{"id":92486,"date":"2025-10-20T12:00:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T12:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/92486\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T12:00:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T12:00:11","slug":"precision-fermentation-by-standing-ovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/92486\/","title":{"rendered":"precision fermentation by Standing Ovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

How is whey turned into casein? A precision fermentation summaryBel and Standing Ovation produce casein from whey at scalePatented microbes transform acid whey into all three major caseinsProcess creates a closed loop using Bel\u2019s cheese production by-productLife cycle analysis shows 74% less CO2 and 99% less land useRegulatory approval and pricing are key hurdles to market entry<\/p>\n

Developing casein proteins from precision fermentation is technical enough. It requires using microorganisms as \u2018cell factories\u2019 to produce proteins like casein, the most abundant protein in milk. And there are three major casein proteins: alpha S1, alpha S2 and beta. Stay with me.<\/p>\n

Then, imagine making these casein proteins from a completely different dairy protein: whey. The mind boggles. <\/p>\n

But that\u2019s exactly what dairy major Bel Group has achieved with its precision fermentation partner Standing Ovation. And not just at lab scale \u2013 at industrial scale.<\/p>\n

How to turn whey into casein<\/p>\n

So how can one protein be turned into another? French start-up Standing Ovation uses its own microorganisms \u2013 so unique, they\u2019re patented \u2013 to valorise all the components in whey as feedstocks to produce caseins. <\/p>\n

In essence, the whey acts as food for the microorganisms, so that they grow and produce what they\u2019re programmed to: all three major casein proteins.<\/p>\n

And where does the whey come from? In a lovely, full-circle moment, the whey is sourced from Bel\u2019s cheese production as a side stream ingredient. Specifically, it\u2019s acid whey \u2013 which is what\u2019s left over when whey proteins have been purified from whey streams. It\u2019s a whey by-product, if you will.<\/p>\n

\"BelBel and Standing Ovation are developing casein proteins from whey by-product. (Image: Standing Ovation)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe remaining liquid is difficult to valorise,\u201d explains Romain Chayot, co-founder and CSO of Standing Ovation. \u201cWith a patented process through precision fermentation, Standing Ovation is able to reintegrate it into a production cycle and give it a second life by transforming it into highly functional proteins.\u201d<\/p>\n

The benefits of a closed loop system<\/p>\n

By working with a major cheese producer like Bel, Standing Ovation has produced a truly closed loop system. Whey is a by-product of cheese production, meaning acid whey is a by-product of a by-product. It\u2019s that side stream that\u2019s then used to feed the microbes to make casein. The waste, if any, is minimal.<\/p>\n

For Bel, which has been partnering with Standing Ovation since 2022, there are obvious benefits. The company has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050, and it\u2019s these kinds of innovation breakthroughs that will help move the dial on the carbon-intensive dairy sector.<\/p>\n

Also read \u2192 Bel Group’s venture chief Caroline Sorlin on getting precision fermentation right<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe ability to generate caseins from a co-product of traditional cheese-making represents a true technological revolution, as well as a significant step forward in our commitment to a sustainable food transition,\u201d says Anne Pitkowski, research and applications director at Bel Group.<\/p>\n

A life cycle assessment of Standing Ovation\u2019s process suggests that compared to animal caseins, it cuts CO2 emissions by 74%, land use by 99%, and water consumption by 68%.<\/p>\n

At industrial scale already, what\u2019s holding next-gen caseins back?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s big news that Standing Ovation and Bel have achieved industrial-scale production for these next-gen casein proteins. The once-very high technical barrier, is now unlocked.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s preventing Standing Ovation\u2019s caseins from reaching Bel\u2019s consumers? <\/p>\n

Regulation is an obvious hurdle. In the US, at least one instance of self-affirmed Generally Recognised as Safe (GRAS) status has been granted for precision fermentation-derived casein. But that\u2019s as far as it goes. Regulation is pending in other geographies, including in Standing Ovation and Bel\u2019s native Europe.<\/p>\n

\"StackIt won’t be until regulatory greenlights are granted, and the price is right, that precision fermentation-derived casein will end up in our cheese. (Image: Getty\/AlexPro9500)<\/p>\n

But price is also key, something that industrial scale production should help with. \u201cProduction at industrial scale has already started with Bel, and we are expanding this production with other major dairy players as well,\u201d reveals Standing Ovation\u2019s Chayot.<\/p>\n

As to whether the economics of its casein already make sense, or whether further optimisation is needed, the co-founder did not disclose. But one can suspect that it\u2019s not until regulatory greenlights are granted, and the price is right, that next-generation caseins \u2013 including those made from whey \u2013 will end up in our cheese.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How is whey turned into casein? A precision fermentation summaryBel and Standing Ovation produce casein from whey at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92487,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[58621,33277,58622,58623,58624,58625,58626,25306,7678,58627,58628,58629,426,58630,58631,33286,58632,58633,33288,1350,58634,61,60,56780,9603,42449,11527,58635,58636,449,33302,9496,58637,33305,58638,16874,80,58639,42144,58640,58641],"class_list":["post-92486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-babybel","tag-backgrounds","tag-baking","tag-bel","tag-cellophane","tag-cheddar-cheese","tag-cheese","tag-circle","tag-close-up","tag-dairy-product","tag-edam","tag-emmental-cheese","tag-food","tag-four-objects","tag-french-culture","tag-freshness","tag-goat","tag-gouda","tag-gourmet","tag-healthy-eating","tag-heap","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-isolated","tag-milk","tag-paper","tag-red","tag-refreshment","tag-seasoning","tag-small","tag-snack","tag-sphere","tag-stack","tag-studio-shot","tag-sweet-wrapper","tag-table","tag-technology","tag-wax","tag-white","tag-whole","tag-wood-material"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92486\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}