MANY MINDEDOnego Bio's Bioalbumen Enters Breakfast Market
Onego Bio, a Finnish food tech startup spun from VTT Technical Research Centre, has partnered with Zen Waffles to introduce Bioalbumen—a precision-fermented recombinant ovalbumin protein—into the breakfast category. The product, made using *Trichoderma reesei*, constitutes 54% of egg white protein content and meets a PDCAAS score of 1.0. Bioalbumen requires 95% less land and 97% less water than conventional eggs while generating 89% fewer greenhouse gas emissions. It holds US FDA GRAS status (2025) and has a two-year shelf life. Onego Bio also collaborates with Sigma Foods for product development.
Market trends support this entry: high-protein packaged food sales grew 25% and baked goods sales rose 46% between 2021 and 2025 in the US. With 44% of Americans prioritizing protein during breakfast in 2025 and 57% planning to do so in 2026, the product aligns with rising demand. Only two US-approved precision-fermented egg white proteins exist—Onego Bio and The Every Company—though the companies are engaged in an ongoing IP dispute.
This moves breakfast protein access toward affordability without requiring major systemic shifts. Bioalbumen’s environmental efficiency and shelf stability address resource constraints while meeting nutritional standards. However, its impact depends on resolving the IP dispute and scaling production to match growing demand. Environmental claims are relative to conventional eggs as the baseline, and consumer behavior data is self-reported.
What to watch: Resolution of the IP dispute with The Every Company and whether Bioalbumen can scale to meet the 57% of Americans planning protein-focused breakfasts in 2026. The source notes this is a current status as of September 2026.
Source: Green Queen