Brief: Geltor debuts ‘world’s first’ vegan collagen for food & beverage industry

• US “designer protein” startup Geltor has debuted what it describes as the world’s first real vegan collagen for the food and beverage industry.
• Bay Area-based Geltor claims that the product, PrimaColl, is different from plant-based ‘collagen builder’ or ‘collagen booster’ formulations on the market because it’s an exact match to the bioactive amino acid core of  Type XXI collagen.
• “Like most collagens, natural production of Type XXI decreases into adulthood,” said Geltor co-founder and cheif technology officer Nick Ouzounov. “The functional collagen core of Type XXI was selected in the biodesign of PrimaColl due to its important role in interacting with other collagen types, and signaling activity for additional collagen production.”

Why it matters:

With the vast majority of collagen coming from pigs, companies aiming to produce vegan-friendly beauty and wellness products have been on the hunt for an animal-free option. And with consumer demand for functional food ingredients steadily rising, many food manufacturers are looking to reformulate their products to include extra benefits around health and wellness.

Since launching in 2015, Geltor has been provideing collagen to the personal care and cosmetics industries – including its first product, award-winning skincare ingredient N-Collage. PrimaColl is Geltor’s first product aimed specifically at the food and beverage space. Geltor claims PrimaColl delivers greater potency in less volume compared to animal-based collagen and has fewer secondary components.

The startup raised $91.3 million for its Series B round last July.