Key ingredient gets GRAS status in US, clearing way for sales of Tastilux

Animal-free fat maker Nourish Ingredients has received US clearance for a key ingredient it uses, enabling the company to sell its Tastilux product in that market.

According to a statement from the Canberra-based company on Wednesday, the expert panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States (FEMA) determined that Nourish’s proprietary Mortierella alpina biomass (S11) is generally recognised as safe (GRAS.)

S11 is the main ingredient in Tastilux, a meat-flavoured, meat-free fat made using precision fermentation.

FEMA's website explains that GRAS is “one way in which the regulatory authority to use a food ingredient (other than [colour] additives) can be determined”, with the other key path being via the Food and Drug Administration.

Dr James Petrie, Founder and CEO of Nourish Ingredients, added that the newly-earned status for the company’s biomass accelerated Tastilux’s entry to the US market.

“This regulatory milestone represents a major commercial breakthrough for our proprietary potent fats and technology, enabling us to deliver a true-to-meat experience that has been missing in the market,” said Petrie.

Nourish was founded by Petrie and fellow CSIRO scientist Dr Ben Leita in 2019, raised $14.5 million in seed funding two years after that, and then $45 million through a Series A round in 2022. Its backers include CSIRO's venture fund, Main Sequence.

Picture: supplied 

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