BioCraft Pet Nutrition, the first biotech company to develop animal cell-cultured ingredients for the pet food market, and Prefera Petfood, a specialist in premium natural wet pet food production, have announced a partnership to commercialize a hypoallergenic, nutritionally complete cat food made almost entirely from cell-cultured mouse.
The partnership’s debut product — a mouse “mousse” — is based on BioCraft’s animal-cell cultured ingredient that not only provides the basic nutrients essential for cats and dogs, but offers additional functional advantages for pet health, including a hypoallergenic protein source and an Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acid ratio that is superior to traditional meat. This forthcoming product for cats leverages BioCraft’s unique cell-culture process to create functional and environmentally sustainable food that is identical to their natural small prey diet.
“Achieving a near 100 percent inclusion level of an animal cell-cultured ingredient for a final product is a game-changer for the pet food industry,” said BioCraft founder and CEO Dr. Shannon Falconer. “Most cellular agriculture initiatives struggle to reach high inclusion levels of their ingredient in a final product; however, low inclusion levels don’t accomplish the objective of reducing our reliance on intensive animal agriculture. Prefera understands this, and with BioCraft’s cell-cultured ingredient has overcome this challenge.”
“As a company committed to the highest standards of safety and quality, using only real, identifiable ingredients without artificial additives or preservatives, our partnership with BioCraft helps us innovate in ways that benefit both pets and the environment,” said Nicola Magalini, general manager of Prefera Petfood, founded in early 2024 by a team of industry veterans. “This innovative collaboration marks a significant milestone in functional, sustainable and ancestrally-appropriate pet nutrition.”
Early palatability tests have demonstrated exceptional acceptance rates among cats, with taste trials showing strong preference for cell-cultured mouse mousse over conventional alternatives.
“Cats are notoriously selective eaters, so we’re thrilled with the enthusiastic reception,” said Magalini. “It’s clear that our feline friends can’t tell the difference — except perhaps that they prefer it.”
The companies will officially debut product samples May 5-7 in Bologna at Zoomark International, the leading European trade show for pet products, giving industry professionals the first opportunity to learn more about Prefera and BioCraft’s functional, sustainable pet nutrition.
Third-party profiling of over 100 nutrients confirmed BioCraft’s animal-cell cultured ingredients offer a highly similar nutritional profile as standard “meat slurry” currently used by pet food manufacturers, with comparable levels of key nutrients, such as taurine, lysine, methionine and tryptophan. BioCraft’s ingredients have been validated to be free of bacterial pathogens, viruses including retroviruses, mycotoxins, molds and yeasts; free of biogenic amines (natural compounds produced by living cells that can have negative health effects when present at high concentrations); and free of heavy metals. Ingredients are produced using stable, non-immortalized, non-genetically modified animal cells.
BioCraft expects to begin producing initial commercial volumes of its ingredient by the end of 2025, with mouse mousse to follow. Prefera products are sold primarily in Europe.
