Milk made without cows? It sounds amazing doesn’t it? Great for the cows, no animal cruelty and so would be great for vegans, but is it safe if you have a dairy allergy? The short answer is most definitely No!
What is lab made milk?
Milk can now be created under laboratory conditions without needing any animals involved at all.
Instead of looking for plant based ingredients that can create the best alternative, this ground-breaking new food product is not derived from plants, but made from the same proteins as actual milk.
Imaginedairy, An Israeli start-up is applying AI (artificial intelligence) to precision fermentation to artificially brew the whey and casein proteins that make up real milk and milk-based products.
While not plant-based, this animal-free production process could meet the requirements of the vegan market and potentially transform the dairy industry.
What does this mean for those with a dairy allergy?
This is pretty terrifying for me, as someone with a life threatening dairy allergy, will my body see these new products and man made proteins as the same as real milk and dairy?
Would it give me an anaphylactic reaction?
The answer is most probably, yes it would be dangerous. Lab made dairy milk could cause an anaphylactic reaction if you have a dairy allergy.
This is something to look out for, I don’t think it’s mainstream yet but watch this space. Be aware because in the future, some vegan milks could contain clones of real milk proteins and so be potentially fatal for those with dairy allergies.
Do you have a dairy allergy? How does this new lab made milk and dairy make you feel?
Terrified?
Special thanks to Adrian Rogers of Romer Labs for raising this on LinkedIn.
Remain vigilant, please be aware and raise awareness of the impact novel foods and food processes have on the allergic community #foodallergyawareness
Read, Real Milk, no cows required in LabNews to find out more.
I also wrote about a similar issue before after the production of A2 milk, a special cow’s milk with the most allergenic protein from the milk removed. It is much better for people with a dairy intolerance but potentially fatal for anyone with a real dairy allergy. When you get tested for a dairy allergy, you do not find out which protein you are allergic to. A1 milk protein is just one of many. Read Why A2 milk gives me nightmares here.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Is it a good thing? I guess, like all other products it would need to be labelled, as an allergen for milk dairy, but it could cause significant confusion amongst the general public and food service industry.
Photo by Charlotte May from Pexels
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