Dive Brief:
- Geltor, a California-based biotechnology startup, is producing animal-free protein collagen that can be used for consumer care products and food, according to CNBC.
- The company, based in San Leandro, California, uses a process similar to making beer. Geltor converts carbon, nitrogen and oxygen into collagen through microbial fermentation, CNBC reported.
- Since launching in 2012, the company now has 17 staff members and has raised $2.25 million from investors. Its first product, a 1% N-Collage Solution for skin care use, was introduced in April, and Geltor is looking at developing nutrition and medicine products.
Dive Insight:
Geltor has made a lot of progress since it launched, but there is likely a long way to go before lab-grown gelatin is widely accepted. Co-founders Alex Lorestani and Nick Ouzounov believe this type of ingredient will be in the same kinds of foods regular gelatin is used in today: gummy bears, candy and marshmallows.
According to CNBC, vegan and vegetarian gelatin alternatives such as agar-agar and carrageenan are part of a $3-billion market, although animal-free collagen protein and gelatin might also appeal to consumers who aren't necessarily vegans or vegetarians.
But Geltor has many hurdles before its product is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in foods. The FDA would first have to grant the ingredient generally recognized as safe, or GRAS, status. But that might not be coming soon; the company has been busy with R&D, and Lorestani indicated to CNBC that the company will be focusing on the global collagen business during the next year.
Meanwhile, the regulatory framework for lab-grown products is drawing scrutiny. Jaydee Hanson, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Food Safety, told CNBC that more regulation is needed when it comes to biological engineering firms such as Geltor.
"We don't think that GRAS should be used for the first new genetically-engineered gelatin or any other product," Hanson said. "We think it ought to go through the more structured process that requires more rigorous scientific testing."
Lab-grown meat has attracted the same scrutiny when it comes to government regulation. A Friends of the Earth report this past summer questioned whether sufficient research has been done on lab-grown meat and other products to determine their safety. FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are still debating which agency will regulate lab-grown meat and have scheduled a joint meeting on Oct. 23 to decide how to oversee the industry and how such products should be described on food labels.
But consumers could be more open to the products than the regulators. Startups like Geltor and lab-grown meat producers have a common desire to end the environmental, climate and animal welfare problems associated with conventional animal agriculture, as well as develop more sustainable plant-based protein products. That concept could be popular among consumers who want food companies to make public commitments to good corporate citizenship.
Whether lab-grown gelatin and other collagen-based products made without animal ingredients will become a big trend will largely depend on whether consumers like the taste as much as the environmental benefits. But they might be open to trying it. One recent study found that about 40% of Americans would give lab-grown meat a try, so lab-grown collagen protein and gelatin products could also pique consumers' interest should they eventually pass regulatory muster and become widely available.