Ontario, Canada (CU)_ Animal-free milk is one step closer to marketing after the Canadian business substituted a non-animal-derived medium in place of its cell culture medium, fetal bovine serum (FBS). FBS is derived from the placenta of pregnant cows, making it a contentious component in animal-free goods. Additionally, the serum is costly, susceptible to contamination, and extremely variable across batches. However, Opalia has now discovered a substitute substrate, making its cell-based milk more ethical. The substrate is FDA-approved and perhaps expediting with the regulatory clearance process.
A number of firms have been developing alternative cell culture media, for example, Aleph Farms is partnering with WACKER to produce a medium that will be distributed to other companies. In the meantime, scientists have discovered a method for cultivating stem cell lines completely without the use of cell culture medium, which has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of grown goods.
Opalia’s milk is produced by growing improved mammary epithelial cells in a bioreactor, where they will mature and lactate. This method allows for the production of all the components of conventional dairy without the use of cows, including two whey proteins, four casein proteins, and milk fats. According to Opalia, milk is a major ingredient in a variety of products, including food, cosmetics, and medicines. The business will soon begin scaling up manufacturing and prepare for commercialization.
Jennifer Côté, co-founder and CEO of Opalia, expressed optimism about the new discovery. She said, “By successfully replacing FBS with a cheaper, non-animal-derived cell growth substrate, we have reduced the cost and risk of manufacturing cell-based milk, bringing Opalia one step closer to introducing consumers to no-compromises, animal-free dairy”. She added, “Our new FBS replacement substrate enables us to reliably grow our mammary cells to cost-effectively scale up production of sustainable and fully functional animal-free milk.”
