Yokneam Illit, Israel—NextFerm Technologies announced its successful completion of an industrial production pilot for ProteVin, a vegan, non-GMO, yeast-based protein alternative.

The food-tech company reported in a press release that the successful pilot is the first of three milestones towards commercial production and launch of ProteVin, planned in 2022. The two additional milestones:
  1. Generating initial demand from the market and engagement with a first customer by the end of 2021
  2. Entering into a production agreement with a subcontractor.
As part of the pilot, the industrial production of the protein was examined while preserving the same characteristics that were achieved in the laboratory scale, according to a press release. NextFerm added that analysis of the results by independent labs, an internal team of taste testers, and a potential customer, showed that ProteVin successfully achieved all the pilot's objectives. The targets outlined in the release:
  1. Meeting the parameters determined that define the product. In tests performed by an independent lab, ProteVin met all parameters defined, including concentration of the protein, composition of amino acids, digestibility, light color, a product free of contaminants and allergens, and its compliance with food regulations and other quality parameters.
  2. Compliance with taste, flavor and odor requirements. The company says ProteVin achieved neutral taste, flavor and odor requirements, without typical aftertaste and odor of various types of plant-based proteins.
  3. Ability to supply samples for customers' approval: NextFerm said it produced a quantity of the protein sufficient to supply samples in the amount required for approval by potential customers, and added that customer testing includes integrating the protein in product prototypes.
"The successful industrial pilot of ProteVin marks an important achievement that brings us significantly closer to the planned commercial production and launch of ProteVin in 2022," said Boaz Noy, Chief Executive Officer of NextFerm, in the release. "The fast-growing alternative protein market is estimated at $13 billion, with an annual growth rate of 10%. The strong need for innovation by leading players in the food industry is for the protein itself, the raw material that is the foundation for all animal-derived food alternatives.
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Noy added that the successful pilot reflects the value proposition of ProteVin as an alternative to animal-derived protein, with neutral taste and flavor and no aftertaste. "This makes it accessible to a wide array of products such as milk and dairy substitutes, meat substitutes and additional categories such as infant nutrition, adult nutrition, and sports nutrition," Noy said, also pointing to ProteVin's nutritional value with essential amino acids (EAA), branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), and good digestibility.

“We have recently begun sending commercial samples of ProteVi™ to potential customers worldwide," Noy said. "On the production side, we are in discussions with several potential subcontractors, in order to launch the product in 2022, as planned, and look forward to update our investors on our progress.”  The product can be marketed in the U.S., Europe and other countries.
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