San Leandro, California. – New Culture's animal-free casein protein has been deemed Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), which was reviewed by an independent panel of scientific and toxicology experts, according to the company.
GRAS self-designation allows the company to sell, use and consume animal-free casein in the United States.
To achieve GRAS, New Culture's proprietary casein, which is made using microfermentation, matches the overall nutritional identity and flavor of the cow casein it replaces, and uses a repeatable, industry-standard, food-safe manufacturing process, according to the company.
“Receiving another ‘world first’ for our animal-free casein product is a testament to the hard work and innovative team we have at New Culture,” said Inga Radmann, co-founder and chief science officer at New Culture. “Achieving GRAS status proves that animal inputs are not necessary to produce casein protein and represents an essential step on our path to commercialization.”
In August, the company scaled up its fermentation process to mass manufacture animal-free mozzarella using microfermentation. The company plans to introduce animal-free mozzarella cheese in pizzerias later this year.
