Ingredients & Alternative Proteins

New York – November 12, 2026 -- Butterfly Equity portfolio company Actus Nutrition has acquired the North American operations of Erie Foods International, a dairy protein ingredient maker founded in 1938. The transaction closed on October 26, 2026, with PKF Investment Banking acting as exclusive financial advisor to Erie Foods.

Actus adds a dairy protein processor to its ingredient platform

Actus, based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, converts milk and whey into functional ingredients for human and animal nutrition. It also offers private-label manufacturing and custom ingredient development for food, beverage and performance nutrition brands. Financial terms were not included in the announcement.

Copenhagen – November 12, 2026 -- Danish biotech company 21st.BIO has filed an EU Novel Food application for BLG Essential+, its precision-fermentation process for bovine beta-lactoglobulin (BLG), and is lobbying Brussels for a fast-track approval route for comparable proteins. The filing follows US regulatory approval for sales, obtained in October 2025.

EFSA approval would open EU sales of fermentation-derived whey protein

BLG is the predominant protein in milk whey. 21st.BIO describes BLG Essential+ as essentially a copy of that protein, made by fermentation rather than by dairy production. The company says the process can complement conventional dairy supply and help address supply constraints in the European whey protein market, once the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approves it.

The company names muscle maintenance and recovery among the target uses. Its examples are elderly and sick people and users of weight-loss medication.