Is There A Vegan Version of Pepsin?

Pepsin is an enzyme found in the stomach that helps digest the proteins in food. While you body produces it naturally, you can also take it as a supplement. Many forms of pepsin are not vegan, as they are derived from the gastric of animals, including pigs. (Pepsin is also a component of rennet used to curdle milk when making cheese.)

However, if you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet or you observe Kosher or Halal practices, you might not feel comfortable consuming porcine pepsin. Thankfully, there is an alternative. We use a vegan acid-stable protease to naturally activate the body’s own pepsin.

Betaine HCl from Enzymedica uses a blend of fungal protease enzymes that naturally activate the body’s own pepsin. This promotes the breakdown of proteins in an acidic environment, but with an entirely vegetarian approach.