As Bird Flu Threatens Cattle, Scientists Explore Cow-Free Milk Production Using Plants, Microorganisms
How the bird flu outbreak leaking into cattle herds, alarmingly increasing greenhouse gas emissions, is driving the development of cow-free milk alternatives.
The outbreak of bird flu on US dairy farms has introduced new concerns about the safety and sustainability of traditional milk production.
This concern has prompted scientists and biotech companies to innovate cow-free milk production using plants and microorganisms, potentially transforming the future of dairy.
Photo by Frank Luca on Unsplash
Bird Flu Threatens Cow Milk Production
Since March 2024, a multi-state outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) has impacted dairy farms across the United States, the CDC reports. This strain, previously unseen in cattle, poses a major risk as raw or unpasteurized milk can transmit the virus to humans.
In April, bird flu was detected in 33 cattle herds across eight states: Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also reported finding fragments of the bird flu virus in one out of five samples of pasteurized milk.
However, the FDA has confirmed that pasteurized commercial milk remains safe. Meanwhile, the outbreak has already affected several dairy workers, raising public health concerns.
The Search for Cow Milk Alternatives
In response to these challenges, scientists and biotech companies are exploring alternatives to traditional milk production. Their goal is to produce milk without cows by using genetically engineered yeasts and plants to create the essential proteins found in milk.
Remilk, an Israeli startup founded in 2019, has made significant strides in this area. The company has engineered yeast to produce beta-lactoglobulin, the main component of whey protein.
According to Ori Cohavi, cofounder of Remilk, a single biotech factory using yeast vats could potentially replace 50,000 to 100,000 cows. Remilk is currently producing trial batches of milk proteins combined with plant oils and sugar to create products like cheese, ice cream, and milk drinks.
Similarly, Alpine Bio (also known as Nobell Foods), a San Francisco-based biotech company, has engineered soybeans to produce casein, another critical milk protein.
These soybeans are being grown on USDA-sanctioned test plots in the Midwest. Alpine Bio's CEO, Magi Richani, emphasizes the importance of using a major commodity crop like soybeans to ensure economic viability and competitiveness.
"We are working with farmers who are already growing soybeans for animal feed," says Richani. "And we are saying, 'Hey, you can grow this to feed humans.'"
Traditional dairy farming has a considerable environmental impact, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and requiring significant water and land resources.
Cohavi highlights the unsustainable nature of this practice: "There are hundreds of millions of dairy cows on the planet producing greenhouse waste, using a lot of water and land. It can't be the best way to produce food."
Despite the potential benefits, these biotech ventures face economic challenges. Dairy farms benefit from government subsidies and protections, and cows provide multiple products beyond milk, such as beef and leather.
To compete, companies like Remilk and Alpine Bio must keep production costs low while ensuring their products meet consumer expectations.
