Periodic Reporting for period 1 - 22-WTE-NTP (Producing the Next Generation of Hybrid Animal-Free Cheeses)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-09-04 al 2024-09-03
Many of us love conventional cheese, but its production through animal farming poses environmental, health, and animal welfare problems. The demand for animal protein will increase 73% by 2050 according to the FAO. We want to respond to this expected high demand through developing a process that consumes fewer natural resources and causes less pollution. Our products meet the expectations of vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians, representing a starting point of 42% of global consumers (Euromonitor 2020), who are looking for new products that have the same organoleptic and nutritional properties as conventional animal products.
Nutropy’s aim is to contribute to the emergence of a better food system by combining sustainability, nutritional qualities, and the joy of eating products we know and love. The technology we are developing is expected to consume fewer natural resources (~95% less land and ~84% less water), and produce fewer greenhouse gases (~90%). We are developing dairy ingredients, notably caseins identical to those produced by cows, via microorganisms and our precision fermentation technology, in order to provide a new raw material for the dairy industry which requires casein for cheese production and is looking for a source of animal-free casein to complement conventionally-sourced casein. We are formulating a Plug & Play “cheeseable milk” solution that enables manufacturers to easily produce the next generation of animal-free cheese with the expected taste, texture, and nutrition of dairy-based cheese, without the need to change their formulations or equipment.
Our Women TechEU project is focused on advancing our precision fermentation technology for casein production and developing hybrid formulations with plant based proteins, thereby improving our ability to provide a more cost- effective and environmentally efficient raw material, leading to better and more affordable products for the end consumer.
Nutropy’s aim is to contribute to the emergence of a better food system by combining sustainability, nutritional qualities, and the joy of eating products we know and love. The technology we are developing is expected to consume fewer natural resources (~95% less land and ~84% less water), and produce fewer greenhouse gases (~90%). We are developing dairy ingredients, notably caseins identical to those produced by cows, via microorganisms and our precision fermentation technology, in order to provide a new raw material for the dairy industry which requires casein for cheese production and is looking for a source of animal-free casein to complement conventionally-sourced casein. We are formulating a Plug & Play “cheeseable milk” solution that enables manufacturers to easily produce the next generation of animal-free cheese with the expected taste, texture, and nutrition of dairy-based cheese, without the need to change their formulations or equipment.
Our Women TechEU project is focused on advancing our precision fermentation technology for casein production and developing hybrid formulations with plant based proteins, thereby improving our ability to provide a more cost- effective and environmentally efficient raw material, leading to better and more affordable products for the end consumer.
This Women TechEU grant was instrumental in accelerating our hybrid dairy formulation development and advancing our precision fermentation technology for yeast-based casein production. The project unfolded in three main phases: first, completing larger runs to produce fermentation-derived milk ingredients; second, creating innovative hybrid cheese formulations; and third, conducting thorough product characterization to evaluate quality and functionality. The grant enabled us to exceed our original goals, allowing us to secure access to larger bioreactors and develop new hybrid cheese formulations, a significant milestone for our early-stage company.
This project went beyond the state of the art by developing new alternative cheese prototypes using innovative functional, environmentally friendly and locally sourced ingredients that had not previously been described. This work would benefit from further research including scale up, IPR support and a supportive regulatory framework for the authorization for commercialisation in Europe of milk proteins produced by precision fermentation.