The dairy without cows: milk from yeasts in search of sustainability
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“A real dairy. But no cows”. The Israeli startup Remilk opens the new era of milk. And he does it in the laboratory. There are no animals, there are no vegetable substitutes to simulate the most typical food of our childhood and today more widespread (it is estimated that there are still 6 billion people in the world who consume cow’s milk and dairy products). In their place science, through a sophisticated precision brewing processusing suitably modified yeasts, has managed to reproduce proteins similar to those contained in cow’s milk.
How it happens: in practice, the gene responsible for the production of cow’s milk proteins is inserted into the yeast on which it acts as a sort of “instruction manual”, teaching it how to produce proteins efficiently. The yeast is then placed inside fermenters, where it multiplies quickly producing real milk proteins, identical to those produced by cows, which are then combined with vitamins, minerals, non-animal fats and sugars (therefore without cholesterol or lactose ), to form each dairy product. Its creators ensure that the result is indistinguishable from the original animal.
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Remilk has recently obtained GRAS status in the United States on the basis of the requirements defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): an acknowledgment that certifies the safety of the product for human consumption and which establishes its possibility of entering the US market. A real revolution: also for this reason it has started the construction of a mega plant in Denmarkintended for production, for a volume comparable to that of about 50,000 cows.
But Remilk is not the only one: that of “synthetic” milk it is a growing trend and just in its infancy. In California the company too perfect day winner at the 2022 World Food Innovation Awards in the “Best Ingredient Innovation” category, also supported by Leonardo Dicapriohas been authorized by the FDA: now, in addition to an agreement with Nestlè, its synthetic milk is available in some Seattle stores of the Starbucks chain.
In Australia the startup Eden Brew has already developed infant formula for the state of Victoria. Similar realities are appearing on all continents: in Singapore there is TurtleTree which raised a few months ago of 30 million dollars in capital and opened a new research and development facility in Sacramento (California). Again: in India we find the biotech company Zero Cow Factory.
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That of precision fermentation it is certainly a growing market: according to the study by the RethinkX think tank, the US market will generate up to one million new jobs in just over ten years. It is a sustainable procedure: to produce the same quantity of milk as on a farm in the laboratory, 99% less land is needed, it also allows the reduction of emissions from livestock farms and the entire production chainalso having important effects on the ethical side, connected to animal fruiting.
Like synthetic meat – today at the center of a complex European debate, on the possibility of its introduction into the market – the synthetic milk tries to respond to the growing need to find alternative sources to animal protein. Its entry into the Italian market is still far away. On the other hand, over the years more and more people have begun to prefer thevegetable optionagain, for ethical reasons related to the environment or why not, even for fashion.
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But why should we limit our consumption of cow’s milk? Let’s start with some data: its impact on the environment exceeds any alternative of plant origin. A single liter of milk needs 628 liters of water and 9 square meters of land to be produced and emits 3 times as much greenhouse gas as any alternative plant-based.
Between 1998 and 2020 it is estimated that the daily consumption of animal milk decreased from 62.2% of the population (from three years of age) who drank it at least once a day to 48.1% (Assidai data). And the big multinationals obviously aren’t watching. In the US the protagonists of the plant milk they have a turnover approaching 16 billion dollars, which should triple by 2025. 40% of this market is from soy and almond drinks, while in Europe those obtained from rice, hemp, peas, hazelnuts, coconut are preferred and cashews.
Attention: while last February in the United States the FDA has established the possibility of using the word “milk” also for these drinks – since it has been established that it would not cause confusion among consumers – in Europe it is still prohibited and producers are forced to adopt other formulas to get around the problem, even that of “non-milk”. A limit that does not seem to stop growing consumption even if it is necessary to make a distinction, because not all of these drinks have an insignificant impact on the environment. On the contrary.
Milk of vegetable origin: limits and advantages
Studies show that the least impact would be the one obtained from theoats: a plant that can grow all over the world, is inexpensive, is good for the soil, requires few resources compared to other cereals – just 49 liters of water are needed to produce 4.5 liters of oat drink, it favors adoption of the process of rotation which enriches the soil. Again: his carbon footprint it is lower than that of cow, almond and soy milk. The use of fertilizers is moderate and has no impact on the ecosystem, including animals. On the contrary the almond milk requires enormous quantities of water and pesticides: almond trees live an average of 25 years, making the process of crop rotation impossible, thus undermining the biodiversity. California bears witness to its negative effects: in the winter months between 2018 and 2019, the immoderate use of fertilizers led to the death of a third of American bee colonies, due to habitat loss, disease and parasites.
Even the rice alternatives they are not among the most recommended: the often flooded rice fields emit methane which escapes from the soil and into the atmosphere, contributing to global pollution. Therefore, synthetic milk or vegetable milk is not always necessarily with zero impact on the environment: in our choice it is necessary to take into consideration numerous other factors, such as where these cultivations take place, if in an intensive way, how the packaging is made, if in production processes, policies to reduce the environmental impact are adopted. Regola wants it to always be advisable to always choose organic and local companies, if possible, even if this often means having to deal with a higher expense.
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Already because in Italy the vegetable milk it is considered as a luxury good, with a tax of 22 per cent against only four per cent of the vaccine, which is instead considered a basic necessity. The debate is ongoing, because the price represents something of a barrier to entry for many consumers.
Other countries, in addition to not providing for this kind of tax, have decided to adopt different strategies: in Austria, for example, to push towards more conscious consumption, it is possible to find bottles of mixed milk, half vaccine and half of plant origin. The result is that those who buy it continue to consume cow’s milk (and in this way both industries continue to work) but its ecological footprint is practically halved.
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