From Paleo to Table: Food Tech Start Up Secures Patents for Heme-Based Proteins

Paleo, a food tech startup, has reportedly secured patents for “precision fermentation heme technology.” Heme is the molecule that is credited with the taste and texture of meat, and, while it is found in high concentrations in animal blood, it is also in vegan-friendly options such as soy and yeast. 

This invention may open kitchen doors to a range of sustainable heme-based proteins including beef, chicken, pork, lamb, tuna, and even paleo-era mammoth protein.

Heme technology was first brought to market by Impossible Foods. The vegan meat brand has since faced some controversy and regulatory pressure for the gene-editing practice that allows it to source heme from soy root. 

Paleo’s precision fermentation patents claim to have developed technology for sourcing heme without the need for genetic modification. 

According to Andy de Jong, Paleo COO and Co-Founder, precision fermentation technology offers more choice, better taste, and familiarity for people looking to adopt a “true flexitarian lifestyle”, while limiting the greenhouse gas emissions associated by animal agriculture.