ADM Moves a Precision Fermentation Egg White Toward Commercial Scale and Keeps Its Natural Colors Target
On its Nov. 3 earnings call, ADM said an egg white alternative is headed to commercial scale, a whey alternative is in development, and its natural colors profit target is unchanged.
ADM is moving an egg white alternative made by precision fermentation toward commercial-scale production, CEO Juan Luciano said on the company’s Nov. 3 earnings call. He named precision fermentation as a growth pathway alongside natural colors, where ADM kept its profit target unchanged.
TLDR
- ADM is moving toward commercial-scale production of an egg white ingredient alternative, Luciano said.
- It is working with a technology partner on a whey alternative.
- Luciano said precision fermentation should become profitable in the next two to three years.
- ADM’s natural colors target is still $80 million to $100 million of added annual operating profit over time.
Egg White and Whey
Precision fermentation uses microbes to make specific proteins. At ADM it sits in the Carbohydrate Solutions segment, Luciano said on the third-quarter call.
The egg white alternative is aimed at baked goods, protein bars and pasta, Food Business News reported. Earlier this year ADM said it would scale production of OvoPro, a high-protein egg ingredient from The Every Co., at its corn processing plant in Clinton, Iowa, according to the same report.
The whey alternative is meant to match the molecular profile of conventional whey with more consistent quality, Food Business News reported. Luciano also said ADM is investing in animal-free, meat-like proteins.
Why ADM Says It Can Scale
Luciano cited three advantages. ADM has commercial-scale supply of dextrose, the sugar that fermentation microbes feed on. It is using fermentation assets it already owns instead of building new plants. And it has research, supply chain and customer ties that support clean label ingredients, Food Business News reported.
Asked about timing by an analyst, Luciano said the business should turn profitable over the next two or three years and become meaningful between year five and year 10.
Natural Colors and the Nutrition Segment
ADM focused on U.S. natural colors on its second-quarter call. On Nov. 3, Luciano said the target was unchanged at $80 million to $100 million of annual operating profit uplift over time in its Nutrition segment. He said on the call that the fermentation opportunity reaches beyond protein to natural colors.
Nutrition segment operating profit was $134 million in the third quarter, Chief Financial Officer Monish Patolawala said. He said Human Nutrition was held back by unplanned downtime, inflation and soft demand for biotics.
Why It Matters
ADM is one of the largest suppliers of food ingredients. It is now pitching two clean label growth lines to investors: natural colors and fermentation-made proteins. ADM says the fermentation work runs on assets it already owns. Its timeline puts precision fermentation profits two to three years out, with a meaningful contribution, Luciano said, between year five and year 10.
Sources: Food Business News; ADM third-quarter 2026 earnings call transcript (The Motley Fool); ADM third-quarter 2026 earnings release (SEC filing).