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SPECIAL PRECISION FERMENTATION

23 May 2022

Precision fermentation enables the production of purified proteins using genetically modified microorganisms (yeasts, bacteria, algae).
•Fermentation is a widely tested production process (e.g. in the production of antibiotics).

• Microorganisms, when placed under suitable conditions and modified with the introduction of genes that encode specific proteins, are able to synthesise new proteins which are then recovered and purified.
• This innovation is due to the considerable progress in ‘gene editing’ techniques (e.g. crispr).
• In the case of milk, companies aim to produce pure protein fractions by perfectly replicating the composition and particular protein fraction of certain milks (e.g. A2 milk or breast milk).
• Several start-ups are already active in the field of precision fermentation, e.g. Perfect Day (USA, launch for “Mooless” whey protein powder planned for 2 May 2022) and Remilk (Israel, production plant in Denmark under construction), Better Dairy (UK).

Strengths:

• Sustainability (very low consumption of resources and space)
• Ethics (no relationship with any form of animal husbandry)
• Quality (formulations are closely controlled, resulting in the production of products that mimic the nutritional profile of animal equivalents)

Points to be resolved:

• Regulatory aspects (EU market)
• Standardisation and purity criteria

Several start-ups are already active, for example:

• Perfect Day (USA, launch for “Mooless” whey protein powder planned for 2 May 2022)
• Remilk (Israel, production plant in Denmark under construction)
• Better Dairy (UK)
• Formo (Germany)
• Real Deal Milk (Spain)
• Bon Vivant (France)
• (… and many more…)