Animal-free protein made by precision fermentation continues to be a big trend in food tech, even as the rapid growth projections for the technology have come back down to earth. The latest offering from the space is a liquid egg called “EVERY Egg” from “The EVERY Company,” which they tout as indistinguishable from hen eggs.
For those not familiar, precision fermentation involves using microbes to produce specific food ingredients. The most well-known is probably Impossible Food’s “heme” protein that is used to make its plant-based burgers taste like the real thing. Others like New Culture have had success producing casein, which is essential to cheese making.
EVERY Egg is made by incorporating the DNA sequences found in conventional egg proteins into a yeast strain called “Komagataella phaffii,” which is then fermented on a sugar-based feedstock and converted into protein. This is then boosted with additional plant-based ingredients for flavor and texture, resulting in what EVERY says is a 1:1 replacement for hen eggs.
Nutrition-wise, EVERY Egg boosts 8g of protein per egg-equivalent (a chicken egg contains between 5-8g), as well as no saturated fat or cholesterol. From the sustainability perspective, EVERY Eggs create three times fewer GHG emissions, use 67 times less water, and 12 times less land than conventional eggs, according to a life-cycle analysis summary by EVERY’s partner BioBrew.
EVERY has also introduced an egg white replacement called “EggWhite” which is already being used as a binding agent by some Latin American alternative meat brands. But while EVERY’s fermented proteins have made inroads via food industry partnerships and restaurant collaborations, affordability remains a major roadblock to wider adoption of its products, similar to other precision fermentation companies.
But EVERY’s Elizondo notes, “Considering the low cost of inputs for precision fermentation and our demonstrated progress in manufacturing scale-up – we are actively producing at manufacturing-scale fermentation runs of over 100,000 liters – this backdrop sets a clear path to positive unit economics at scale for EVERY.”
EVERY Egg and EggWhite are currently available for sampling at select food service operators and will be available at restaurants starting in 2024. Learn more about The EVERY Company HERE.
