Stretch dairy cheese could now be made without any cows, following the development of yeast strains that produce the crucial milk proteins.
The key to the development, by Israeli company DairyXproduce casein proteins that can self-assemble into the little balls that give regular cheese and yogurt their stretchiness and creaminess. Existing plant-based cheeses often don’t deliver the textures that dairy lovers praise, and the company believes it is the first to report this breakthrough.
Cattle have a big impact on the climate and natural world, due to the methane gas they emit and the pollution and destruction of nature associated with global industry. The development of lower-impact alternatives to conventional dairy and meat has accelerated in recent years, with the production of plant-based foods and meat grown on vessels.
DairyX’s approach is a third route – precision fermentation. It is now scaling up its operations and aims to seek the regulatory approval needed for consumers to buy the product in 2027. If successful, the caseins could be used by cheese and yogurt companies as a walk-in replacement for dairy milk, without changes to equipment or ingredients.
Other companies developing fermented caseins include New Culture in the US, which focuses on mozzarella, and Australia’s Eden Brewaimed at cow-free milk, as well All G Foods, Food-like and Standing Ovation.
“People have been trying to take the cow out of making dairy since the late 1970s,” says Dr. Arik Ryvkin, DairyX founder and CEO. Early efforts used plant proteins, but about a decade ago, biotechnology developments opened up a new path, pioneered by the company Perfect dayhe said. “We’re now bringing the final step in that line of evolution … to help dairy companies make the exact products consumers want, while helping our cows live happier lives.”
Ryvkin previously followed a vegan diet for 10 years, but became frustrated because he couldn’t include good cheese in what he ate: “Then I slipped and then decided to solve the problem for everyone.”
Many existing plant-based dairy products use additives, such as stabilizers, emulsifiers and thickeners, but still do not fully replicate the stretchiness and creaminess of regular dairy products. DairyX used engineered strains of yeast to produce casein that is genetically identical to dairy proteins. But for these proteins to assemble themselves in the small balls – called micelles – they also had to the addition of other attached molecules which determine the properties of the protein.
Dr Stella Child, at the Good food Institute Europe, which supports alternative protein development, said: “The production of casein that can self-assemble into micelles – although not the only method to develop these ‘building blocks of dairy’ – could help bring affordable and attractive products sooner to the market by reducing production costs and eliminating the need for additives.”
The scientists tested and refined their research by coagulating the proteins in the same way as when making cheese. They have yet to taste the product as it requires regulatory approval. Galit Kuznets, at DairyX, said. “Our casein also eliminates the need for hormones and antibiotics [used in cows] on dairy farms.”
The company uses evolutionary techniques to select for the yeast strains that produce the greatest amount of protein, with the aim of making the product the same price as dairy casein. Price parity and taste are key to future success, Ryvkin said.
Preliminary analysis indicates that climate warming greenhouse gases from the production of DairyX’s fermented casein are 90% lower than for conventional dairy products if the leftover yeast mass is reused, possibly as food ingredients, or 50% lower if not. All precision fermentation products require much less soil and water than their animal counterparts.
Other approaches to cow-free dairy proteins are being taken by companies like Israel’s NewMoowhich grows casein proteins in plant seeds, and New Zealand’s Daisy Labwhich makes “all yeast, no beast” whey powder.
