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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

alternative breast milk

TurtleTree Debuts Animal-Free Lactoferrin

TurtleTree, a biotechnology startup using precision fermentation to create bioactive ingredients such as animal-free milk proteins, has announced it will debut its precision-fermentation derived lactoferrin, which has the commercial name of LF+, tonight at a tasting event in San Francisco.

The bioactive milk protein, which the company says is nicknamed “pink gold” due to its high-cost and pink hue, is much sought after for its health benefits, including immunity, iron regulation, and digestive health support. However, conventional extraction techniques require massive amounts of cow’s milk – up to 10,000 liters, the equivalent of a week’s worth of milk production from nearly 50 cows – to obtain just 1 kilogram of purified lactoferrin. Because of this, traditionally derived lactoferrin costs anywhere between $700 to $1,500 per kilogram, which has been a gating factor in the broader adoption of this valuable protein.

By using precision fermentation, which uses microbes embedded with lactoferrin’s recipe to produce the protein, TurtleTree hopes to offer a more affordable and sustainably-derived form of lactoferrin to the market in LF+. If they are successful, the company may be one of the first startups launched in recent years to target proteins for infants (and beyond) using cellular agriculture to bring a scaled, revenue-generating product line to market. More broadly, the company may have also engineered an approach to make lactoferrin more widely available to consumers through a variety of products.

The move towards precision fermentation to produce functional proteins is a sign the company has evolved since it was founded in 2019. When The Spoon first interviewed the company, they focused primarily on using cell-cultivation methods to produce breast milk analogs. According to CTO Max Rye at the time, the company was using cell-cultivation techniques to grow mammary gland cells in a lab that would lactate milk. Company CEO Fengru Lin speculated early on that their first product would be human breast milk.

Fast forward to 2023, and the company has become more diversified in its approach to utilizing cellular agriculture techniques after bringing on some key hires skilled in the application of precision fermentation, a move that looks to have accelerated its path toward revenue with the commercialization of its animal-free lactoferrin. The company hopes to launch LF+ in the fourth quarter of this year.

You can watch the TurtleTree hero reel on their new product below:

Unlocking The Future of Nutrition with LF+, TurtleTree’s Unique Lactoferrin

Helaina is Developing Immune-Boosting Breast Milk Through Precision Fermentation

A new start-up called Helaina strives to support parents and newborns through its alternative breast milk developed through precision fermentation. The company is currently in its development phase, and to date, has raised $4 million in funding.

As Laura Katz, the founder of Helaina, explained to me this week, “Our goal is to replicate the immune equivalent proteins found in breast milk.” To develop its alternative breast milk, Helaina is not using cellular cultivation, but is using its own proprietary microbial platform. Through microbial fermentation, proteins are developed that the company says are 99% identical to those found in breastmilk. According to Katz, these proteins can act as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral agents, and can provide the same immunity for infants that is found in regular breast milk

Helaina is focused predominantly on developing the protein component of breast milk, but Katz said the company will work on the other important components as they grow. When the product is ready to launch, it will likely first be offered in powdered form, with other forms available later on.

A little-known statistic when it comes to breastfeeding is that only 13 percent of all mothers are able to exclusively breastfeed within the first six months of their infant’s life. Most mothers struggle with it at some point, while some parents cannot breastfeed their baby at all. That being said, a few other companies are focused on developing alternative products for infant nutrition.

BIOMILQ cultivates mammary epithelial cells, and grows them in a way that allows them to produce milk. At the beginning of this summer, the company announced it had successfully produced human milk outside of the breast. TurtleTree is using cellular agriculture technology to develop human breast milk, and recently announced its first commercial product would be a protein called lactoferrin.

Helaina is currently working with the FDA to develop a safe product that receives approval. After this step, the company will have a better idea of when it will be able to launch its first product.