Is Cow-Free Milk the Future of Dairy?

Today, milk is an inextricable main food staple for people worldwide. Six billion people, over three-quarters of the world's population, intake milk and dairy products daily. However, consumer concerns about health, welfare, environment, and animal rights have increased, leading to the emergence of a new type of milk: plant-based milk. Oatmeal, almond, and coconut milk are highly supplied as an alternative. Yet, many milk lovers are still skeptical of their taste and texture. Additionally, those plant-based products are incapable of making fermented food, such as cheese and yogurt, since they do not contain any whey protein and lactose, raising the questions for plant-based milk even more. However, a new invention shows up on stage; a microorganism-based milk invented by a Californian vegan food brand is recognized as a new option that covers the drawbacks of alternative milk.

Perfect Day, a dairy company, produces cow-free milk containing both the taste and the nutrition of the original milk through the fermentation of microorganisms. First, Perfect Day scientists copy the deoxyribonucleic acid sequence of the whey protein and insert its genetic information into the cells of microflora. Here, microflora refers to a set of microscopic organisms, and Perfect Day mainly prefers fungi. Once the microflora successfully adopts the genome, the DNA information, of the whey protein, it becomes capable of making whey. The microflora multiplies as it goes through the process of creating a copy, the replication. When a sustainable amount of microflora incorporates whey-producing genes, they are put in the fermentation tank filled with vitamins, minerals, and sugars extracted from plants. While fermented, a group of microflora consume sugar inside the tank and convert it into whey proteins. Then, the scientists filter out the proteins and dry them. It is how the whey protein of Perfect Day, the same protein found in cow milk but not extracted from mammals, is made. It is the fundamental ingredient of cow-free milk.

After the process, the cow-free milk of Perfect Day retains the protein, and the flavor and texture are very similar to cow milk and can be made into other dairy goods. Moreover, Perfect Day’s cow-free milk shows itself worthy as it is free from the potential risks of general milk because it is low in sugar and fat and does not contain cholesterol or lactose. For those who have lactose intolerance or are concerned about health, non-animal milk would be the best choice to replace milk.

Since Perfect Day removes cows from their production process, consumers can expect several health and environmental benefits from their products. Compared to the traditional method of making milk, which requires many pesticides and antibiotics, cow-free milk is much better for human bodies. This milk can also reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Accessing ISO 14063, the international standard for greenhouse gas, the production of cow-free milk is likely to lower 97 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and 99 percent of water usage than the traditional one.

Milk made of microorganisms brings about significant advantages in varied aspects of human lives, incompatible with other types of milk production. Yet, it is unlikely to substitute cow milk, but there is no doubt that healthier and environmentally friendly artificial milk will be the number one option one day.