TerraVia has received a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) no questions letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Algae Butter.

TerraVia has received a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) no questions letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Algae Butter. This response, says the company, paves the way for commercialization of its structuring fat through its joint venture partner, Bunge North America.

Algae Butter is a palm-free, non-hydrogenated, vegan solution for bakery, spreads and confectionery applications. It is claimed to deliver outstanding performance and enhanced sensory experience due to its quick melting feature, to provide clean taste and to reduce saturated fat by up to 50% in most applications.

"The food industry has been searching for a replacement for palm and hydrogenated vegetable oils that maintains quality, taste and functionality and also meets their rigorous criteria for sustainable sourcing," said Mark Brooks, Senior Vice President, TerraVia. "We believe Algae Butter is a game changer for the structuring fats industry in terms of sustainability and nutrition."

Algae Butter is exclusive to TerraVia and Bunge. It will be produced by the TerraVia and Bunge joint venture, SB Oils, and marketed in the U.S. by Bunge North America.

"We are excited to be offering this innovative solution as an additional choice to our foodservice and food processor customers in the U.S.," said Mark Stavro, senior director of marketing, Bunge North America. "The potential of the product to meet so many on trend demands has been met with strong levels of interest from a number of our food customers."