New ‘Cow-Free Milk’ Comes From Dairy Proteins Grown From… Fungi
There are countless milk alternatives to conventional dairy milk stemming from things like nuts, rice, or potatoes. However, this new milk on the block isn’t plant-based like these are—but it’s not exactly dairy, either.
Bettermilk, produced by Betterland, uses animal-free dairy protein made by Perfect Day to replicate the creamy beverage in its own iteration. Although the whey in this protein is pretty much identical to the one in cow milk, the difference is that this one is made by fungi.
This will allow it to act more like fully dairy milk, as explained to Fast Company by Betterland founder and CEO Lizanna Falsetto. When making a foamy latte, Bettermilk froths in the same way as cow’s milk does, while some plant-based milks tend to go flat.
“When you pour it into your coffee, you can drink a whole cup of coffee and you still have the peak [of foam] at the bottom,” she says.
This protein is key to the structure of milk, Perfect Day co-founder Perumal Gandhi stresses. “The protein gives it most of its functionality. It binds with water, it binds with air, and does the thing that makes milk milk.”
The firm makes its protein with a process called “precision fermentation.” Here, microbes are genetically engineered with cow DNA so they can produce whey proteins. They’re fed sugar to activate the process, and the result goes into Bettermilk.
Two variations of the milk are available: whole and extra creamy. The Spoon reports that the product will make its grand debut at Expo West, a natural food trade show, next month, and will be available in retail come spring.
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[via Fast Company and The Spoon, images via Bettermilk]
