Editorial ¦ IDM
Can Frankenstein protein
replace milk protein?
April 2020 ¦ international-dairy.com · 3
Yes and no
A think tank named RethinkX based in the USA and UK predicts the collapse of the global dairy
industry. One is tempted to dismiss all this as typical blah-blah that is constantly given by hosts
of analysts of all kinds. Good sounding but meaningless nonsense, based more on assumptions,
ideology and visions than on facts and luckily never ever becomes reality. But there are some facts
in RethinkX’s remarks that the dairy industry – producers and processors alike – cannot simply
pass by.
In short, it is about the fermentative production of milk protein using genetically modified microorganisms.
The end products, casein and whey proteins, are exactly like their natural counterparts;
on their own they do not come from the cow but from a tank. The functional properties of
the retort proteins are exactly the same as those of its natural models. In principle, this opens the
same doors for its use as native milk proteins. In principle. After all, it will hardly be a question
of producing high-quality cheese. However, substitution is likely to take place, and in the B2B
market. It would probably be better not to think here of children's food manufacturers, but of
producers of special products aimed at athletes, for example, or the use of artificial milk proteins
in clinical nutrition. As a result, casein, WPC and WPI could well lose market share.
It is also conceivable that fermenter protein could substitute milk protein in regions that are not
so concerned with consumer protection and where still the basic needs have to be covered. If this
were to happen, current dairy exporters would lose significant sales. After all, a fermenter can
be installed almost anywhere, in a developing country as well as in an urban environment. This
means nothing other than decentralisation of protein production. This, in turn, would jeopardise
or completely jeopardise investments in milk processing locations. In addition – should RethinkX
be right – the artificial proteins will be significantly cheaper to produce than original milk protein,
while maintaining the same nutritional value.
A major disadvantage of the fermentation proteins is certainly their Frankenstein character. By far
not all consumers will want to consume solids from fermentation. Moreover, the question of fat
is still unanswered. Milk is and remains a mixture of hundreds of substances, so complex that it
cannot be copied by biotechnology even in the long term.
At the end of the day, processing capacities are still needed to be able to produce consumer
products from raw materials of any kind. Whether such a highly consolidated industry as the dairy
industry will be able to take the lead here, or whether "everywhere" small production facilities
for local supply will spring up out of the ground is an open question. If the dairy industry wants
to hold the reins, it may also have to open itself up to the new proteins, similar to what it should
currently be doing with plant-based alternative products, thinks Roland Sossna.
Roland Sossna
Editor IDM
International Dairy Magazine
sossna@blmedien.de
international-dairy.com