AI protein discovery platform Shiru is producing its animal-free fat ingredient at commercial scale- CEO Jasmine Hume calls it a “turning point” for the food industry.
In a major milestone for the future food industry, a plant-based unsaturated fat discovered by artificial intelligence (AI) is now being manufactured at commercial levels.
Californian startup Shiru, which leverages AI to discover plant-derived and microbial alternatives to animal-based proteins and lipids, says it is now ready to supply finished ingredients to brands who need turnkey solutions, as well as license its technology to ingredient manufacturers.
The company’s flagship ingredient, OleoPro, is a structured fat alternative made from unsaturated oils and a blend of plant proteins called uPro, which mimics animal fats for plant-based meat, dairy and cosmetics applications.
During a time when the Trump administration is upending global supply chains, Shiru is aiming to solve challenges in nutrition, formulation, and manufacturing with speedy AI-powered solutions.
“This milestone is the result of years of creative problem-solving, late nights, perseverance, teamwork, and unshakable conviction,” founder and CEO Jasmin Hume wrote. “But it’s more than just a marker of company growth – it’s powerful validation that AI-driven product discovery can solve entrenched industry challenges with unprecedented speed.”
Shiru takes a big step to bring oleogels to market
Experts recognise oleogels as an alternative fat with major potential. The process combines oil with gelators to form hard structures, giving unsaturated oils some of the functional attributes of harder saturated fats, without all the health issues.
However, low availability of food-grade gelators and certain regulatory restrictions around their use have impeded efforts to produce them at a commercial scale. This is where AI comes in. Hume believes that when “used with purpose”, this tech can simplify complex biological and chemical processes to “unlock solutions that seem beautifully obvious in hindsight”.
Shiru used AI to find natural oleogel structurants, which Hume described as “clean-label, sustainable, and entirely plant-based”.
“Our AI platform helped us identify the right proteins, but that was only part of the story. Our team then engineered a scalable and entirely new process for producing those proteins with the precise performance attributes required to succeed in real-world formulations,” she said.
She noted how Cargill recently issued a call for experts on scaling oleogel production, and how Nestlé’s new structured dairy protein ingredients boost the release of the GLP-1 hormone to manage weight loss. Shiru’s uPro is a plant-based version of similar technologies
The startup has already signed over 30 agreements from food and ingredient manufacturers for OleoPro and uPro. “This moment is a turning point not just for Shiru, but for the food industry,” said Hume. “While we’re delivering plant-based structured fats that match the functionality of saturated animal fat and environmentally demanding ingredients like palm and coconut oil, we’re also opening the door to entirely new food experiences.”
One of its prototypes is a solid olive oil made purely with olive oil and uPro. “The future of food isn’t just better, it’s also more creative,” she said.
A healthier, planet-friendly alternative to tallow and palm oil
Shiru is scaling up OleoPro at the same time Americans shun seed oils and re-embrace beef tallow, which had gone out of fashion decades ago for its high saturated fat content. More than half of tallow is made up of saturates, mostly palmitic acid, which raises LDL (or bad) cholesterol levels, negatively impacts your metabolism, and can cause inflammation.
Americans eat too much saturated fat (it makes up 12% of their calories) – the American Heart Association recommends keeping this share under 5%, since historically, these fats have been linked with an increased risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the US.
Saturated fats usually have high smoke points, remain solid at room temperature, and last a long time, making them ideal for CPG applications. Plant-based versions include coconut and palm oil, though these fats generally cause vast amounts of tropical deforestation. OleoPro, though, is a climate-friendly alternative that can cut saturated fat content by 80%.
“We have the tools to simultaneously clean up labels, build more resilient supply chains, improve public health, and reduce our impact on the planet,” Hume said of Shiru’s ingredients. “This is just the beginning. Our pipeline is stacked with innovations ready to transform the food system and we’re breaking down barriers daily.”
The company is working on a protein-based alternative to methylcellulose, specifically designed for plant-based meat applications. Plus, it’s developing a vegan egg replacer that replicates the binding, leavening, and structural benefits of the chicken-derived version.
In addition, Shiru, which has raised $36M in funding, operates ProteinDiscovery.ai, an AI platform that hosts the world’s largest database of plant-derived and microbial proteins and enables corporate partners to swiftly identify and test highly functional, natural ingredients.
Its scale-up comes amid a boom in alternative fats. Australia’s Nourish Ingredients, California’s Yali Bio, New York’s C16 Biosciences and Sweden’s Melt&Marble use precision fermentation to produce fats and lipids, while Hoxton Farms, Steakholder Foods and Genuine Taste employ cell cultivation. Bill Gates-backed Savor, meanwhile, is fermenting carbon to produce animal-free butter.
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