In recent years, in light of the quest to reduce the carbon footprint of livestock farming and move towards nutrition based on manufactured products, emerging companies are seeking to produce milk or egg proteins without the use of animals, through a directed fermentation process through which they arrive at a product that preserves the texture and taste of cheese or eggs.The fermentation used to turn wheat into bread, for example, is a centuries-old method of food processing. But recently, techniques have been added that allow training microorganisms to produce specific proteins or enzymes.
Main uses of these technologies include recreating the milk proteins casein and whey, eggs, or substances such as heme that plant-based burger manufacturers use to make their products similar to red meat.
Unlike meat made from cell culture, animal cells are not used in the directed fermentation process.
This sector took off in 2020 in different countries such as the United States and Germany. Since 2020, ice cream products made from whey protein produced by Perfect Day have been sold in the United States.
How to manufacture food products in laboratories
In Paris, inside the laboratories of the Standing Ovation company, the manufacturing of the product begins inside a dark room, where yeast, fungi, bacteria, and cow genes capable of producing “casein,” which is the main protein found in milk, must be introduced into microorganisms.
These microorganisms are then “grown” inside flasks before being transferred to fermenters where they multiply when mixed with water, salt, nitrogen and sugar. From a 30 milliliter bottle, the company can produce one liter within 24 hours.
These products are more similar to their animal-based counterparts than to plant-based alternatives made from, say, coconut or cashew oil, says Standing Ovation co-founder Romain Chaillot. “In the end, the protein produced is the same as that provided by the cow,” he says.
However, this product is not a miracle solution for those who are allergic to milk proteins, but it may be good for those who are allergic to lactose, which is the sugar found in milk.
The producing company can also rely on the DNA of goats, sheep, buffalo, or even whales.
The startup currently uses a fermentation device that is a steel tank with a capacity of 10 cubic meters, but in the long term it aspires to move to a device with a capacity of 200 cubic meters. It hopes to offer products made from its powder at the same price as its animal counterparts. Manufacturers encourage these innovations.
In 2022, Standing Ovation entered into a partnership with Bell Company, the manufacturer of Kiri and Boursan cheese products, which began offering vegan cheese products on the market. Both Nestlé and Unilever are conducting their own experiments in this field.
Food Industries More Sustainability
Stella Child, who works at the Good Food Institute to promote research in this area in Europe, points out that products produced by controlled fermentation “cause fewer emissions than livestock farming,” which is consistently blamed for producing methane from belching animals. They use less water.
“Governments should help the fermentation sector expand just as they helped develop renewable energies,” she says, in order to support more sustainable food industries.
The product then undergoes a filtration process, then separates the particles according to their density, then strips them of genetically modified microorganisms, until they become a white powder that the startup intends to provide to manufacturers in bags weighing 25 kilograms. These factories convert it into the equivalent of crotin, spreadable cheese, or ice cream.