Pitch
We want milk, not cows. So why not make it from scratch? Milk is a simple substance that can be easily recreated via synthetic biology.
Description
Summary
Long life, full flavor, animal-free milk, made from scratch.
Muufri’s bottom up dairy platform will provide consumers and food manufacturers with the same products we all know and love- through a more sustainable, healthy and humane process.
The dairy industry contributes largely to deforestation, groundwater contamination, greenhouse gas emission and a high water footprint. There are additional public health concerns; including antibiotic overuse and resistance, contamination and worker injury. A large fraction of the adult population has some degree of lactose intolerance, and the cholesterol in dairy can present health risks. The industry itself faces issues including inconsistent prices due to a unstable supply and phages which ruin cheese fermentation. Ethical issues of animal welfare include artificial insemination and the slaughter of male calves as veal.
Furthermore, the demand for dairy is projected to increase by two-thirds by 2050, due to the tendency of developing worlds to adopt the western diet as they become more prosperous. We cannot see how current industry practices will be able to sustain in the future. As biotechnology and food science develop, traditional food production has become inefficient and outdated. For example, there are successful innovative startups such as Hampton Creek Foods, which is reinventing the egg through plant science, and Modern Meadow, the leader in cultured meat and leather technology. The current alternatives for dairy include vegan products such as soy, almond, or coconut milk, which neither resemble animal milk in taste nor function.
Muufri plans to eliminate the need for livestock in dairy production. Yeast can be modified to culture milk proteins, and milk fats can be synthesized through basic organic chemistry. Just combine appropriately with spring water- and we have milk! Naturally lactose and cholesterol free, sustainable, humane yet authentic milk.
Category of the action
Reducing consumption
By:
Muufri
