Israeli scientific breakthrough could lead to producing milk proteins from plants

Israeli scientists have discovered that plants can be engineered to produce and store bovine milk protein inside their seeds, a breakthrough that could eventually enable the production of dairy proteins without cows.

The study, conducted by researchers at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI), found that cow milk protein ß-casein could accumulate inside plant cells. The discovery could pave the way for producing dairy proteins more sustainably and efficiently, potentially reducing the land, water and greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional dairy farming.

Titled “Microscope reveals surprising milk protein clusters in engineered seeds,” the study was led by Professor Oded Shoseyov of the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment at HUJI, in cooperation with lead author Almog Ozeri and researchers Mai Shamir, Miron Abramson, Barak Cohen and Amir Rudich.

“As global demand for dairy continues to grow while concerns mount over greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water consumption associated with livestock farming, scientists have been searching for sustainable ways to produce authentic dairy proteins without relying on animals,” the scientific press release stated.

“Plant molecular farming, using crops as miniature protein factories, has emerged as one of the most promising approaches, but producing complex milk proteins in plants has remained a major technical challenge,” it added.

To address that challenge, the researchers engineered seeds from Arabidopsis, a weed found across Africa and Eurasia, to manufacture bovine ß-casein.

“The protein absolutely behaves like real dairy ß-casein – even better,” Shoseyov said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.

“Biological systems are far more sophisticated,” Shoseyov assessed. “While we can’t claim it’s an entirely new biological pathway – we need further investigation to come up with such a statement – it opens some very interesting opportunities. It’s likely that we’ve simply overlooked something that plants have always done."

Shoseyov explained that the plants created a “novel food ingredient that combines protein and oil that may be either integrated into existing dairy products or will be used to produce entirely new tasty and nutritious food products more cost-effectively and sustainably compared to the existing dairy industry.”

However, challenges remain. Shoseyov assessed that it could take between 18 and 24 months before the study’s results can be commercialized.

“We estimate that in 18 to 24 months, we’ll reach the commercial stage. The biggest remaining obstacle ahead is adoption of the technique by industry. We have already begun discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration.”

The Hebrew University professor said safflower could serve as the commercial crop platform for the technology. He explained that safflower could eventually produce 10 times as much protein as conventional cow's milk.

“Safflower seeds contain about 10 times more concentrated protein and fat,” he said.

“Thus, for every 10 trucks that carry cold milk, we would need to use only one at room temperature, and upon arrival at the factory, the seeds could be stored in a silo at room temperature for up to one year,” the researcher explained.

Despite the breakthrough, Shoseyov predicted that plant-based milk proteins would likely complement rather than replace the conventional dairy industry.

“Regular dairy is not going to vanish. In the next 20 years, most of the plant-based dairy proteins will be used in hybrid products to reduce price and meet sustainability goals. The farmers may expand their growing seasons to grow our crops and supply them to their dairy factory customers.”

Looking ahead, Shoseyov assessed that the largest growth in demand would likely come from the Asia-Pacific region. He said countries including the U.S., Argentina, Australia, China, India and Brazil could become leading growers.

“We already started discussions with the FDA. There is a very clear path. It should not be too difficult. In five years, I hope to see our plants grown all over the world and the shelves in the supermarkets loaded with our plant dairy products,” Shoseyov said.

“But mostly, I hope that our dairy safflower seeds will contribute to the food security of Israel. I look forward to tasting mozzarella cheese made of our novel ingredient,” he added.

The researchers said the discovery could also have applications in the pharmaceutical industry.

“I am positive that the pharmaceutical industry will enjoy this discovery to manufacture biological drugs, such as humanized antibodies,” he said.

“Nevertheless, the food industry is four times larger than the pharmaceutical industry. Consumers will know they’re eating proteins that came from a flower instead of a cow because transparency is mandatory in the food industry,” he continued.

Shoseyov concluded by expressing his fascination with the way nature continues to surprise scientists.

“One of the most exciting aspects of science is when nature surprises you,” Shoseyov said. “We set out to send the protein to one location inside the cell, but instead, we found that the plant had effectively created its own storage solution,” Shoseyov said.

“Understanding this unexpected behavior gives us valuable insight into how plants handle complex proteins and may help us engineer more efficient systems for producing sustainable dairy proteins in the future,” he concluded.