“A Bay Area-based startup called Geltor is using genetic engineering to make animal-free gelatin that’s identical to the traditional product. The company programs microbes with the same genes that produce gelatin in animals and then uses those microbes to “brew” the product.
Vegans and vegetarians want vegan gummy bears, but the plant-based alternatives to gelatin are more expensive and less functional.
For manufacturers, the new process would also be much more efficient. Raising an animal can take years; after the animal is slaughtered, processing the scraps in an acid bath can take a month, with further processing needed after that.”
