Those on plant-based diets were constrained to soy-based alternatives to reproduce dairy for years until veganism became popular and a slew of palate-pleasing almond, coconut, and oat-based substitutes developed. Recently,  Swedish scientists released potato milk. That was both commended for its ecological credentials and chastised for being derived from a common carbohydrate. Also, according to academics, the pinnacle is now lab-made real cow milk.

From Silicon Valley to Singapore, many businesses are striving to create increasing number of businesses are striving to create the very first mass-market-ready synthetic cow’s milk based on synthesizing the proteins in curds and whey. According to scientists, it will replicate dairy’s true mouthfeel and temperature resilience. Moreover, it can also provide the ideal texture for vegan cheese, allowing it to melt exactly as it would with real cheese.

Dairy alternatives

The market for dairy alternatives is rapidly growing and is one of the fastest-growing segments of packaged food. It has a value of £2.5bn in Western Europe in 2020-21, according to Euromonitor.

Market growth in the UK over the last five years has been 69%, with non-soy kinds of milk seeing a 129% increase. A biotechnological hurdle is, however, duplicating the proteins in cow’s milk to produce dairy in a lab.

The procedure is challenging to carry out on the scale necessary for production. According to Mike Leonard, chief technology officer of Motif FoodWorks, customers would embrace plant-based goods more readily if they taste just as good as the genuine thing. So far, Perfect Day milk production company, which has 5,000 locations throughout the US, is the only firm to bring goods based on protein fermentation to market. Whey and casein, the two milk proteins, were proven to be the secret to re-creating dairy’s distinct flavor and texture.

Dairy alternatives

However, the price of Perfect Day’s products remains high. It is around £8 for a 550ml tub of ice cream.

Notwithstanding the difficulties, Marite Cardenas, a researcher at Malmö University, thinks that replicating animal products would help culinary customs. For instance, like manufacturing cheese, survive the move in society towards a more plant-based diet.

Another company, New Culture, is aiming to create mozzarella cheese for pizza that melts correctly using milk that contains fermented protein.

According to chief scientist Inja Radman, the firm has made tremendous technological development in the last two years. However, scaling this up to the best manufacturing levels remained a barrier owing to the lengthy process of performing trials.

How is it made?

Protein replication in lab-made dairy products is critical. Fermentation is used in this procedure.

Perfect Day is a pioneer in lab milk. It is based on Trichoderma reesei yeast which is used to convert plant sugar into whey and casein. These two proteins make up the majority of the protein in milk. This is comparable to how other yeasts ferment sugar to produce alcohol or leavened bread.

Companies achieve this by genetically modifying yeast. And inserting milk protein genes into its Genome. Perfect Day refers to their end product as flora-made protein. However, other firms may substitute bacteria, fungi, or other microflora for yeast.

How is it made?

Following this, the yeast and residual sugar will be separated, and the protein will then be separated from the yeast. Afterward, the powder is filtered and dried, and the final product is ready to use.

This protein powder is then combined with water, vitamins, minerals, and plant-based fats and carbohydrates in the same quantities as cow’s milk. Even though the yeast is a genetically modified organism (GMO), filtration may remove the protein, making the final product non-GMO.

How does it compare with other types of milk?

Until now, all milk alternatives were made from plants. For instance, almonds, rice, coconut, and soy milk are among them. Their nutrients differ greatly between types, and much more so when compared to cow’s milk.

For instance, 1 cup of whole cow’s milk has 12 grams of carbs, 8 grams of fat, and 7 grams of protein. The same amount of unsweetened almond milk, however, only has 3 grams of fat and 2 grams each of protein and carbohydrates.

How does it compare with other types of lab milk?

While the fat and carbohydrate compositions of plant kinds of milk vary, all but soy milk are protein deficient. Furthermore, unless the producer adds these elements, many plant milk lack calcium and vitamin D.

Lab milk, on the other hand, is designed to imitate the balance of carbohydrates, lipids, and high-quality protein found in cow’s milk. In reality, Perfect Day’s flora-made protein comprises beta-lactoglobulin. It is the main whey protein found in cow milk. This is similar to that found in farmed cows.
Because the product is currently under development, detailed nutritional information is unavailable.

Is Lab Milk a Lactose-Free Option?

Lactose is a sugar present solely in mammalian milk. To digest it, your body requires a special enzyme called lactase. Some individuals lose this enzyme as they age. That results in lactose intolerance. Lactase production is lower in several ethnic groups.

When people with this illness consume dairy products, they may feel stomach discomfort, bloating, diarrhea, and gas. Interestingly, lab milk develops its carb content using plant sugars rather than lactose. As a result, lab milk, like plant kinds of milk, is appropriate for persons who are lactose intolerant.

Is Lab Milk a Lactose-Free Option?

Nevertheless, because it includes casein, it is most likely dangerous for persons who are allergic to cow’s milk protein. As a result, lab milk, like plant kinds of milk, is appropriate for persons who are lactose intolerant. Nevertheless, because it includes casein, it is most likely dangerous for persons who are allergic to cow’s milk protein.

Environmentally friendly and vegan

The dairy industry uses a lot of resources and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are some of these gases. All of which contribute considerably to climate change.

Additionally, many dairy cows are maintained in confined animal feeding operations permanently, which poses significant public health and animal welfare concerns.

Environmentally friendly and vegan

These environmental and ethical considerations continue to impact worldwide dairy consumption since some people want to limit or forgo dairy consumption entirely.
Lab milk is considered ecologically friendly and vegan because it does not involve animals. Lab milk manufacturing is less expensive than cow milk production.

Pros Of Lab Milk

If lab milk supply were conducted out on the same scale, there may be an immediate reduction in methane produced into the environment. Moreover, it will omit a significant reduction in the amount of water required. It is supposed to be suitable for people who are lactose intolerant. The FDA has begun to approve lab milk.

Pros Of Lab Milk

Cons Of Lab Milk

It is now exceedingly expensive to do research. And energy-intensive, making it difficult to see lab milk production satisfying environmental guidelines shortly. Such negative consequences are difficult to foresee because this has never been done before. In general, tech-centric approaches are trying to sustainability raise more concerns than they address.

Cons Of Lab Milk

Whereas with nature-based solutions, such as tree planting, there is little that can go wrong. And we are aware that this strategy for storing carbon and mitigating the effects of climate change is effective.