Ghent start-up to produce cheese without the need for a cow

Cheese produced in this way would have a far lower impact on the climate than conventional cheese.

Those Vegan Cowboys works with the universities of Ghent and Wageningen (The Netherlands) and is housed in a biotech lab in Zwijnaarde (Ghent). Their aim is to produce cheese that looks and tastes like conventional cheese but with an impact on the climate that is five times lower.  This they attempt to achieve by reproducing the process that takes place in the cows’ stomachs in the lab.

This week the company produced a first cheese in their lab based on fermented caseins.  Casein is a protein and one of the main ingredients of cheese. Add water and vegetable fat and you should produce a product that is hard to distinguish from conventional cheese.

So far other developers have been attempting to produce a similar product but based on whey protein that is easier to produce.

One kilo of conventional cheese produces an amazing amount of greenhouse gas emissions: 21 kilos.  Cheese places a burden on the environment that is three times higher than pork or chicken meat.  Climate impact depends on the variety of cheese: as a rule, the harder the cheese, the greater the impact.

Animal husbandry also requires a lot of space and currently 22% of the earth’s landmass is used to graze cattle. Cattle also produce a lot of nitrogen.  Half of Flanders nitrogen emissions currently come from cattle.

Those Vegan Cowboys hope to hit the high street with their product by 2027.  Any new product will first have to be approved by the European Food Safety Authority.

Those Vegan Cowboys also faces the challenge of upscaling production of caseins.  So far, they have achieved a tenfold increase in production.  A further tenfold increase is needed.

Success in producing caseins without the need for a cow should also sort the challenge of recreating the taste of conventional cheese.