Munich start-up sells milk alternative ahead of lab protein approval

A Munich start-up has put a milk alternative on shelves while it works to replace its milk protein with a lab-produced version, BR reports. Its current product contains 3% milk protein and is not yet fully animal-free.

The drink, called Precision Milk, also contains chicory-root inulin, sugar, citrus fibre and rapeseed oil. It comes in versions with 3.5% fat and with reduced fat.

Precision Labs plans to make the milk protein through precision fermentation. The process involves inserting the genetic code for the protein into microorganisms, which then produce it in a reactor. The European Union has not yet approved milk protein made this way. The company expects approval in 2027 or, at the latest, 2028.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging in Freising helped develop the current drink’s texture. Without milk fat, recreating the mouthfeel of cow’s milk is difficult; the researchers used fibre to help achieve it.

At a tasting in a Munich supermarket, reactions were generally positive, though some people missed the fullness of cow’s milk or noticed the plant-based fat. The product is priced more like plant-based drinks than cow’s milk, making it more expensive.

Precision Labs promotes the drink as having less sugar than cow’s milk. While it contains no lactose, it has a small amount of added table sugar. Daniela Krehl of the Bavarian Consumer Advice Centre said lactose is not a problem for people who are not lactose intolerant and can support calcium absorption and gut health. She also said the drink lacks some vitamins and minerals found in cow’s milk, including iodine and selenium.

Krehl said a future version made entirely without animal protein could help address the challenge of feeding a growing global population. Whether the product catches on will also depend on its price.