Casein

Those Vegan Cowboys

© Those Vegan Cowboys
Cheese Alternatives

Hochland Group Partners with Those Vegan Cowboys to Develop Animal-Free Cheese Using Microbial Casein

German cheese producer Hochland Group has entered a joint development agreement with Belgian-Dutch company Those Vegan Cowboys to explore the production of animal-free cheese using microbial casein. The collaboration will focus on scaling up the cow-free milk protein for use in semi-hard and hard cheese varieties. Microbial casein, developed through precision fermentation, replicates the functional properties of traditional animal-derived casein, such as melting and stretching, while offering environmental benefits. In a LinkedIn post announcing the partnership, Those Vegan Cowboys stated: “With Hochland’s monumental cheese know-how and market coverage, they are a dream partner to get Margaret’s casein out there, in cheeses available for everyone.” The company claims that the production of microbial casein is resource-efficient, requiring one-fifth of the land and water needed for traditional …

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Standing Ovation partners with Ajinomoto Foods Europe

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Fermentation

Standing Ovation Partners With Ajinomoto Foods Europe to Produce Animal-Free Caseins at Scale

Standing Ovation, a French biotech company specialising in precision fermentation applied to dairy proteins, has announced a long-term strategic partnership with Ajinomoto Foods Europe (AFE). AFE is an affiliate of Japan’s Ajinomoto Group with over 50 years of expertise in industrial fermentation. The goal of the partnership is to produce animal-free caseins at AFE’s biomanufacturing plant in Nesle, France. Standing Ovation has developed an animal-free casein powder called Advanced Casein® using patented precision fermentation technology. The ingredient can be used to create a variety of sustainable animal-free dairy products, including cheese, ice cream, yogurt, and foaming milk. These products retain the functional and sensory qualities of traditional dairy. Through the collaboration with AFE, Standing Ovation will gain access to large-scale manufacturing capabilities at a site …

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© Pureture
Company News

Pureture and Kangwon National University Launch Research Center to Innovate Non-GMO Yeast-Derived Proteins

New York startup Pureture, a developer of animal-free ingredients with a focus on alternative casein proteins and high-functionality yeast strains, has partnered with South Korea’s Kangwon National University to establish the “Alternative Protein Research Center.” The center aims to develop innovative solutions at scale for the global alternative protein market, explains the startup in an announcement this Wednesday. This new joint initiative will leverage the University’s expertise in fermentation science and Pureture’s R&D capabilities to produce highly functional proteins derived from non-GMO yeast. Pureture has already developed a plant-based casein that is said to offer a complete amino acid profile and melting and stretching functionalities of milk caseins. Rudy Yoo, CEO of Pureture, shared, “The development of high-functionality proteins derived from non-GMO yeast is at …

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Vegan cheese made with animal-free caseins

Image courtesy of Fermify
Company News

Fermify Secures US GRAS Status for Fermented Casein, Animal-Free Dairy Tastings on Horizon

Fermify, an Austrian precision fermentation company developing milk proteins, announces it has obtained self-affirmed Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for its precision-fermented casein after conducting a comprehensive safety study, as per FDA requirements. The GRAS milestone validates the quality and safety of Fermify’s casein and is crucial for introducing animal-free cheese and dairy products to the US market. It also positions Fermify as one of the few suppliers of fermented casein in the country. The company says it has also voluntarily notified the FDA of its GRAS conclusion and is now pending a “no questions” letter confirming the status. “This is a key development for Fermify and the entire precision fermentation sector. We are one of the first companies to sell their casein proteins …

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Vegan Cowboys casein launches on US market

© Those Vegan Cowboys
Fermentation

Those Vegan Cowboys to Enter US Market with Microbial Casein That Outperforms Dairy

Belgian biotech company Those Vegan Cowboys announces it has developed a product using a new type of microbial casein. The startup will reveal the kind of cheese and its market entry at tomorrow’s Future Food-Tech summit in London. Casein proteins are essential for making great-tasting cheese that stretches and melts well. According to the startup, the new casein, under certain conditions, outperforms cow’s casein, especially in cheese production. It can offer better properties such as improved stretch, for example, in mozzarella, and a lower melting point, allowing cheese producers to use less casein, which reduces costs. CTO Will van den Tweel says, “Along the way, we realized that, functionally, the existing cow’s casein may not be the best source of casein for cheese.  The casein …

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DairyX

© DairyX
Fermentation

DairyX Uses Yeast to Develop Smart Casein Proteins for Animal-Free Dairy

Israel’s DairyX Foods has announced a major development in its work to create authentic animal-free milk proteins using precision fermentation. The startup has created a new method that uses yeast to produce “smart casein proteins” that can self-assemble into micelles, the primary building blocks of dairy products. Additionally, it has refined a technology that enhances the gelation of the micelles, allowing for the development of firm, stretchy animal-free dairy products using traditional dairy manufacturing processes. This method could eliminate the need for additives such as stabilizers, emulsifiers, and thickeners. It could also help to make animal-free dairy affordable, as the company is creating yeast strains that produce exceptionally high casein yields in short timeframes. Furthermore, it provides a “drop-in replacement” for milk, meaning it can …

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Brie cheese i a wooden board by Standing Ovation

© Standing Ovation
Investments & Finance

Standing Ovation Raises €3.75M for Fermented Casein, Eyes 2025 USA Launch with New CEO

French biotech Standing Ovation, which specializes in precision-fermented casein for animal-free dairy, announces it has raised €3.75 million in Series A+ funding. The funds will accelerate the company’s growth and the distribution and sales of its flagship protein ingredient — Advanced Casein — in the USA in 2025. This new capital adds to the €12 million secured in the original round, led by Astanor Ventures in 2022. Peakbridge, Seventure, Good Startup, Big Idea Ventures, and the industrial group Bel also participated. The Paris-based startup has also received €3 million in funding from the French government and Bpifrance to accelerate the production of its fermented caseins, bringing the total raised by the company to €23 million in just four years. Laetitia de Panafieu, the Astanor representative on …

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A photo of a pizza slice

© Ergo Bioscience
Ingredients

Ergo Bioscience Creates “Animal Proteins, Without Animals” for the Next Generation of Plant-Based

Ergo Bioscience, recognized in 2022 by FoodBytes! from Rabobank as one of the 15 most disruptive food tech startups worldwide, specializes in developing complex animal proteins such as bovine myoglobin and casein through plant cell culture. Founded in May 2020 with pre-seed investment from CITES, the startup boasts a team of 12 scientists dedicated to innovation and biotechnology to create animal-free ingredients. With biotech research in Wilmington, Delaware, laboratories in Sunchales and Santa Fe, Argentina, and a new subsidiary in Canada, Ergo believes in the potential of plant cells to bring sustainability to the food industry and beyond. Plant cells instead of microbes Ergo has developed a platform called EUKARYA that “programs” plant cells with multiple simultaneous genetic modifications to make them express complete structures …

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Raw potato on color background

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

10 Molecular Farming Startups Transforming Everyday Plants into Protein Powerhouses

Today, we bring you a roundup of molecular farming startups transforming plants into biofactories to produce alternatives to animal proteins, pigments, next-gen sweeteners, and growth factors. Plant molecular farming, an additional production approach to plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation, promises unlimited and cost-effective ingredients for food and other industries. Since it doesn’t require expensive infrastructure and bioreactors — only the magic of plants and bioengineering —  existing greenhouses and fields can become ingredient factories, ensuring a straightforward industrial scale-up and competitive prices. Each of the following startups has chosen a plant as its production facility: 1. VelozBio, Mexico: Discarded  fruits VelozBio, a startup based in Monterrey founded in 2020,  claims to have developed the world’s fastest protein design and development platform. VelozBio produces high-value proteins, including casein, by expressing target …

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Pureture announces faster production for plant-based casein that can seamlessly replace dairy proteins

© Pureture
Protein

Pureture Cuts Production Time for Plant-Based Casein, Joins Others in Removing Cows From the Dairy Industry

US biotech company Pureture, a company developing functional animal-free ingredients, announces that it has improved the production process for its plant-based casein — a yeast-derived, non-GMO ingredient for realistic and clean-label dairy alternatives like yogurt, milk, and cheese. Pureture says it has developed an innovation (not disclosed) that leverages novel ingredients to boost yeast growth and activity, allowing for cost-effective production: growing yeast in 30% less time. Pureture states that its innovation is a big step towards more sustainable production of plant-based dairy, positioning it as a leader in this growing market. Clean label plant-based dairy In addition, the new method eliminates the need for anti-foaming agents commonly used in yeast production, making the final product more natural. Despite the reduced additives, Pureture says the …

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The Israeli-based food-tech startup NewMoo has emerged from stealth mode, unveiling a plant molecular farming platform for producing caseins in agricultural plant seeds. 

Image courtesy of NewMoo
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

NewMoo Emerges from Stealth Using Plant Seeds as ‘Bioreactors’ to Grow Casein Proteins for Animal-Free Dairy

NewMoo has emerged from stealth mode, unveiling a plant molecular farming platform for producing caseins in agricultural plant seeds. “Our approach doesn’t require expensive bioreactor machinery to grow our proteins. The plant seeds themselves act as bioreactors,” explains the Israeli startup. Considered the “holy grail” of milk structure by the dairy industry, caseins are responsible for the taste and functional properties consumers love about cheese: melting, stretching, and bubbling. NewMoo claims that its caseins are equivalent to cow-derived proteins in terms of nutrition, composition, and functionality. By utilizing plants instead of cows for production, NewMoo offers a cost-effective, animal-free, and sustainable method for creating a wide range of dairy products, including cheese. Daphna Miller, NewMoo co-founder and CEO, comments, “This method of making previously animal-based foods …

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A pizza with animal-free mozzarella

© New Culture
Cheese Alternatives

New Culture Partners with CJ CheilJedang to Streamline Costs of Animal-Free Mozzarella

Californian animal-free cheese producer New Culture announces a partnership with its previous investor, South Korean biotech giant CJ CheilJedang. New Culture develops casein from precision fermentation to make cow-free cheeses that melt, stretch, bubble, brown, and taste like conventional cheese without the lactose, cholesterol, hormones, and antibiotics found in milk.  The partnership will focus on reducing the production cost of New Culture’s casein to obtain a competitive price for its first product, animal-free mozzarella for pizzerias. Seung June Choi, Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning at CJ CheilJedang, comments, “Since our initial investment in New Culture in 2022, the CJ CheilJedang team has continued to be impressed by the company’s technical progress, robust bioprocess, and global ambition in the animal-free dairy industry.” Expertise to fuel …

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Finally Foods utilize plants as "bioreactors," modifying them with cutting-edge technology to grow sustainable alternatives to animal-based proteins, starting with casein to make cheese.

© Finally Foods
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Finally Foods Secures Funds for AI-Driven Plant Molecular Tech to Produce Casein for Cheese

Israeli startup Finally Foods Ltd., an AI-driven company focused on revolutionizing the alt-protein sector through plant molecular farming, has secured pre-seed funding from The Kitchen FoodTech Hub (TKH) and the Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA).  Finally Foods utilizes potatoes as “bioreactors,” modifying them with cutting-edge technology to grow sustainable alternatives to animal-based proteins. It will start by producing casein, the key protein to make “cheese that’s gentle on our planet and a joy for the taste buds.” The new company leverages AI technology developed by the Israeli computational biology company Evogene. This technology enables the rapid discovery and development of biological markers for genetic engineering and other applications. It also promises short R&D cycles and a swift path to market. Sustainable future According to the announcement, …

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Raffael Wohlgensinger and Hille van der Kaa – Image courtesy of Those Vegan Cowboys
Cheese Alternatives

Formo and Those Vegan Cowboys Reveal “First-of-its-Kind” Collab to Expedite Production of Cow-Free Cheese

Two precision fermentation companies — Germany’s Formo and Those Vegan Cowboys from Belgium — today announce a strategic R&D alliance to accelerate the production of animal-free casein and finally retire cows from cheese production. This “first-of-its-kind” collaboration will bring together over 60 world-leading scientists to create a “powerful and experienced” research team that will improve technological efficiency, including efforts in strain engineering, bioprocessing, and large-scale production of caseins. The companies believe that by joining forces, they can more quickly achieve price parity with milk proteins, thus making cow-free cheese more competitive and accessible to consumers. The companies explain that they plan to combine their manufacturing outputs to achieve economies of scale; nevertheless, each firm will maintain its distinct identity and market its lines of cow-free …

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Slice of pizza with melting New Culture cheese

© New Culture
Fermentation

New Culture Announces “World First” GRAS Status for Precision Fermentation Casein, Paving the Way for Animal-Free Mozzarella

Following a review by an independent panel of qualified scientific and toxicology experts, Californian animal-free cheese producer New Culture announces that it has self-affirmed its precision fermentation-derived casein as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS).  New Culture claims this achievement marks the “world’s first” GRAS designation for animal-free casein, which allows it to sell its products containing casein in the USA. New Culture has yet to notify the FDA through the GRAS Notification Program. It is worth noting that this step is not mandatory; however, the FDA strongly encourages manufacturers to contact the agency by submitting a notice. Inja Radman, co-founder and CSO of New Culture, shares: “Having secured another ‘world’s first’ for our animal-free casein is a testament to the hard-working and innovative team we have …

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Pureture X Namyang products

© Pureture
Fermentation

Pureture Partners with South Korea’s Namyang Dairy to Launch Dairy-Free Range Made with Plant-Based Casein

Pureture,  a US biotech specializing in producing animal-free ingredients with functional properties, announces a partnership with Namyang Dairy Products, one of South Korea‘s largest dairy manufacturers. Namyang, a global company with a presence in 21 countries, produces milk, yogurt, cheese, cream, and butter. The dairy giant will use Pureture’s plant-based casein to develop and introduce a new plant-based dairy range to offer consumers sustainable options. Pureture claims that it has developed the world’s first non-GMO plant-based casein. The protein is yeast-derived, and according to Purture, it enables manufacturers to develop clean-label, dairy-free products without additives, emulsifiers, or binders. Furthermore, Pureture says it will reach a manufacturing capacity of 2,400 tons to meet the growing demand while offering a competitive price approximately 30 to 40 percent lower …

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Standing Ovation eat fromage billboard

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Politics & Law

Standing Ovation Receives €3M from French Government and Bpifrance to Scale Non-Animal Caseins for Novel Dairy Products

French biotech Standing Ovation has secured €3 million in funding from the French government and Bpifrance for its CASPEX project: the production at scale of precision fermentation-derived caseins for novel dairy products. The French government is supporting Standing Ovation with €2 million over 20 months as part of the “Agri-food Resilience and Capacity” call for projects run by the national investment plan France 2030, which funds innovations for healthy, sustainable, and traceable food. 60% of the funding will be a grant to propel the startup’s scaling goals. The French food tech also obtained a €1 million loan from Bpifrance, known as the Invest EU Green Investment Loan, to fuel its precision fermentation platform further. Romain Chayot, CEO and co-founder of Standing Ovation, comments: “Bpifrance’s strong support is helping us to …

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Those Vegan Cowboys announces a €15 million funding round to develop further and scale its precision fermentation platform for animal-free casein-

© Those Vegan Cowboys
Fundraising

Those Vegan Cowboys Open €15 Million Financing Round to Scale Casein for Animal-Free Cheese

Belgian biotech Those Vegan Cowboys has opened a financing round to raise €15 million to further advance and scale its precision fermentation platform (named Margaret) to develop casein for animal-free cheese. After selling The Vegetarian Butcher to Unilever, Jaap Korteweg and Niko Koffeman founded Those Vegan Cowboys in 2020 to make grass-fed dairy products using microbes instead of cows. With the funds, they assembled a talented team of scientists and established a “milk lab” in Ghent, Belgium. Last year, the company successfully developed a batch of caseins and crafted its first proof of concept, a cheese prototype made with dairy-identical caseins. Now, the company states that it is ready for its next phase of growth, which involves a significant scale-up of its operations.  “We gave ourselves 7 …

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Emily Nytko-Lutz

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Opinion

Intellectual Property Law Expert Emily Nytko-Lutz Discusses the Chemistry of Non Dairy Cheesemaking

Emily Nytko-Lutz, Senior Associate at intellectual property law firm Reddie & Grose, handles patent work in the chemical and general mechanical fields. Emily advises a range of domestic and international companies. She is experienced in patent drafting and global patent prosecution, conducting due diligence and European freedom-to-operate assessments and European oppositions and appeals. Emily completed a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Inorganic Chemistry with a focus on the development of frustrated magnetic materials. Can non-dairy cheese melt barriers and conquer our tastebuds? By Emily Nytko-Lutz Consumers are increasingly seeking alternatives to dairy-based cheeses due to environmental, animal welfare, and personal health concerns. Producing a plant-based cheese that melts and stretches similarly to dairy cheese, however, represents a significant technological challenge. Casein, a …

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Three bottles of animal-free milk

© Eden Brew
Fermentation

Australia’s Eden Brew Secures $24.4 Million for Animal-Free Dairy Expansion

Australian precision fermentation company Eden Brew has raised $24.4 million in a Series A round led by previous investor Main Sequence Ventures to introduce animal-free dairy in the alt protein market.  Eden Brew was established in 2021 through a partnership between Norco, a 100% Australian farmer-owned dairy cooperative, and Australian science agency CSIRO and its deep tech venture fund Main Sequence Ventures.  The company uses a precision fermentation process based on science know-how developed at CSIRO. The company claims its platform produces casein proteins that deliver the same nutrition, functionalites, sensory qualities and bioavailability as cow’s milk. In May 2022, Eden Brew also raised $6.9 million from Main Sequence and US investor Digitalis Venture. Other participants in the round include Breakthrough Victoria, Orkla, Digitalis Ventures, Possible …

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