Belgian precision fermentation is strong Paleo An Australian farmed meat company has announced legal action against Vow for claiming the mammoth myoglobin protein is Vow’s invention. “Despite knowing that the technology (mammoth myoglobin) was already developed by Paleo, the patent application is ongoing.”
“When Vow claims that no one has tasted mammoth myoglobin, that’s simply not true. We’ve made mammoth myoglobin and we’ve tasted it in our lab.”
Paleo Alt Meat makes animal-free heme protein as an ingredient. It focuses on the production of myoglobin, a heme protein found in animal muscles. In July 2022, the company released six new non-GM proteins: chicken, beef, pork, lamb and tuna proteins, and new variations of its mammoth protein as part of species extinct in the wild.
“Our progress in developing myoglobin for mammoth — and also beef, lamb, tuna, chicken and pork — was significant and hard work to bring,” Paleo said.
Mammoth Meatballs
“When we came to know about the incident, we were surprised. We sent out a press release nine months ago to announce that we have developed the exact same mammoth protein (myoglobin) based on our fundamental research and innovation”, explained Hermes Sanctorum, CEO of Paleo.
On March 28, Wunderman Thompson and Australian startup Vow unveiled a “mammoth meatball” at the NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam, claiming it was the world’s first meatball containing mammoth myoglobin, Paleo said.
“When Vrata claims that no one has tasted mammoth myoglobin, that’s simply not true. We’ve made mammoth myoglobin, and we’ve tasted it in our lab,” Paleo adds.
The story of vows
Brat said this week: “The world’s first meatball made from mammoth DNA has been unveiled at the Nemo Science Museum in the Netherlands — a scientific experiment using advanced molecular engineering from an Australian cultured meat company. Vow and a panel of international experts to demonstrate the potential of cultured meat to revolutionize the food industry.
The Australian company continues: “Using new and innovative technology, Mammoth Meatball was created from the DNA of the extinct woolly mammoth and complemented with fragments of African elephant DNA (a close relative of the mammoth).”
Mammoth seeks to highlight the connection between growing population and biotechnology as a solution to the crisis of climate and biodiversity loss. But since these novel foods were still approved as safe in Europe, the development of the vow was only for museum display.
Additionally, Vow has released a website where users can learn about Mammoth Meatballs. In a video on the website, a woman’s voice says: “The mammoth is a symbol of loss. But we wondered if this prehistoric animal could also be a beacon of hope.”
Vow is Australia’s first farmed meat company to begin the regulatory approval process with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), hoping to introduce a line of farmed quail called morsels to restaurants by 2024.
“no food”
Paleo said it contacted Vow before the event, but Vow’s legal team responded that Mammoth Meatballs “were not food,” dismissing Paleo’s allegations. “It is clear that Vow was well aware of Paleo’s patent application, but chose to ignore this fact in order to pursue PR values for its own brand,” Paleo commented.
“To see this progress being claimed by a third party rubs us the wrong way. Further, the suggestion that its “mammoth meatballs” are “not food” is patently ridiculous.
“At Paleo, we are in business for ethical reasons. We want to reduce meat consumption by increasing the taste of meat alternatives. Ethical business means you respect your colleagues and you don’t make false claims. We are currently considering all legal options to protect our reputation as innovators and our intellectual property,” Paleo concluded.