The Cow-Free Dairy Revolution: Israeli Scientists Turn Plants Into Protein Factories
Could cattle soon be replaced by plants? A study led by Professor Oded Shoseyov of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has demonstrated that plants can produce β-casein, one of the main proteins found in cow’s milk. The research team genetically modified seeds to produce β-casein and made an unexpected discovery: instead of accumulating where they had intended, the protein formed previously unknown, protein-rich structures around tiny lipid bodies inside the seed cells. The findings, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, shed new light on how plants process complex proteins and could help pave the way for more efficient systems for the sustainable production of dairy proteins.
Why Is Beta-Casein So Important?
Casein enables the formation of protein micelles and helps bind calcium. It plays an important nutritional role, particularly by providing calcium phosphate, which is essential for bone development. Beta-casein, in particular, is crucial to the functional properties of dairy products.
“Until recently, it was difficult to reproduce the technical properties of beta-casein in plant-based dairy alternatives. The thermoplasticity of cheese, for example, is a very specific property of caseins, particularly beta-casein, which is found in cheeseburgers and pizza — two products that are widely consumed across much of the Western world,” says Professor Oded Shoseyov.
Many researchers are now attempting to produce beta-casein through precision fermentation systems. But there is a problem: caseins require a process known as phosphorylation, which is essential to the protein’s function. Phosphorylation, however, requires ATP, the cell’s energy currency.
“We developed phosphomimetics. The idea is to mimic the functionality of the protein without having to carry out phosphorylation. We modify an amino acid that would normally be phosphorylated,” explains Professor Shoseyov.
This modification is sufficient to give the protein the desired functionality.
Safflower: A Plant With Major Potential
Professor Shoseyov and his team then genetically modified an oilseed plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, by introducing phosphomimetic beta-casein and attempting to direct it specifically toward the lipid bodies found inside the cells. They found that the protein accumulated in the seeds.
“When we grind the seeds, we recover the lipid bodies containing the beta-casein. We have shown that when we extract oil from the seeds, we obtain a cream. This cream is functionalized with beta-casein,” he says.
The researchers had therefore achieved something that had previously seemed difficult to accomplish: producing significant quantities of beta-casein in oilseed plants.
The resulting cream could potentially be used to make plant-based cheese with the melting properties associated with genuine dairy proteins.
The Shoseyov team has also focused on a plant with particularly promising characteristics: safflower. It can grow in very hot climates with relatively little water, and its oil is considered highly nutritious.
Trials beginning next year will help determine the potential yield — for example, how much cream could be produced from one hectare of safflower.
In this particularly striking study, Professor Shoseyov and his team also succeeded in producing different proteins in different seeds, paving the way for a future dairy production facility with five separate silos.
“With our system, you can mix the proteins according to your needs. You can choose the combinations and proportions and develop the product you want. We also now have a program in which we modify the fatty-acid metabolic pathway to produce acids that more closely resemble those found in milk rather than those naturally present in safflower oil,” Professor Shoseyov explains.
Reducing the Environmental Impact of Dairy Production
The scientists’ new approach aims to reduce the environmental footprint of the dairy industry, particularly because of its methane and CO₂ emissions. But the main objective is to dramatically lower the cost of dairy products.
The global dairy industry was already worth more than $1 trillion in 1995 and is expected to reach approximately $1.25 trillion by 2030.
As global demand for protein continues to rise, the discovery could prove particularly significant. The Asia-Pacific region, in particular, is consuming increasing amounts of dairy products, especially in China and India, where consumers have become more aware of the nutritional value of milk-based foods.
There is also growing demand for protein-rich products. As a result, the price of certain dairy proteins, particularly whey proteins such as lactoglobulin, has increased dramatically in recent years. Prices have risen from around $4–5 per kilogram to approximately $27–28 per kilogram today.
“Seeds are naturally designed to store proteins and fats with very little water. The concentration of fat and protein in seeds is almost ten times higher than in milk. In addition, seeds can be stored at room temperature. Instead of transporting ten refrigerated trucks of milk, you could transport roughly one truck of seeds. You can even store the seeds in a silo at room temperature for about a year,” says Professor Shoseyov.
Technological analysis therefore suggests that this method could be far more cost-effective for producing dairy products, even without taking its environmental benefits into account.
The technology could also provide a valuable solution for food security in Israel, as well as in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, which rely heavily on imports of raw materials for livestock farming.
“For generations, we have grown plants as part of our agriculture, then fed those plants to animals before milking or slaughtering the animals. Let’s eliminate the middleman. Or rather, let’s eliminate the cow from the equation. Let the cows graze in the fields and, instead, take their genes and introduce them into plants,” Professor Shoseyov concludes.
In Israel, two products already using this type of dairy protein, including lactoglobulin and milk substitutes, have been approved. The Shoseyov team has also begun discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to understand the regulatory requirements for the American market.
The researchers hope to export the technology to countries including Australia, the United States, Brazil and nations across Africa.
Caroline Haïat
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