Podcast Summary
Sustainable Cheese: An Animal-Free Alternative: New Culture's innovative use of dairy protein produces a cheese that mimics traditional cheese while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, providing a sustainable option for environmentally conscious consumers.
New Culture, a company started by Matt Gibson and Ina Radman, has found a way to create animal-free cheese that is just as delicious as traditional cheese. By using dairy protein called Casing, New Culture is able to produce cheese that has many of the same qualities as traditional cheese, such as the ability to stretch and melt. The meat and dairy industries are responsible for a large amount of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, and New Culture is offering a sustainable alternative. Matt and Ina met on LinkedIn after Matt searched for a co-founder that fit his specific requirements. With Ina's strong science background and shared values, they were able to bring their vision to life and create a product with a positive impact on the environment.
Unexpected Opportunities for Finding Purpose: Sometimes taking a leap of faith and trusting in others' knowledge and passion can lead to discovering a new purpose and contributing to a meaningful cause, even when it's unexpected.
When feeling lost, sometimes unexpected opportunities can lead to finding purpose. Inja Radman was on a personal journey of understanding food and climate problems when she was contacted by Matt with a proposal to start a clean dairy company. Despite being from opposite sides of the world and initially considering government policy jobs, Inja took a leap of faith and joined Matt in the Indie Bio incubator program. Their different backgrounds and expertise complemented each other in developing new cultures for sustainable food production. Inja's training in protein science and engineering contributed to the development of their clean dairy products. Trusting in Matt's knowledge and passion for the space led to Inja finding a new purpose and contributing to a meaningful cause.
Repurposing Molecular Biology to Create Sustainable Cheese Alternatives: New Culture is using technology to create high-quality plant-based cheese alternatives that support sustainable food production and reduce environmental impact.
Inja Radman, co-founder of New Culture, shares her motivation to repurpose molecular biology technology to create sustainable food products. Her company's mission is to displace unsustainable food production, and cheese is one of the most unsustainable products in the world. With this in mind, New Culture is creating plant-based cheese alternatives that have the same quality as dairy cheese but without the environmental impact. It takes an average of 30 to 60 bathtubs full of water to produce a single block of cheese, making it a significant contributor to global carbon emissions. New Culture aims to create a positive impact by offering innovative and sustainable plant-based food alternatives.
Sustainable and Delicious Cheese Without Animals: Creating plant-based cheese with the same properties as dairy cheese is challenging due to the absence of casing proteins. Matt Gibson and Inja Radman's solution involves reconstituting milk with water and fats to produce an animal-free, sustainable and ethical cheese.
Dairy cheese production is unsustainable due to high water, greenhouse gas emissions, and land usage, making it the third worst globally after beef and lamb. Despite alternatives being available, plant-based cheese sales remain low due to the lack of the hero ingredient, casing proteins, which give dairy cheese its desired properties. In 2018, Matt Gibson and Inja Radman set out to create the first animal-free dairy cheese, identifying the casing protein as key to their success. Their solution involves adding fats and water to reconstitute milk before taking it through the cheese-making process. Their work has the potential to make a significant impact in creating a sustainable and ethical food industry.
Precision Fermentation: Revolutionizing Animal-Free Dairy Products: Precision fermentation technology creates casing protein without using animals and can produce dairy products identical in structure to traditional dairy milk. It offers a sustainable and ethical solution that has the potential to revolutionize the dairy industry.
Precision fermentation allows for the creation of casing protein without requiring an animal, using DNA information from cows to direct microbes to produce casing. This technology offers the potential to create animal-free dairy products, including cheese. By cultivating microbes in various conditions, scientists can tailor the nutrients, oxygen, and energy to produce the desired protein. The use of precision fermentation builds upon the longstanding tradition of isolating and cultivating microbes to create products like yogurt and probiotics. This technology offers a sustainable and ethical solution to traditional dairy production, providing an animal-free alternative that is identical in structure to the casing found in dairy milk. This innovation represents the future of food production, and has the potential to revolutionize the dairy industry.
The Rise of Vegan Cheese: How Cassin Protein is Revolutionizing Dairy Production: Vegan cheese production has advanced, allowing for a wide range of cheese types to be produced using cassin protein. By investing in low moisture mozzarella production, cheese makers can quickly replace animal-based cheese products. The pandemic presented an opportunity for companies to refine their products.
Recent advances in vegan dairy production allow for the creation of virtually any type of cheese imaginable, including but not limited to, blue, Parmesan, hard, and soft cheeses. The use of cassin protein empowers cheese makers with the ability to create superior dairy products compared to alternative methods on the market. Investing in low moisture mozzarella production offers the biggest opportunity for impact as it is the most widely consumed cheese in the US. The ability to experiment and iteratively improve the product quickly allows for a faster displacement of animal-based cheese products. The pandemic served as an opportunity for these cheese makers to focus on perfecting their product without external distractions.
Dairy-Free Cheese Company's Innovative Approach to Cheese Making: This dairy-free cheese company's unique approach to creating casin protein instead of whey protein has resulted in a cheese that's almost indistinguishable from dairy cheese. Feedback from consumers is important for future improvements.
Despite the setback caused by the pandemic, the team at this dairy-free cheese company used the time to plan and analyze data, resulting in a productive few months when they returned to the lab. Their unique approach focuses on creating casin protein rather than whey protein, which is what allows cheese to have its stretchy, melty texture. While other companies have focused on creating dairy-free ice cream and yogurt, this company's focus on cheese has resulted in a product that has received positive feedback and is nearly indistinguishable from dairy cheese. However, feedback from consumers is still important to continue improving the product and this company is excited to get it in the coming year.
New Culture's Commitment to Casing for a Dairy-Free Future: New Culture founders are dedicated to launching animal-free cheese in food service, with a 100% focus mindset. Their approach to casing and dedication to changing the dairy industry highlight the future of plant-based foods.
New Culture's founders focused solely on casing and betting everything on its success, believing that difficult problems require a 100% focus mindset. They plan to launch their animal-free cheese into food service, starting with select restaurants in early 2022. While FDA regulations are a concern for the industry, New Culture is hopeful for more clarity around labeling and naming in the future, as the plant-based food industry is the future of food. Launching in food service rather than retail also eases this concern, allowing them to label their product differently on menus. Their approach and dedication to casing prove their commitment to changing the dairy industry for the better.
The Emergence of Animal-Free Dairy: A new type of dairy product is being developed that is made using bioidentical dairy proteins found in milk, but is free from animal sources. This new category addresses the growing demand for animal-free products that emulate the taste and functionality of traditional dairy.
The company is working on a novel, third category in the dairy world called animal-free dairy which is free of any source or origin of coming from animals and instead is made with bioidentical dairy proteins found in milk. They have to differentiate it from plant-based alternatives and call it dairy so consumers understand there is a real dairy protein in their product. The animal-free dairy world fits into the declining dairy industry as there is a growing demand for animal-free products that function like cheese, stretch, melt and taste like the real thing. The company understands that this is a long term game and that there are still many people who prioritize the price, taste and convenience of the food products they consume.
New Culture's Mission to Create an Animal-Free Dairy Future.: New Culture is using precision fermentation technology to create delicious dairy products without animals, which could significantly reduce carbon emissions from animal agriculture and help combat climate change.
New Culture's goal is to lead the global transition to an animal-free dairy future, producing the best dairy products through precision fermentation technology that will make it a no-brainer for consumers to switch to new culture enabled cheeses, yogurts and more. The dairy industry is a giant and this will require partnerships of many established food companies, such as ADM and Kraft Heinz. If humans no longer produce cheese from animal milk, it could have a significant impact on carbon emissions, as 20-30% of emissions come from animal agriculture and cows contribute the most. By displacing dairy cheese and beef and meat from cows, we have a chance of helping curb emissions. The optimistic view is to look at the data from climate scientists and work towards reducing the number of dairy and beef cows on earth.
The Rise of Plant-Based Cheese: A Sustainable and Ethical Option: Advancements in plant-based alternatives offer a more sustainable and ethical option for animal-based products like cheese. Companies like Moolec Science recognize the importance of staying grounded in meeting current demands before exploring the vast potential of the market.
As the dominant species on the planet, our relationship with animals and the food we get from them has changed drastically. While animal-based products like cheese have been a staple of human diets for centuries, advancements in plant-based alternatives offer a more sustainable and ethical option. For companies like Moolec Science, the path forward involves tapping into the growing market for plant-based cheeses while remaining mindful of the challenges that lie ahead. By focusing on meeting the demand for mozzarella, they recognize the importance of staying grounded in the present before branching out to explore the vast potential of the market. Through this approach, they can make a meaningful change in our food system that benefits both humans and animals alike.
