Can lab-grown milk be a novel trend in the dairy industry?

Abstract

Milk using the traditional production system has been associated with environmental problems such as gas emissions and climate change, drawing the attention of industry and researchers to the search for alternatives that may be more sustainable for milk production. Cellular agriculture is an emerging process proposed for food production without animal involvement. Although milk production through cellular agriculture is in the initial phase and presents many technical challenges, its production is promising and has attracted key players in the dairy sector. This review highlighted two types of lab-grown milk production: production using mammary cells and precision fermentation using specific microbial hosts. There are still few scientific articles that address milk production through cellular agriculture. Studies have focused on obtaining milk proteins that can be combined with other constituents, such as water, oils, and carbohydrates, to create products that simulate milk's nutritional and functional properties. Patent applications from dairy industries and startups describing methods for obtaining lab-grown milk include genetic manipulation, selection of microorganisms, culture medium for growth of microorganisms or mammary cells, growth factors, and engineering of bioreactors used in milk production and/or constituents. Challenges related to optimal nutritional profile, costs and regulatory issues must be addressed in the coming years. Therefore, this review article provides relevant information and discussion about lab-grown milk, which, despite being promising, is still in the early stages.