This proof-of-concept initiative will expand the toolkit for precision fermentation, enabling scalable, sustainable protein production and advancing the alternative protein sector.
Global demand for dairy products is increasing due to rising incomes, population growth, and dietary changes, yet dairy production is a major contributor to methane emissions. While plant-based milk alternatives have achieved near parity with animal-derived milk in terms of price, taste, and convenience, plant-based cheese lags behind in consumer satisfaction. Sustainable, animal-free alternatives for cheese could significantly reduce environmental impact.
Precision fermentation—using genetically modified microorganisms to produce biomolecules—offers a promising solution for producing food proteins like casein, the key cheese protein. However, no major alternative protein company has yet developed affordable and scalable methods for casein production. This challenge arises from relying on conventional microorganisms, such as E. coli and S. cerevisiae, which require extensive modifications to process low-cost feedstocks, withstand bioreactor conditions, and produce complex proteins. Expanding efforts to less conventional but established species, such as P. pastoris and T. reesei, has already yielded improvements. Greater advancements could be achieved by adopting unconventional yeast species naturally suited for food production but lacking genetic engineering tools.
This project aims to develop next-generation microbial factories using unconventional microbial species. The approach will be validated in pilot-scale bioreactors to assess novel strains for industrial casein production. This proof-of-concept initiative will expand the toolkit for precision fermentation, enabling scalable, sustainable protein production and advancing the alternative protein sector.
Academics involved: Alessia Buscaino, Tobias von der Haar | Business involved: HERlab Ltd