German biotech startup MicroHarvest has teamed up with animal-free pet food producer VEGDOG to unveil its first-of-its-kind microbial protein dog treat.
The novel treat will be available on May 6 at the 2024 Pet Food Forum taking place in Nuremberg, Germany, during Interzoo Europe.
The VEGDOG Pure Bites snack, which the company says is a first for the dog food market in Europe, combines the new microbial protein from MicroHarvest with potato and apple pomace. With its hypoallergenic properties, it is designed for dogs that cannot tolerate conventional protein sources. Its high tolerance and digestibility as well as its delicious taste make it the first choice for dogs with severe intolerances and allergies, says MicroHarvest.
“Our goal with VEGDOG is to show dog owners that they don’t have to rely on meat-based products to feed their pets,” said Tessa Zaune-Figlar, founder and CEO of VEGDOG. “With this modern approach and our high quality, healthy and delicious products, we have pioneered a new market. By working with our partner MicroHarvest, we are opening a new chapter and bringing to the market a great snack that demonstrates our ability to innovate.”
Highly scalable, uniform protein solution
With global protein demand expected to increase by 50% by 2050, by applying modern technology to millennia-old fermentation techniques, MicroHarvest is capable of producing tons of high-quality microbial protein ingredients in just 24 time, offering a highly scalable and consistent protein solution, the company noted.
“We are constantly looking for innovative sources of protein that benefit our dogs as well as our planet, said Dr. Carla Steffen, head of R&D at VEGDOG. “It is very important to us to formulate our products based on scientific evidence . Because MicroHarvest’s microbial protein has proven to be highly digestible, palatable and sustainable, it ticks all these boxes.
Like protein sources from algae, insects and cell-cultures, fermented microbial proteins’ sustainability advantages come from using less land, water, feed and other resources than animals. In the case of microbial protein, resource utilization may be lower than that of soy and other plant-based proteins.
MicroHarvest’s microbial ingredient footprint — at 1.4 kg CO2 equivalent per kilogram of product — offering a sustainability edge equal to insect proteins and far superior to plant-derived proteins, the company says.
A study conducted by MicroHarvest in collaboration with a Wageningen University Masters program found that 78.4% of British and German dog owners would consider purchasing pet food products containing microbial proteinVEGDOGMicrobial protein studies in Europe
Pet food has been a focus application market from the beginning for MicroHarvest. The company recently partnered with a Wageningen University Masters program to conduct the first acceptance study for microbial protein among dog owners in the UK and Germany, countries that represent two of the largest premium dog food and treats markets in Europe.
The study surveyed 1,162 UK and German dog owners and found great interest, with 77.2% of respondents willing to buy dog treats containing microbial protein in their composition and 78.4% of owners dog owners want to buy a complete dog food that contains protein.
While other pet food products have explored microbial sources such as yeasts and mycelium as ingredients, this particular product is the first to be designed using microbial protein derived from bacteria that have become part of diets by humans for centuries in foods such as kimchi, kefir and sauerkraut.
A subsequent palatability study conducted by MicroHarvest found that dogs showed a 10% higher acceptance rate of microbial protein treats compared to those made exclusively with chicken.
“Testing confirmed that our protein ingredient has a robust nutritional profile that contains all the essential amino acids for dogs,” said Ally Motta, animal nutritionist and application specialist at MicroHarvest. “Furthermore, In a live palatability study, we found that treats containing our ingredient were enthusiastically accepted by 85% of the dogs tested, while treats containing only chicken meal were accepted by 75% This acceptance rate confirms the viability of MicroHarvest protein as a beneficial and nutritious treatment for dogs.
MicroHarvest cofounder Katelijne Bekers added that their partnership with VEGDOG, along with the results of their consumer research, demonstrated the potential for microbial ingredients to offer competitive protein alternatives to the pet food industry. animal
“Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for pet food consumers,” Bekers said. “However, there are other purchase drivers to consider, such as palatability, digestibility, as well as specific nutritional benefits, such as low-fat content. These are all benefits that are over-delivered of our protein. With increasing pressure on the animal-derived protein ingredients, our solution is an efficient way to differentiate the protein source for pet food manufacturers, which are both highly reliable and scalable.”
Besides the pet food industry, MicroHarvest is developing applications for their microbial proteins in cattle feed and aquaculture with the aim of expanding their product offering to tailored solutions for the food market. human food
A study conducted by MicroHarvest in collaboration with a Wageningen University Masters program found that 78.4% of British and German dog owners would consider purchasing pet food products containing microbial proteinVEGDOG
