Onego Bio, Zen Waffles form partnership

SAN DIEGO — Onego Bio and Zen Waffles have formed a commercial partnership to use Onego Bio’s Bioalbumen ingredient in Zen Waffles high-protein waffles.

Zen Waffles, New York, manufactures high-protein waffles that are available in classic, chocolate chip, blueberry, coconut and white chocolate strawberry varieties.

The waffles are formulated with cottage cheese, eggs, egg whites, almond flour, monk fruit sweetener, casein protein, vanilla extract, potassium sorbate and baking powder.

The waffles contain 23 grams of protein across the classic, blueberry and coconut varieties, and the chocolate chip flavor contains 28 grams of protein.

Onego Bio’s Bioalbumen is a non-animal egg protein that is manufactured via precision fermentation with the filamentous fungus, Trichoderma reesei, the company said. 

Bioalbumen functions similarly to traditional egg protein while offering food manufacturers a non-animal alternative.

“At Zen Waffles, our goal is to make high-protein foods convenient and delicious,” said Eugene Komissarov, co-founder of Zen Waffles. “Bioalbumen offers a great source of high-quality protein, helping us make products consumers already love nutritious and satisfying.”

Onego Bio received a “no questions” letter from The US Food and Drug Administration for its egg replacer, which the agency said is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) in 2025.

“In a waffle, egg protein does a lot of work: it provides structure for a light, tender interior and supports browning for a golden, crisp exterior, all while delivering high-quality protein,” said Maija Itkonen, co-founder and chief executive officer of Onego Bio. “Bioalbumen brings that multifunctionality together, giving food manufacturers a new way to meet growing demand for protein.” 

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