Insights & News

The World Health Organization has described iron deficiency as the most common and widespread nutritional disorder worldwide (PubMed, Iron Deficiency Anaemia, 2021). For food and supplement companies in health and wellness, a market that size is worth serving well. Which iron ingredient you build a product around determines how well it works, how long people stay on it, and whether it delivers what the label promises.

For decades, lactoferrin has been studied for its role in human biology. Only recently has it become accessible for broader product innovation. Naturally present in milk and part of the body’s innate defense system, lactoferrin is a bioactive protein known for its ability to bind iron, help shape the balance of gut microbial populations, reinforce the gut barrier lining, and calm inflammation as part of modulating the body's immune responses. These functions underpin its potential across areas such as iron regulation, gut health, immune support, and active nutrition, categories where demand for targeted, evidence-based ingredients continues to grow. Despite this strong scientific foundation, lactoferrin has remained a niche ingredient. Limited availability, high cost, and reliance on dairy extraction have historically restricted its use to specialized applications such as infant nutrition. That constraint is now changing. Advances in precision fermentation are enabling the production of lactoferrin at scale, with consistent quality and price, and without dependence on traditional dairy supply chains. This shifts lactoferrin from a constrained bioactive to a viable ingredient for broader formulation. With Vivitein™ LF, Vivici introduces its precision fermentation-derived lactoferrin ingredient, available at scale for health and wellness brands for the first time.

The global protein system is under pressure. Animal-based protein production consumes a disproportionate share of land, water, and energy, while demand for high-quality protein continues to rise. As the world moves toward nearly 10 billion people, it’s increasingly clear that conventional production methods alone won’t scale sustainably. At the same time, expectations are changing: consumers want nutrition without compromise, they want products that taste great, support health and performance, align with modern lifestyles, and reduce environmental impact. For people working in food and ingredient development, that challenge is both technical and systemic. This is where precision fermentation technology becomes essential. Not as a future promise, but as a practical, scalable way to enable sustainable protein production without giving up on functionality, nutrition, or taste. At Vivici, this belief shapes everything we build.

Vivici has been awarded EUR 12.5 million through the EIC Accelerator Program. The funding validates Vivici’s technology and commercial progress while supporting further innovation in sustainable dairy proteins.

Vivici will showcase Vivitein™ LF, its precision fermentation-derived lactoferrin ingredient, at Expo West 2026 in Anaheim (Booth #3894). Designed to unlock commercial access to “pink gold,” Vivitein™ LF enables innovation in sustained vitality, gut health, and performance recovery, offering scalable, high-purity lactoferrin for next-generation health and wellness products. Visitors can experience live tastings of Vivitein™ LF and Vivitein™ BLG concepts, including functional shots and RTD beverages, and meet the Vivici leadership team to explore partnership opportunities in premium nutrition innovation.

Vivici has launched Vivitein™ LF in the US, unlocking commercial access to lactoferrin (often called “pink gold”) through precision fermentation. The high-purity, multi-functional protein ingredient has achieved self-affirmed GRAS status and enables nutrition innovators to develop next-generation products targeting gut health, performance recovery, and sustained vitality. Vivici will showcase Vivitein™ LF and its broader Vivitein™ portfolio at Expo West 2026 in Anaheim (Booth #3894).