French cheese manufacturer, Bel Group, has partnered with an alternative protein biotech company, Standing Ovation, to introduce an innovative precision fermentation process enabling valorisation of dairy effluents such as whey into casein proteins.
Caseins are the main protein in milk, essential for the manufacture of many dairy products. Today, some of the acid whey from cheese production remains under-utilised. Using its patented precision fermentation technology, Standing Ovation has developed a process capable of transforming the serums supplied by Bel Group into functional proteins, offering a sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional dairy supply chains.
Standing Ovation CEO, Yvan Chardonnens, said the acid whey serum contains minerals, sugar (lactose), organic acids, and very little protein.
“The process developed by Standing Ovation offers a new, sustainable source of protein, produced through fermentation from a by-product of the dairy industry,” said Chardonnens.
“This partnership with Bel is particularly meaningful, as it embodies all of our core values: innovation, circular economy, sustainable development, and support for food sovereignty in Europe and around the world.”
The partnership between Bel and Standing Ovation is based on a sustainable and responsible approach to dairy farming:
- Waste reduction – transforming a by-product into a valuable resource.
- Optimising production flows – integrating serums into an innovative value chain.
- Commitment to sustainability – a technology that reduces carbon footprint and promotes more resource-efficient production
This collaboration is in line with Bel Group's vision of achieving zero destruction of edible products and 100 per cent recovery of food waste when destruction is unavoidable.
Bel Groupe director of investments and collaborations with startups, Caroline Sorlin, said the partnership illustrates how the company is committed to FoodTech for the future of food and food sovereignty.
“It also demonstrates the confidence innovative start-ups such as Standing Ovation have in us to transform the food model,” said Sorlin.
“Standing Ovation's technology, combined with our cheese-making expertise, enables us to put this technological innovation into practice, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for imagining tomorrow's recipes and products, combining nutritional quality, accessibility and responsibility. It's a guarantee that we'll be able to offer products that meet the expectations of tomorrow's consumers.”
The two companies aim to collaborate to accelerate the industrialisation of the precision fermentation process applied to serums, develop industrial applications for dairy caseins in various food products, and actively contribute to the evolution of agri-food practices, working towards a more sustainable management of resources.
Standing Ovation co-founder and scientific director, Romain Chayot, said thanks to this process, the companies are optimising the manufacture of dairy products by enabling manufacturers to reintegrate whey directly into their production cycle.
“This local and circular approach reduces losses and reinforces supply at source, a key issue for the future of the sector and the major challenges of food sovereignty in Europe and worldwide,” said Chayot.
Precision fermentation in the dairy industry has been a hot area for R&D in recent years. American cheese company, Leprino Foods, partnered with Dutch plant-based ingredient manufacturer, Fooditive Group, last year, giving the company exclusive global rights to produce non-animal casein manufactured using Fooditive’s proprietary precision fermentation platform.
Israeli start-up, NewMoo, is producing casein proteins using plant molecular farming to grow them from plant seeds, and alternative routes include the use of biotechnology, from companies such as Pureture.
Nothing has been said about an international expansion of Bel and Standing Ovation's partnership, but Bel opened an Australian subsidiary in November last year, aiming to work more closely with retailers and directly manage its brand distribution, which could offer opportunities for this technology to hit the Australian market.
