Cellular Milk and Dairy Products

Abstract

Cellular agriculture could develop foods with changed macro- and micronutrient content to promote optimal health or flavor, potentially producing a new class of superfoods. This multi-disciplinary area focuses on resulting in existing agricultural products, particularly animal-based products, using cell culture rather than living organisms. Conventional dairy farming has a major environmental impact, including greenhouse gas emissions, water use, land use, and animal welfare challenges. Cell-based dairy, also known as lab-grown or cultured dairy, is a promising alternative that produces milk directly from cell cultures, eliminating the need for cows. This technique can significantly minimize the environmental footprint. This chapter focuses on cellular agriculture, which has the potential to reduce the number of animals required for food production and thereby minimize the environmental implications of extensive animal husbandry.