Could cowless dairies become a thing?

Worldwide pressure has been mounting on cattle farmers due to CO2 emissions and the fines that come with it.

The industry that might be feeling the pinch worst in terms of livestock is dairy farmers. With this mounting pressure on the industry, research focus is on milk and if it can be produced without cows.

According to a research team from the University of Guelph in Canada, dairy proteins may be the next product, after lab-grown meat, to be produced in a lab. The authors of the paper published in

The Conversation, Michael von Massow and Mitchell Gingerich, write that a California-based start-up has recreated the proteins found in conventional cow’s milk without the use of animals.

They say the company developed a form of genetically modified microflora that produced both whey and casein through a fermentation process.

“The approach can be loosely compared to the use of brewer’s yeast to produce alcohol,” said the team.

The company, Perfect Day, claims that its product is exactly the same as the protein found in cow’s milk.

“Conventional milk is approximately 3,3% protein, of which 82% is casein and 18% is whey. The other main elements are water, fat and carbohydrates,” it says.

However, the authors note that it may be difficult to produce full-fat milk that mimics the taste and texture of cow’s milk.

“The structure of milk fat provides a specific taste and mouth feel when drinking milk,” says Gingerich.

The researchers say that it remained to be seen if these fermented proteins could be produced economically. ȊȲRead the full article at https:// shorturl.at/dpPR6.