NewMoo Ltd., a food-tech start-up, has launched in the plant molecular farming sector, focusing on producing casein proteins for cheese manufacturing.
Caseins, which make up about 80 percent of the proteins in dairy milk, enable cheesemakers to create a genuine cheese without using animal sources, which NewMoo says is also cost-effective.
With the global cheese market valued at $135 billion and projected to reach $220 billion by 2028, NewMoo says that it aims to assist dairy cheese manufacturers in expanding their offerings to meet the growing demand from flexitarian consumers, who make up 42 percent of the global population according to Euromonitor.
Traditional cheese alternatives have struggled to replicate the sensory and nutritional qualities of dairy cheese. This challenge stems from the absence of caseins, which are essential for mimicking the properties of real cheese.
NewMoo scientists have developed a method to produce casein proteins in plant seeds, grown through conventional agriculture. After three years of research, NewMoo says its proteins match dairy proteins in nutrition, composition, and functionality. This technology, based on research from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, allows multiple caseins to be expressed in a single plant.
“Our animal-free liquid casein mimics all the functional traits of real milk protein for crafting cheese the traditional way,” said Daphna Miller, NewMoo co-founder and CEO. “This means it can seamlessly replace dairy milk in any dairy cheese manufacturing facility without the need for any special equipment or reconfiguration of existing equipment. NewMoo’s caseins can form the basis for a cheese that has the exact melting and stretching behavior as animal dairy cheese, and delivers the typical aroma, flavor, and texture that cheese eaters crave. Our animal-free proteins are literally identical to animal-derived caseins.”
The harvested plants are processed to create a hormone-free, lactose-free, and cholesterol-free liquid casein that replicates the functionality of dairy cheese. NewMoo’s process enables efficient and scalable production without the need for specialized equipment, making it a practical solution for cheese manufacturers.
The NewMoo team includes seasoned professionals from the dairy and consumer packaged goods industries. The company’s co-founders bring expertise in plant molecular genetics, food business development, and dairy industry innovation.