Fooditive Group, a plant-based ingredient company based in the Netherlands, has partnered with US dairy company Leprino Foods to commercialize its animal-free casein. The vegan casein is made through precision fermentation and claims to be bioidentical to its animal counterpart.

Leprino Foods will have exclusive global rights to produce vegan casein using Fooditive's precision fermentation technology under a long-term license. The license will also give Leprino exclusive rights to distribute the casein for cheese and non-exclusive rights for all other food utilizations.

Analyst QuickTake: Fooditive Group developed its vegan casein protein in December 2021 and was among the first companies to commercialize such a product for food industry applications. However, several companies, including Fermify , Pureture , and NewMoo , currently specialize in animal-free casein products.