Engineered Plant Seeds Produce Bovine β-Casein, Paving the Way for Cow-Free Dairy Proteins

Scientists at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (搜索)搜索该公司 (HUJI) have demonstrated that plants can be engineered to manufacture and store bovine β-casein (搜索)搜索该靶点—one of the major proteins in cow's milk—inside their seeds, a breakthrough that could eventually enable production of dairy proteins without cows. The study, published in Frontiers in Plant Science under the title "Microscope reveals surprising milk protein clusters in engineered seeds," was led by Professor Oded Shoseyov of the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment at HUJI, together with lead author Almog Ozeri and researchers Mai Shamir, Miron Abramson, Barak Cohen, and Amir Rudich.

The work addresses a pressing sustainability challenge. "As global demand for dairy continues to grow while concerns mount over greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water consumption associated with livestock farming, scientists have been searching for sustainable ways to produce authentic dairy proteins without relying on animals," the scientific press release stated. "Plant molecular farming, using crops as miniature protein factories, has emerged as one of the most promising approaches, but producing complex milk proteins in plants has remained a major technical challenge."

An Unexpected Storage Pathway

To tackle the challenge, the researchers engineered seeds from Arabidopsis (thale cress), a weed in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) native to Eurasia and Africa, to produce bovine β-casein (搜索)搜索该靶点 fused to an oil-body protein called oleosin. By testing several different "cellular addresses," they directed the protein to various compartments within the plant cell to determine where it would accumulate most efficiently.

The results were surprising. "The protein absolutely behaves like real dairy β-casein (搜索)搜索该靶点 – even better," Shoseyov said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. Rather than following the researchers' instructions, the plant effectively created its own storage solution. "We set out to send the protein to one location inside the cell, but instead, we found that the plant had effectively created its own storage solution," Shoseyov said.

"Biological systems are far more sophisticated," Shoseyov continued. "While we can't claim it's an entirely new biological pathway – we need further investigation to come up with such a statement – it opens some very interesting opportunities. It's likely that we've simply overlooked something that plants have always done."

A Novel Food Ingredient

The engineered seeds yielded what Shoseyov described as a "novel food ingredient that combines protein and oil that may be either integrated into existing dairy products or will be used to produce entirely new tasty and nutritious food products more cost-effectively and sustainably compared to the existing dairy industry."

Shoseyov noted that although precision fermentation already produces dairy proteins, plants hold a distinct advantage: protein production and extraction in plants is up to 100 times cheaper compared with fermentation.

Safflower as the Commercial Platform

While Arabidopsis served as the research model due to its fast life cycle, small genome, and ease of genetic transformation, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is the intended commercial and agricultural crop platform. Once the artificially designed DNA segment is assembled and validated in Arabidopsis, it is transferred to safflower for scaled agricultural production.

The concentration advantage is substantial. Milk is only about four percent protein and three percent fat, with the remainder largely water. "Safflower seeds contain about 10 times more concentrated protein and fat," Shoseyov said. "Thus, for every 10 trucks that carry cold milk, we would need to use only one at room temperature, and upon arrival at the factory, the seeds could be stored in a silo at room temperature for up to one year."

Safflower also offers sensory and agronomic benefits. Its seeds are white, and the oil is colorless and flavorless, avoiding the coconutty, beany, or oaty cereal-like odors of "milks" made from coconut, soy, or oats. The plants prefer hot weather and require very little water for irrigation, making them an ideal crop amid global warming.

Commercialization Timeline and Regulatory Path

Shoseyov estimated that commercialization is within reach. "We estimate that in 18 to 24 months, we'll reach the commercial stage. The biggest remaining obstacle ahead is adoption of the technique by industry. We have already begun discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration (搜索)搜索该词条."

He expressed optimism about the regulatory outlook. "We already started discussions with the FDA. There is a very clear path. It should not be too difficult. In five years, I hope to see our plants grown all over the world and the shelves in the supermarkets loaded with our plant dairy products."

Complementing, Not Replacing, Conventional Dairy

Despite the breakthrough, Shoseyov predicted that plant-based milk proteins would likely complement rather than replace the conventional dairy industry. "Regular dairy is not going to vanish. In the next 20 years, most of the plant-based dairy proteins will be used in hybrid products to reduce price and meet sustainability goals. The farmers may expand their growing seasons to grow our crops and supply them to their dairy factory customers."

The largest growth in demand is expected to come from the Asia-Pacific region, with countries including the U.S., Argentina, Australia, China, India, and Brazil identified as potential leading growers.

Pharmaceutical Applications

The discovery may extend beyond food. "I am positive that the pharmaceutical industry will enjoy this discovery to manufacture biological drugs, such as humanized antibodies," Shoseyov said. "Nevertheless, the food industry is four times larger than the pharmaceutical industry. Consumers will know they're eating proteins that came from a flower instead of a cow because transparency is mandatory in the food industry."

Shoseyov concluded by reflecting on the scientific significance of the finding. "One of the most exciting aspects of science is when nature surprises you. Understanding this unexpected behavior gives us valuable insight into how plants handle complex proteins and may help us engineer more efficient systems for producing sustainable dairy proteins in the future."