Cow’s milk cheese and ice cream produced without a cow, it’s possible – BFM Business

A Silicon Valley start-up has developed genetically modified yeasts capable of creating cow’s milk proteins.

Produce cow’s milk, without a cow. Here is the challenge launched by the Perfect Day start-up. The goal: to offer an alternative to the various vegetable milks already on the market made from almonds, rice or even soybeans, the taste of which is not always satisfactory.

Ryan Pandya, researcher in the field of biomedical engineering and co-founder of the company, had the idea by eating a vegan cheese “so bad that it literally inspired me to create this start- up “, he tells the site Fast Company.

Several reasons can lead consumers to opt for plant-based milk: lactose intolerance, desire to follow a vegan diet or environmental concerns.

The vegetable milk industry is growing from year to year. In France, the turnover of plant-based milk drinks amounted to 171 million euros in 2019 (up 5.4% over the year), according to panelist Iri.

After several years of stagnation, the weight of these vegetable drinks increased in 2021. In market share, they represented 8.1% of spending on the vegetable juice and animal milk segment (cow + sheep + goat), according to the data. de Kantar communicated to BFM Business by FranceAgriMer.

Cow’s milk created by yeasts

To best reproduce the taste of cow’s milk without a cow, the start-up uses genetically modified yeasts. “A lot of the products we consume come from fermentation such as cheese, yogurts, beer or even wine”, explains Ryan Pandya in an interview broadcast on Youtube.

Concretely, the researchers have developed yeasts capable of producing milk by integrating them with the genetic scheme for making milk from a cow. These yeasts are then fed with vegetable sugars and after fermentation, they produce a cow’s milk protein.

“The result is a milk protein that is not derived from animals, identical to that of cow’s milk, which can be used to make any dairy product,” says Ryan Pandya.

The Silicon Valley start-up puts forward the ecological argument. By removing cows from the process, milk production is “more efficient” and could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 97%.

Cream cheese with yeast milk

The aim of the company is not to market its own products. Perfect Day provides its scientific solution to manufacturers. In 2020, it joined forces with The Urgent Company to create Brave Robot ice cream, certified “lactose free” and “vegan”.

Perfect Day claims that unlike vegan ice creams already on the market like those from giant Ben & Jerry’s, its desserts don’t taste like coconut or almonds but do taste like synthetic cow’s milk.

After ice cream, the start-up is tackling “cream cheese”, which is very popular in the United States. The product should be released at the end of 2021. But to taste it, Europeans will have to wait a little longer. Because products using Perfect Day’s yeast milk are currently only available in the United States and parts of Asia.