Evo Foodsand Ginkgo Bioworks have partnered to develop a method for producing animal-free egg proteins for use in Evo’s products.

Evo Foods will leverage Ginkgo’s cell engineering capabilities to explore recombinant production methods for egg proteins. By collaborating with Ginkgo, Evo intends to create upgraded egg substitutes.

“As consumers and food brands call for more sustainable food options, we collaborate with Ginkgo to pioneer new animal-free ingredients. Evo is committed to playing a part in feeding our ever-growing world and this partnership will support us as we develop next-generation products in this market,” says Kartik Dixit, CEO, Evo Foods.

Creating the ideal profile for egg substitutes

The companies are among many in the race to find optimum animal protein replacements. Current egg substitutes have limitations in their ability to replicate the texture, taste, cooking properties and nutritional profile of eggs.

Evo Foods is using Ginkgo’s Cell Development Kits (CDKs) to advance egg substitutes. CDKs are designed to cut the cost of launching a cell program and speed up development timelines to build engineered proteins or microbes. 

The service is also designed to enable customers to prototype their idea in modules, with each module potentially providing data that can inform the customer’s project and business strategy.By collaborating with Ginkgo, Evo intends to create upgraded egg substitutes. 

“Ginkgo is always looking for new ways to help developers solve massive societal challenges through biology, and partnering with Evo Foods to create more sustainable food ingredients is the perfect opportunity,” says Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder, Ginkgo Bioworks.

Industry developments

Several strides have been made in the egg substitutes category and in the R&D of creating animal-free egg proteins. 

For example, Clara Foods, rebranded as The Every Company, launched its animal-free, nature-equivalent egg protein – Every ClearEgg. The San Francisco, US-based food-tech company’s first egg protein offers a highly soluble, “nearly invisible” protein boost in food and beverage products. 

Meanwhile, Nabati Foods Global filed new patents for its plant-based egg product, Nabati Plant Eggz. These have been registered in Canada, the US and Australia. The company further intends to file in Europe and China. 

Nabati’s Plant Eggz is the “first and only Canadian-made plant-based egg substitute.” Nutritionally, each serving has only 90 calories with no cholesterol, 6 g of protein and 2 g of fiber.