Developed through a collaboration between the two companies, Lamb Protein Yeast is the first ingredient from the Hill's–Bond partnership to complete FDA's Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Notice review process. The clearance supports use in healthy adult dogs at inclusion levels up to 15% of the finished food.
Fermentation technology
Precision fermentation is a technology used to produce human food ingredients including enzymes, vitamins and cheese-making cultures. Bond's platform uses optimized yeast cultures to produce proteins the companies say are nutritionally comparable to those derived from conventional animal sources. The Lamb Protein Yeast ingredient has a complete amino acid profile with nutritional characteristics comparable to traditional lamb protein, according to the companies.
Development included a six-month longitudinal feeding study in dogs. Bond and Hill's said they have also completed a feeding study in cats using Lamb Protein Yeast and are preparing to submit additional information to FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine in support of feline use.
"We are thrilled to achieve this important regulatory milestone with Hill's," said Rich Kelleman, founder and CEO of Bond Pet Foods. "The results of our six-month feeding study, together with the FDA's Letter of No Objection, demonstrate the safety and nutritional performance of our brewed proteins and bring us a significant step closer to delivering a reliable source of high-quality protein for pets."
Partnership
The Hill's–Bond collaboration was first announced in 2021 with the goal of developing protein sources that meet pet dietary needs through science-based processes. Milestones have included commercial-scale production of Lamb Protein Yeast and delivery of more than 25 metric tons to Hill's facilities for formulation, testing and regulatory evaluation.
"This achievement underscores our long-standing commitment to science-led innovation in pet nutrition," said Dave Baloga, executive vice president, science and technology at Hill's Pet Nutrition. "Lamb Protein Yeast expands the range of science-backed nutritional options we can deliver, supporting our sustainability objectives while maintaining the rigorous nutritional standards for which Hill's is known."
With regulatory status secured for dog food, the companies said they are moving into U.S. commercialization while continuing work to support feline use.
According to Petfood Industry's Top Pet Food Companies, Hill's Pet Nutrition sells more than 300 products, principally through authorized pet supply retailers and veterinarians in more than 80 countries worldwide.
Bond Pet Foods is a Boulder, Colorado, U.S.-based company using biotechnology to create meat proteins that are nutritionally comparable to their conventional counterparts. Using some of the same processes that are employed in craft brewing, Bond produces high-quality animal proteins through fermentation, harvests them to meet the nutritional requirements of companion animals, and supplies the ingredients to manufacturers for pet food, treat and supplement applications.
