As part of the green transition, there is significant global momentum to find new strategies for the production of milk and meat. In this knowledge synthesis, a group of researchers from AU FOOD presents one of these strategies, namely cell-based production of milk components using two different technologies: precision fermentation and cultured milk.

The report describes how these technologies work, outlines the current research on them, and discusses the opportunities and challenges they may have for the future production of milk components and their use in food products.

For precision fermentation, the researchers present the past 30 years of research in microbial synthesis of milk proteins, and they examine the choice of growth organism and its implications for the usability and cost of the produced milk proteins.

For cultured milk, which is a newer research area but based on previous knowledge of mammary gland cell biology, they look at the types of systems that have been tested and their respective results.

For both areas, the researchers also describe the industrial activity in these fields, which is largely driven by startups, and they discuss possibilities for efficient resource utilization in production as well as considerations for the approval of these types of foods in the European market.

The report is written by Nina Aagaard Poulsen, Andreas Kvist, Julia Prangchat Stub Thomsen, Jing Che, Zahra Sattari & Lotte Bach Larsen.

Read the full report here: DCA publikationer