The EVERY Company has been awarded a patent for its recombinant ovalbumin ingredient in the European Union.

The development follows the recent announcement of EVERY's US patent (US 12,096,784) and adds to the company’s growing IP portfolio, which includes patents for recombinant ovalbumin in countries such as Finland, Germany, Denmark, the UK and Mexico.

EVERY’s co-founder and CEO, Arturo Elizondo, said: “Having our technology and product recognised as novel by the patent offices in both the US and European Union, two of the largest markets in the world, is a major win after a decade of continuous innovation."

The newly granted patent (4017287) covers an ingredient composition for food items containing a specific range of recombinant ovalbumin. As the primary protein in egg whites, ovalbumin is crucial for providing foaming, binding, gelling and nutritive properties.

The patent builds on the innovations outlined in EVERY’s US 12,096,784 patent, including wild-type ovalbumin with enhanced functionality through various modifications, and ovalbumin derived from multiple avian species. The production methods utilise hosts such as Pichia, Trichoderma, Saccharomyces and Aspergillus.

The patent details applications for recombinant ovalbumin in products like baked goods, meat and meat alternatives, ready-to-eat egg products, whipped cream and meringues, highlighting its contributions to properties like cohesiveness, springiness, chewiness and foam stability in both liquid and powder forms.

Although EVERY has not yet secured regulatory approval in the European Union, it has established commercial partnerships with European food companies Grupo Palacios and Unilever’s The Vegetarian Butcher earlier this year.

Elizondo added: “It’s no secret that the food tech and alt protein ecosystem is crowded. When it comes to bio-equivalent egg protein, however, our IP Estate has allowed us to maintain the largest first-mover advantage in the entire ecosystem, with a 7+ year head start on the nearest competitor."

"We were the first to focus on egg proteins using fermentation. We were the first to launch these products in the market, and we will be the first to bring recombinant egg proteins into the mass-market. We’re just getting started”.

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