Auckland's Food-Tech Startup Aims to Revolutionize Dairy Production
Dairy stands as New Zealand’s most lucrative export industry, yet it is also marked as one of the leading contributors to the nation’s carbon emissions. The intriguing question arises - is it possible to eliminate the cow and methane emissions from the production process altogether?
An Auckland-based food-tech startup is ambitiously tackling this issue. DaisyLab, the startup, has set its sights on creating dairy-identical proteins through the innovative use of precision fermentation.
Emily McIssac, one of DaisyLab's founders, detailed the groundbreaking approach: “We produce dairy proteins without the cow by genetically modifying a strain of yeast to produce proteins typically found in cow's milk.”
DaisyLab has piqued the interest of the traditional dairy industry and plans to escalate its production capabilities by launching a 1,000-liter pilot production plant. The company is confident, boasting a scalable strain and expert fermentation knowledge on its team.
A comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment, commissioned by the French Precision Fermentation entity Bon Vivant, showcased a staggering 96 percent reduction in carbon emissions and a 92 percent reduction in land use compared to conventional dairy production.
New Zealand's dairy cooperative, Tatua, has invested in DaisyLab, which opens pathways to integrating traditional processing methods with this novel approach. McIssac assured that the only major change required is primarily in the upstream process of the plant, emphasizing the efficient and minimal alterations needed downstream.
While DaisyLab’s technology represents hope for mitigating environmental impacts, it does not aim to replace traditional farming imminently, according to food science expert Li Day. Instead, it stands to add value and efficiency to current agricultural practices.
McIsaac also emphasized that the precision fermentation technology could utilize byproducts of traditional cheesemaking for feeding the protein-producing organisms, further elevating resource efficiency.
With the industry's current surplus capacity during off-peak seasons, like winter, DaisyLab’s methods promise to maximize capital assets effectively, reducing waste, and improving processing efficiencies.
The realization of this innovative technology on a larger scale could indeed persuade stakeholders of its viability and sustainability, setting new standards for the dairy industry as a whole.
