Making Casein from Whey: A Breakthrough in Precision Fermentation
Bel Group and Standing Ovation have achieved industrial-scale production of casein proteins from whey using precision fermentation.
This innovation reduces CO₂ emissions by 74% and land use by 99% in a closed-loop system.
Despite this breakthrough, regulatory and pricing hurdles remain before market launch.
Developing casein proteins from precision fermentation is technical enough, requiring microorganisms as 'cell factories' to produce proteins like casein.
- Casein is the most abundant protein in milk.
- There are three major casein proteins: alpha S1, alpha S2, and beta.
Bel Group and Standing Ovation have successfully produced these casein proteins from whey, a different dairy protein, at an industrial scale.
Author's summary: Bel Group achieves industrial-scale casein production from whey.