Yeast Instead of Cows: Daisy Lab Obtains EPA Approval to Scale Whey Proteins – vegconomist
New Zealand’s precision fermentation biotech Daisy Lab announces that the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has approved the expansion of its dairy protein platform to 5,000 L.
The endorsement follows the successful production of animal-identical whey proteins in 10 L fermenters announced in January. Day Lab states that this approval marks another significant milestone in scaling and commercializing its technology, enabling it to construct a pilot facility.
“This is a crucial step forward for Daisy Lab and for precision fermentation technology in New Zealand”
CSO and co-founder Dr. Nicole Freed highlights the role of the EPA in helping Daisy Lab deal with the legal aspects related to genetic technologies. She shares: “We invested significant time and resources into preparing our application, and it’s gratifying to see our efforts pay off. This is a crucial step forward for Daisy Lab and for precision fermentation technology in New Zealand.”
Proteins for favorite dairy products
Daisy Lab is a female-founded startup headquartered in Auckland, founded in 2021 to produce sustainable dairy proteins. It has raised $1.5 million to develop and scale its technologies and has received support from the government’s Callaghan Innovation.
In the last year, the startup has scaled its process for beta-lactoglobulin and discovered three whey protein expression systems using yeast. In addition, the startup has been researching casein for cheesemaking and lactoferrin, a high-value milk protein used in baby formula and sports supplements, to tap into the $15 billion plant-based food market.
Daisy Lab has created ice cream, yogurt, and cream cheese prototypes to demonstrate that fermentation-derived proteins can make the same dairy products that consumers love.
CEO and co-founder Irina Miller comments: “What sets Daisy Lab apart from our global competitors is that we developed our strains and fermentation protocols with the downstream process in mind.”
The beginning of sustainable dairy
New Zealand is the largest global dairy exporter and boasts leading dairy processing expertise, which makes the transition to alternative methods of producing milk and dairy easier. Such a transition is necessary because animal agriculture is responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution in the country, explains Daisy Lab.
Precision fermentation is said to hold the potential to revolutionize the dairy industry and contribute significantly to environmental sustainability. The Precision Fermentation Alliance published on its blog the results of an ISO-compliant Life Cycle Analysis from member Perfect Day that found that precision fermentation-derived whey emits 97% less GHG, uses up to 99% less blue water, and up to 60% less nonrenewable energy compared to its conventional counterpart.
“Our fermentation liquid is uniquely suited to be processed using existing industrial dairy equipment, such as decanters, microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes, and spray-dryers,” Miller adds.
