Here comes lab-grown dairy: Milk proteins made without animals
Perfect Day says its synthetic whey proteins require 98% less water and 65% less energy than what’s required to produce whey from cows.
LARISSA ZIMBEROFF: ‘Whether you’re milking the animals or slaughtering them, industrial cattle husbandry is bad for the planet. Studies show it to be a key culprit in the climate crisis and a source of localized environmental damage. The refrigerator aisle has been full of plant-based dairy for some time, but now there are a few start-ups that, like the purveyors of cultured meat, want to take dairy one step further. Already under siege by falling milk sales, Big Dairy lobbyists have been lashing out at makers of plant-based rivals as those competitors’ market share grows.
But their next challenger may be coming from the laboratory, in the form of synthetic whey, and investors are already lining up… While fewer people are drinking cow’s milk, they’re still eating yogurt and cheese, and a crucial protein that comes from making those products is whey… All that whey still comes from cows, a fact increasingly seen as a liability for climate- and health-conscious dairy and protein lovers…
Ryan Pandya saw an opportunity in this consumer conundrum. He wants to be the first to market a non-animal whey protein through his Emeryville, Calif., company, Perfect Day. Like other food start-up founders, Pandya and business partner Perumal Gandhi are vegan. Rather than forgo the taste of real cheese and dairy for poor vegan substitutes, the pair decided to invent their own version of the real thing.
The start-up focused on the well-worn food path of microbial fermentation — harnessing custom yeast and bacteria to grow the proteins that make milk taste like milk. But first, the company and others like it face some big hurdles: consumer squeamishness and regulatory reviews that may end up focusing more on the genetically modified organisms used to make lab-grown whey…
Though it’s still early days, Perfect Day says its proteins require 98% less water and 65% less energy than what’s required to produce whey from cows. The company said it hopes to one day license its ingredients so they can be used by food manufacturers — but those involved concede that scaling the effort won’t be easy…
Non-animal whey protein is new and may require scrutiny by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But Nigel Barrella, a food industry lawyer who is of counsel to the Good Food Institute, said regulators will view lab-made whey as simply another GMO food product. Last month, Perfect Day filed a General Recognized as Safe petition with the FDA, a voluntary request for government review’. SOURCE…
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