London-based precision fermentation company Better Dairy’s dairy proteins – primarily casein and osteopontin – address the growing demand for infant nutrition and health foods.
Unlike other companies that create single or partially functional caseins, Better Dairy expresses all four casein proteins and ensures proper phosphorylation, which is crucial for calcium interaction and traditional cheese functionality, David Nunn, chief scientific officer, Better Dairy, explained at Future Food-Tech San Francisco.
Better Dairy’s casein proteins serve as the foundation for “a recipe for creating milk,” which can be processed into cheese using traditional cheese-making methods, Nunn said. When combined with plant-based lipids and sugars, the casein proteins enable the production of a dairy-free hard cheese that can also undergo aging and ripening.
In contrast, other technologies relying solely on casein or plant-based proteins struggle to support ripening, Nunn said. This is because the process relies on a complex interaction between casein, microorganisms and lipids, which requires the controlled structure found in traditional cheese making, he added.
Better Dairy sampled its one, three and nine-month aged cheddar cheeses during the show to illustrate the maturation process, “which involves the microbes that are there, lactic acid bacteria, breaking down the lipids and producing fatty acids,” Nunn said.
The company’s primary focus is on high-value aged cheeses, like Gruyere and vintage cheddar, which offer better margins than mozzarella or pizza cheese, Nunn said.
Unlocking osteopontin for infant and adult nutrition
Beyond casein, Better Dairy develops proteins like osteopontin, a key compound in human breast milk that supports infant nutrition, healthy aging, bone health and gut health, Nunn said.
While lactoferrin remains the more popular premium milk protein for commercial use, osteopontin shows promise around calcium metabolism and bone health, explained Jevan Nagarajah, CEO and founder, Better Dairy.
Human milk contains hundreds of functional proteins, fats and sugars that support brain, bone, gut and immune development, unlike cow’s milk which lacks some of these components, making the commercialization of osteopontin critical for broader use in infant nutrition, healthy aging and gut health, Nagarajah explained.
Nagarajah also notes that infant formula companies increasingly incorporate human milk components to bridge the nutritional gap between human and bovine milk. Although there is a growing interest in human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), or sugars found in human milk, that support the infant microbiome, the company currently is setting its sights on other milk proteins and beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) to explore functional proteins with health benefits, he added.
The company is preparing its next fundraising round to commercialize its casein micelles and osteopontin, along with pursuing regulatory approvals for the US, Europe and Asia, Nagarajah said.
