Bond Pet Foods partners Hill’s Pet Nutrition to propel growth in precision fermentation

USA- Hill’s Pet Nutrition has entered a collaborative partnership with Bond Pet Foods, a US-based company specializing in animal proteins produced through precision fermentation. 

The recent delivery of two metric tons of animal protein to Hill’s Pet Nutrition is a significant step towards bringing Bond’s fermentation technology to the pet food market.

The partnership aims to advance the development and evaluation of Bond’s fermentation-based animal proteins, with Hill’s utilizing the delivered protein to formulate various test products at its Pet Nutrition Center in Topeka, Kansas. 

These products will undergo regulatory review and evaluation by the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), paving the way for potential market prototypes.

Rich Kelleman, Founder, and CEO of Bond Pet Foods, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration and highlighted the growing interest in developing alternative meat proteins for pet health. 

“We’re big fans of all the companies that are emerging in the space,” Kelleman stated, acknowledging the variety of approaches employed by startups, including cell culture and traditional fermentation methods.

Bond’s approach to precision fermentation involves sourcing DNA from live chickens and combining it with yeast in a fermentation tank. The resulting fermented meat protein, after reaching the desired density and composition, is dried and ground into a powder. 

Kelleman emphasized that this process, known as precision fermentation, leverages existing technology to produce animal proteins efficiently and responsibly.

In addition to its current protein offerings, Bond aims to expand its portfolio, providing scalable, cost-effective, and nutritionally complete proteins suitable for various pet food applications. 

Kelleman highlighted the straightforward production process of Bond’s ingredients, which, at scale, can compete with conventional proteins used in the industry.

The collaboration between Hill’s and Bond extends beyond the initial delivery, with plans to produce a second animal protein for Hill’s product portfolio. Kelleman noted Hill’s confidence in Bond’s protein proposition and its potential for the industry.

Despite regulatory challenges, Kelleman remains optimistic about the future of novel proteins in pet food. He emphasized Hill’s commitment to the process, stating, “Working with the volume of protein delivered, its global innovation team is developing a variety of prototypes for market evaluation.”

Bond Pet Foods is also evaluating the environmental impact of its protein products through a science-based lifecycle analysis (LCA). This assessment aims to substantiate Bond’s reduced emissions and resource impacts compared to conventional proteins, aligning with the company’s mission to provide sustainable solutions for pet nutrition.

The partnership between Bond Pet Foods and Hill’s Pet Nutrition marks a significant step forward in the development of alternative protein sources for pet food, emphasizing innovation and sustainability in the pet food industry.

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