Plant-based casein maker lands first commercial partner

Dive Brief:

• Biotechnology company Pureture landed its first commercial partnership this week with global dairy manufacturer Namyang Dairy Products, according to a release emailed to Food Dive. 
• The partnership will allow South Korea-based Namyang to incorporate Pureture’s yeast-derived casein into a fully plant-based offering.
• The company hopes this partnership will “validate the functionality,” of its product and lead other global CPG brands to promote clean labels and “not sacrifice when it comes to the shift in alternative dairy products,” Pureture CEO Rudy Yoo told Food Dive in an emailed response to questions.

Dive Insight:

Casein is a milk protein and a major component of animal-based dairy products that allows for a stable emulsion of fat and water in milk, and gives cheeses their smooth and creamy texture. Pureture claims it created the world’s first non-GMO and completely plant-based version of the ingredient. 

Unlike its competitors — who are taking a genetically modified approach to replicating casein — Pureture sources its protein from yeast, which goes through a multi-step process of fermentation, protein recovery and emulsification. 

The resulting ingredient offers comparable functionality to dairy milk and has an equivalent nutritional profile, according to the company. 

“This partnership enables brands like Namyang Dairy to push for clean labels,” said Yoo. “Namyang’s already established products can now have a clean label, as well as increase its nutritional values within their plant-based offerings.”

On the heels of this announcement, Pureture is finalizing its seed round of fundraising with a goal of $12 million. Once the funding is secured, the company can build out its manufacturing facility. 

The company also boasts that eventually its product can offer a comparable price tag to that of dairy milk.

“This partnership not only validates the functionality of Pureture’s protein, but it also gives comfort to consumers because of our non-GMO approach,” said Yoo.