What if the plants growing in a field could one day produce the same proteins that give milk its nutrition, texture and cheese-making properties? A new study brings that possibility a step closer by revealing an unexpected way plant seeds can manufacture and store one of milk's most important proteins. The discovery could help overcome a major hurdle in producing real dairy proteins without cows, paving the way for more sustainable dairy ingredients and alternative food production.
What if the key ingredient that gives milk its nutritional value, creamy texture and cheese-making ability could be grown inside plants instead of produced by cows?
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have taken an important step toward that goal. In a new study published in Frontiers in Plant Science, they demonstrated that plants can successfully manufacture β-casein—one of the major proteins found in cow's milk. Even more surprising, the protein accumulated in an entirely unexpected location inside plant cells, revealing a previously unknown pathway that could help improve the production of animal proteins in crops.
The research was led by Prof. Oded Shoseyov of the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, together with lead author Almog Ozeri, Mai Shamir, Miron Abramson, Barak Cohen, Amir Rudich.
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