Shiru OleoPro and uPro AI-Discovered Food Ingredients

Shiru is a California-based company founded in 2019 by Dr. Jasmin Hume that uses AI, bioinformatics and precision biology to discover natural proteins with specific functions. Its goal is to help food makers replace animal fats, synthetic additives and sugar with clean-label ingredients, cutting discovery timelines from 5-15 years to 1-2 years.

The proprietary Flourish platform screens a database that has distilled over 450 million natural proteins into 33 million candidates, then validates and scales hits through partners. Commercial products include OleoPro, a structured fat alternative combining plant oils with protein, and uPro, a dispersible texturising protein; methylcellulose and egg replacements and sweet proteins are in development. Customers are food, personal care and cosmetics manufacturers.

• OleoPro: structured fat alternative that mimics animal fats in bakery and dairy alternatives.
• OleoPro+: extended version of the fat system offered in sample sizes.
• uPro: dry-bead plant protein that thickens both oil- and water-based formulations.
• Flourish platform: AI-driven discovery and validation of natural functional proteins.
• Pipeline ingredients: methylcellulose replacement, egg replacement and protein sweeteners.
• Co-development: programmes such as the GLP-1 Innovation Alliance for brands seeking new proteins.

• Plant-based meat producers in Vietnam replacing methylcellulose and coconut fat.
• Bakery manufacturers cutting saturated fat in pastries and cookies.
• Sauce and dressing makers using a protein texturiser instead of synthetic emulsifiers.

• Healthier reformulation: OleoPro is a solid fat with reduced saturated fat content.
• Clean label: plant-based ingredients free from synthetic additives.
• Strong functionality: uPro allows high oil and water incorporation above 45% as texturiser, emulsifier and thickener.
• Easy trials: samples can be bought online, from USD 125 for 450 g of OleoPro.

Food makers face pressure to reduce saturated fat, sugar and synthetic additives while keeping taste and texture. AI-driven protein discovery shortens ingredient development, and plant-based meat and bakery producers in Asia are looking for clean-label binders and fat systems.

Founded in 2019 by CEO Dr. Jasmin Hume; California-based (Shiru, Inc.). Raised a USD 16 million Series B led by S2G Ventures. Partnered with GreenLab in 2025 to produce proteins in corn. Products reached commercial scale in 2025.