LONDON – Better Dairy, a startup focused on developing animal-free ingredients using precision fermentation, has achieved Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for its ingredient lactopontin. Lactopontin is a protein in human and cow’s milk that has been associated with tissue growth, repair and regeneration, according to Better Dairy.
“For decades, nutrition has been about giving your body more — more protein, more vitamins, more minerals,” says Jevan Nagarajah, founder and chief executive officer. “We believe the next big opportunity is different – it’s about understanding how nutrition can help the body use its own biology better.
“Lactopontin represents that opportunity. We bring naturally occurring signaling proteins to nutrition and supplements, with the potential to create a new generation of functional products.”
Lactopontin can be used with other functional ingredients like collagen, lactoferrin and probiotics, says Better Dairy. The company notes that these ingredients give manufacturers the opportunity to stack ingredients to maximize synergy and create different products.
“Making GRAS independent is a key step for us,” Nagarajah said. “It means we’ve gone beyond our foundations, developed world-leading science, and opened the door to real commercial applications.”