The Protein Digest

Borage oil by-product shows promise as novel plant protein source. POS Biosciences' peer-reviewed study found borage pressed cake contains nearly 32% protein with heat-stable, functional properties suitable for food, feed, and aquaculture applications, advancing a whole-crop utilization strategy under the company's Borage360 initiative. (foodingredientsfirst.com)

Price alone does not explain low uptake of plant protein foods, SFU study finds. Loyalty-card data from more than 87,000 shoppers in Canada and Finland showed that meat purchases were more sensitive to price swings than plant-based alternatives, suggesting limited product variety is also a key barrier to dietary shifts. (eurekalert.org)

Rubisco startups race to commercialize the world's most abundant leaf protein. Leaft, Plantible, and Fudi Protein are among the companies seeking to scale extraction of rubisco, a complete-amino-acid leaf protein that food scientists have pursued since the 1960s but that remains difficult and expensive to produce commercially. (time.com)

IFF sells food ingredients business to CVC Capital Partners for $4.3 billion. The $4.3 billion deal marks the largest in a series of divestitures as IFF sharpens its focus on its Taste, Scent, and Health & Biosciences segments, retaining a 10% minority stake and board seat in the carved-out business. (millingmea.com)

Startups turn food industry byproducts into new products through fermentation. Companies including Fermtech, MOA Foodtech, MicroHarvest, and Mottainai Food Tech are pairing microorganisms with low-value substrates like cocoa shells, pea fiber, and soy pulp to create cheese analogues, meat substitutes, and pet food, while a Stanford lab has developed a Pecorino-like product from food waste using Neurospora mould. (bbc.com)

Gerber-Rauth sells dairy trading arm to focus on microbial fermentation and plant ingredients. The Milan-based private investment firm sold dairy broker L'Interform to Italian food-sourcing company Atlante, citing diminishing synergies between commodity cheese trading and its growing portfolio in microbial fermentation and plant-based ingredients. (agfundernews.com)

Nestlé partners with Helaina to study bioactive proteins for infant nutrition. The multi-year collaboration will focus on bioactive proteins, including human lactoferrin produced via microbial fermentation, and their role in early-life development. Helaina has scaled production to metric tons and is also expanding into adult nutrition applications across women's health, gut health, and immunity. (agfundernews.com)

Solar Foods' Solein makes US debut in microbial protein powder. The salted caramel cold brew–flavored powder, launched through Ambrosia Collective's Planta brand, contains 20 g of protein per serving and marks the first consumer-ready product made with the microbial ingredient globally. (nutritioninsight.com)

Aleph Farms cuts more staff and pivots to outsourcing amid cash crunch. The Israeli company has shed the majority of its roughly 140-person workforce since 2023 and is now shifting to an outsourcing model as it seeks fresh capital in a sector where no player has yet achieved commercially viable production at scale. (calcalistech.com)

Ayana Bio and Brevel win $1.25m grant to test light-enhanced plant cell culture. The Israel-US BIRD Foundation grant will fund research into whether Brevel's LED-equipped fermentation tanks can boost yields and bioactive production in Ayana Bio's plant cell lines for high-value botanicals such as sage, saffron, and marigold. (agfundernews.com)

Israeli researchers cut cell-cultured meat costs tenfold with scaffold technique. The technique, developed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, binds growth factors directly to a plant-derived cellulose scaffold, cutting expensive protein use by up to 90% while producing tissue that responds to pan-frying much like conventional sirloin. (phys.org)

Ghent University study finds cats readily accept cell-cultured meat diet. A feeding trial by Ghent University and BeneMeat found that cultured meat performed comparably to chicken in digestibility and acceptance, with nine out of ten cats readily consuming the diet. (demolenaar.nl)

USDA confirms New World screwworm detection in Texas cattle. APHIS identified screwworm larvae in a calf in Zavala County and has established a quarantine zone, deploying sterile flies and enhanced surveillance to contain and eradicate the pest. (aphis.usda.gov)

Chinese importers launch Brazil's first deforestation-free beef certification. The Tianjin Meat Association has committed to purchasing at least 50,000 tons of Beef on Track–certified product this year, verified by Imaflora across four tiers covering illegal deforestation, protected-area encroachment, and labor standards. (apnews.com)

U.S. dietary guidelines could raise environmental cost of protein intake. A PNAS study finds that eliminating ultra-processed foods delivers environmental gains, but those benefits are largely offset when higher protein recommendations steer consumers toward animal-sourced foods rather than plant alternatives. (news-medical.net)

FAO warns livestock antibiotic use could surge 30% by 2040. A new FAO report projects more than 143,000 tonnes of antimicrobials will be administered to livestock annually by 2040, driven by rising global meat demand and lax regulation, with cumulative resistance-related losses potentially reaching $318 billion. (theguardian.com)

U.S. farm bill provision would preempt state animal welfare laws. The Save Our Bacon Act, passed by the House as part of the broader farm bill, would preempt state livestock-raising standards including California's Proposition 12, potentially affecting more than 600 state agricultural regulations as the measure heads to Senate negotiations. (stateline.org)

Texas confirms first HPAI case in dairy cattle this year. USDA APHIS confirmed the H5N1 virus in diagnostic samples on May 30, 2026, prompting a quarantine of the affected operation and epidemiological investigations by state and federal officials. (gilmermirror.com)

Genetic testing reveals persistent shrimp mislabeling across Gulf and Southeast U.S. SeaD Consulting's spring investigation across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Georgia found that many restaurants continue to sell imported or farm-raised shrimp as domestic wild-caught product, despite state labeling requirements. Mississippi showed significant improvement, but Baton Rouge and Savannah remain persistent problem markets. (nationalfisherman.com)

Oregon lawmakers urge DEQ to ease enforcement against Pacific Seafood. The bipartisan Oregon Coastal Caucus sent a letter asking the state Department of Environmental Quality to pause $3.2 million in civil penalties against Pacific Seafood's processing facilities, arguing that the agency's wastewater standards threaten rural coastal economies. (opb.org)

Scientists warn livestock industry is misusing methane metric to avoid emission cuts. A coalition of 42 researchers, including Michael Mann and Drew Shindell, says governments and beef and dairy producers are exploiting the GWP* methodology to set weak methane targets that freeze current emissions in place rather than pursuing deep cuts. (nationalobserver.com)

Drone attack sinks livestock vessel, reigniting live export ban debate. A suspected drone strike in the Strait of Hormuz sank the Indian-flagged MSV Haji Ali, killing some 4,000 sheep and goats bound from Somalia to the UAE, as animal welfare groups press governments to follow Australia, New Zealand, and Britain in ending seaborne livestock shipments. (maritime-executive.com)