Those Vegan Cowboys unveil animal-free casein ‘superior’ to bovine casein
Dutch-Belgium startup Those Vegan Cowboys has developed precision fermentation-derived casein that’s even better than the animal-derived ingredient, according to the company.
Announced first by Those Vegan Cowboys CEO Hille van der Kaa during DairyReporter’s Dairy Alternatives webinar – available to watch on-demand here – the ingredient was officially unveiled at the Future Food Tech summit in London, UK.
One area where the precision fermentation-derived casein excels is that it improves the stretch of mozzarella ‘significantly’ compared to the animal-sourced version, the company said; this would enable manufacturers to use less casein to achieve the same level of functionality while lowering production costs. There are also sustainability-linked benefits, as the company’s fermentation-derived casein requires only one fifth of the land and water compared to animal-based casein, and around 80% less CO₂ and no methane.
During the summer, the startup produced a ball of fresh mozzarella with the novel ingredient and tested the cheese's stretchiness: it got to 1780mm according to the company, which shared the update via Instagram.
Alongside R&D partner and fellow precision fermentation specialist Formo, Those Vegan Cowboys analyzed the functionality of animal and non-animal-derived caseins, coming up with a formulation to be produced via microbial fermentation. According to chief technology officer Will van den Tweel, the fermentation-derived casein ‘can give, for example, a melted stretch up to five times better’, along with a lower melting point. “Along the way we realized that, functionally, the existing cow´s casein may not be the best source of casein for cheese. Every customer, every type of cheese, has its own specific needs. With precision fermentation, we will eventually be able to deliver tailor-made casein types for different cheeses.”
Casein, a major protein in bovine milk, is essential for making cheese that tastes good, stretches, and melts well.
Currently, the startup is working with cheese production partners and is looking into how other functional improvements, such as taste, can be achieved. Frank Fischer, CFO of Westland Kaas, one of the dairies that Those Vegan Cowboys supplies its casein to, said: “Westland Cheese has always been at the forefront of innovation, with Old Amsterdam we were the first to implement a new way of ripening Gouda cheese on the basis of our specific culture. Already years ago, we identified microbial casein as a possible game shift for the dairy industry. We are very excited about entering the new phase of application studies with this source of casein."
Those Vegan Cowboys are currently preparing to file for market approval, first in the US and likely by mid-2025. Robert van den Breemer, former Nutreco head of sustainability, will join the company this week as commercial chief, to help shape the new proposition.
CEO Hille van der Kaa said: “Where the dairy cow has been optimized as a machine for thousands of years, our stainless steel model Margaret is already doing better after just two years. Our product already had significant advantages in terms of sustainability and animal welfare. It now also outruns the cow in functionality for specific applications and, with that, in price.”
She added: “Partners quite often compare the replacement of animal casein with microbial casein to the development of microbial rennet. Until 30 years ago, cheesemakers used rennet from a calf's stomach to make cheese, requiring the animal to be killed. Today, 85% of all cheeses have replaced this type of rennet with microbial rennet. Once animal casein can be replaced with a microbial version as well, cheesemakers take new steps in sustainability and animal welfare.”
