jewels of the food industry, known for its unique functional properties that make it almost impossible to replace – until today," said Arturo Elizondo, CEO of EVERY Co. "Today is also the first time consumers anywhere in the U.S. can get a taste of EVERY EggWhite and the fruit of seven years of deep R&D."

The limited-edition macarons will be handmade in Chantal Guillon's SoMa store in San Francisco and sent worldwide, with boxes of six containing earl Grey, passionfruit, pistachio, strawberry, Tahitian vanilla, and dark chocolate macarons. Each package will cost $28 and will be available only while supplies last.

The era of uncompromised food: All the taste, none of the baggage

The chicken-free egg white is the EVERY Co.'s third animal-free product. The company's first completely commercialized product, animal-free pepsin (an enzyme typically derived from the lining of a pig's stomach), was released in early 2021. This product, which can be found in hundreds of commercial food products, most notably pharmaceutical capsules, is intended to allow for vegan-friendly pharmaceutical manufacturing.

While much more work will be required to scale up the production of these types of animal-free proteins, a future where we feast on traditionally animal-derived food made without hurting animals is on the horizon. Elizondo stated that he is optimistic that precise fermentation methods will completely transform the way we produce food. While it will take a few years for the company to undercut the market, that is exactly where it is heading.

“Our proteins are real, nature-equivalent animal proteins (not plant-based or cell-based) made without using a single animal," Elizondo said. “The ability of precision fermentation technology to replace the proteins of today is still in its infancy. We believe this technology will truly, and consequently, our world.”