Recombinant animal-free food compositions and methods of making them

1. An animal-free egg white composition comprising recombinantly-produced proteins wherein the recombinant-proteins are ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, and lysozyme;

wherein the animal-free egg white composition comprising recombinantly-produced proteins resembles an animal-derived egg white in consistency, taste, and appearance.

2. An egg white composition, wherein the egg white composition is an animal-free egg-white composition, wherein the animal free-egg white composition comprises a protein content, wherein the protein content consists of recombinant egg white proteins, wherein the recombinant egg white proteins in the animal-free egg white composition consists of:

a) recombinant ovalbumin;

b) recombinant ovomucoid;

c) recombinant lysozyme; and

d) recombinant ovotransferrin;

wherein

a conformation of the recombinant ovalbumin is similar to native ovalbumin,

a conformation of the recombinant ovomucoid is similar to native ovomucoid,

a conformation of the recombinant lysozyme is similar to native lysozyme and

a conformation of the recombinant ovotransferrin is similar to native ovotransferrin;

wherein

the proportion of recombinant ovalbumin in the animal-free egg white composition is similar to the proportion of ovalbumin in an animal-derived egg white,

the proportion of recombinant ovomucoid in the animal-free egg white composition is similar to the proportion of ovomucoid in an animal-derived egg white,

the proportion of recombinant lysozyme in the animal-free egg white composition is similar to the proportion of lysozyme in an animal-derived egg white, and

the proportion of recombinant ovotransferrin in the animal-free egg white composition is similar to the proportion of ovotransferrin in an animal-derived egg white;

and wherein

the animal-free egg white composition comprising recombinantly-produced proteins resembles an animal-derived egg white in consistency, taste, and appearance.

3. The animal-free egg white composition of claim 1 , wherein the dry weight proportion of the recombinantly-produced proteins is substantially similar to their dry weight proportion in an animal-derived egg white.

4. The egg white composition of claim 2 , wherein the dry weight proportion of the recombinant proteins is about 54 ovalbumin: 12 ovotransferrin: 11 ovomucoid: 3.4 lysozyme.

5. The egg white composition of claim 2 , wherein the protein content consists of about 54% ovalbumin, about 12% ovotransferrin, about 11% ovomucoid and about 3.4% lysozyme.

6. The animal-free egg white composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is dried.

7. The animal-free egg white composition of claim 6 , wherein the composition is spray-dried.

8. The animal-free egg white composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is heat-treated.

9. The animal-free egg white composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is gelled.

10. The animal-free egg white composition of claim 1 , wherein the recombinantly-produced proteins are produced in a yeast cell.

11. The animal-free egg white composition of claim 10 , wherein the yeast cell is a Pichia pastoris cell.

12. The animal-free egg white composition of claim 1 , wherein the recombinantly-produced proteins are secreted from a Pichia pastoris cell.

13. The animal-free egg white composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is packaged as a ready-made egg white.

14. The egg white composition of claim 2 , wherein the allergenicity of the egg-white composition is reduced as compared to an animal-derived egg white.

15. The egg-white composition of claim 2 , wherein the glycosylation pattern of one or more recombinant proteins is different from animal-derived proteins.

16. A method of producing an animal-free egg white composition comprising:

a) recombinantly expressing ovalbumin in one or more host cells, wherein the one or more host cells comprise a yeast expression system;

b) collecting secreted ovalbumin from the one or more host cells;

c) purifying the recombinantly expressed and collected ovalbumin secreted by the one or more host cells;

d) recombinantly expressing ovomucoid in one or more host cells, wherein the one or more host cells comprise a yeast expression system;

e) collecting secreted ovomucoid from the one or more host cells;

f) purifying the recombinantly expressed and collected ovomucoid secreted by the one or more host cells;

g) recombinantly expressing lysozyme in one or more host cells, wherein the one or more host cells comprise a yeast expression system;

h) collecting secreted lysozyme from the one or more host cells;

i) purifying the recombinantly expressed and collected lysozyme secreted by the one or more host cells;

j) recombinantly expressing ovotransferrin in one or more host cells, wherein the one or more host cells comprise a yeast expression system;

k) collecting secreted ovotransferrin from the one or more host cells;

l) purifying the recombinantly expressed and collected ovotransferrin secreted by the one or more host cells; and

m) combining the purified ovalbumin, the purified ovomucoid, the purified lysozyme, and the purified ovotransferrin to form an animal-free egg white composition in amounts such that a dry weight proportion of the purified ovalbumin, the purified ovomucoid, the purified lysozyme, and the purified ovotransferrin is substantially similar to the dry weight proportion of, respectively, ovalbumin, ovomucoid, lysozyme, and ovotransferrin in an animal-derived egg white;

wherein the protein content of the animal-free egg white composition consists of the purified ovalbumin, the purified ovomucoid, the purified lysozyme and the purified ovotransferrin; and

wherein the animal-free egg white composition is formulated as a refrigerated wet-egg white formulation, a powdered egg white product, or a refrigerated gel-egg white formulation,

wherein the animal-free egg white composition comprising recombinantly-produced proteins resembles an animal-derived egg white in consistency, taste, and appearance.

17. The animal-free egg white composition of claim 1 , wherein a glycosylation pattern of the recombinantly-produced ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, and lysozyme is different, respectively, from animal-derived ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, and lysozyme.

18. The egg white composition of claim 2 , wherein the animal-free egg white composition is spray-dried.