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At a special dinner at Eleven Madison Park, the famed three-Michelin-star restaurant that went entirely plant-based in 2021, diners will be served dishes containing eggs. But it’s not a sign that the restaurant is crawling back its animal-free ethos; the eggs on those diners’ plates didn’t come from chickens. Instead, they were made with precision fermentation.
The eggs are a product of biotech company The Every Company and aren’t just a substitute made with plant-based ingredients, but contain real egg proteins thanks to the precision fermentation process. In that process, the DNA sequences responsible for animal proteins are inserted into yeast, which is then fed sugar. As the yeast ferments in a tank, it turns that sugar into protein. The company then adds plant-based ingredients to bolster its taste and texture, creating a “1-1 drop-in for eggs from hens” that tastes and performs like those you’d buy at the grocery store.
[Image: courtesy The Every Company]
Speaking on his move to make his fine dining restaurant entirely vegan, Eleven Madison Park’s Chef Daniel Humm said that the world needed “innovation,” because we’re clearly running out of resources. “In choosing to unveil Every Egg in a first-of-its-kind tasting menu at Humm’s iconic, ‘Best of the Best’ restaurant, Every is irrefutably showing that precision fermentation is ready to meet the moment,” Every cofounder and CEO Arturo Elizondo said over email.
Precision fermentation has been a growing technology in the alternative-food space. Perfect Day used the process to create animal-free dairy, as did Onego Bio to make chicken-free egg whites. The Every Company previously launched an animal-free egg white protein as well; both that product and Onego Bio’s came in powder form, which can fit into existing manufacturing systems for products like protein supplements or confectionaries.
![This egg was made without chickens—and it's launching at Eleven Madiso 1 This egg was made without chickens—and it's launching at Eleven Madiso](https://i0.wp.com/images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_1200,c_limit,q_auto:best/wp-cms/uploads/2023/12/004-90994471-precision-fermentation-every-egg.jpg?resize=640%2C320&ssl=1)
[Image: courtesy The Every Company]
Every says that its latest debut is the first “liquid” egg made without hens; its additional plant-based ingredients to add flavor and texture means it has more to offer than just the ovalbumin protein most abundant in eggs. “Every Egg represents a watershed moment for precision fermentation and culinary innovation alike: This is the first time the world has seen a non-animal egg that is indistinguishable from hen’s egg,” Elizondo says. As a liquid—it’s like pourable eggs available in stores—it can be turned into scrambles, omelets, creme brûlées, and more.
Though it’s mean to taste and perform like a real egg, it doesn’t have the same nutritional profile: The Every egg has no cholesterol or saturated fat, and 8 grams of protein per serving (a chicken egg can have between 5 and 8 grams, depending on its size). Precision fermentation eggs use less land and water, and produce fewer emissions than those from hens. They’re also a way to solve ethical issues—the majority of eggs, around 70%, come from hens who spend their lives in cages—and to ensure stability amid diseases like avian flu that can disrupt egg supplies and even spill over into humans.
![This egg was made without chickens—and it's launching at Eleven Madiso 2 This egg was made without chickens—and it's launching at Eleven Madiso](https://i0.wp.com/images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_1200,c_limit,q_auto:best/wp-cms/uploads/2023/12/001-90994471-precision-fermentation-every-egg.jpg?resize=640%2C320&ssl=1)
[Image: courtesy The Every Company]
Nine years of product development went into the Every egg, according to the company, which has raised over $233 million since it was founded in 2015. Eleven Madison Park’s Humm created a special menu for the diners, who will sample different recipes—including an omelet, creme brûlée, and cocktails—on Friday, December 8. It’s the first time the restaurant crafted an event menu using another company’s product as the main ingredient, Elizondo says. (Eleven Madison Park has previously highlighted the bee-free honey company Mellody through its packaged goods offshoot.)
Every’s egg-white proteins are already commercially available for food manufacturers. Next, its liquid Every egg will be available at a few select restaurants in 2024.
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