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Biotech uses fermentation to produce milk proteins without cows

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  • My wife has an anaphylactic allergy to whey. I guess we'll now be waiting for the day she has a reaction to "vegan" milk.

    😬 now that's a rough time. Perfect Day does disclaim milk allergenic on their website but I have no idea if they require their clients to include that on their consumer product packaging.

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    This would be cool now I just need some good no animal version of a fat cap and gristle

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    Next stop: synthetic cheese!

  • Surprising (and frustrating) that they didn't use a properly deodorized grade of oil. Do you mind sharing which products you tried? I'm curious

    I don't recall the first one (I tried it sometime late last year) but the more recent one was from Tomorrow farms. Now that I think about it, I suppose there's a possibility they both were from the same company with different branding.

    The good news is that the bitter sunflower flavor can be drowned out pretty handily using chocolate syrup (and as I mentioned it's texture is spot on), so despite my dissatisfaction with the milk on it's own, it makes a great chocolate milk.

  • 😬 now that's a rough time. Perfect Day does disclaim milk allergenic on their website but I have no idea if they require their clients to include that on their consumer product packaging.

    If it takes off it might still make it harder to find a decent dairy alternative for people with this kind of allergy.

  • If it takes off it might still make it harder to find a decent dairy alternative for people with this kind of allergy.

    this is why at the end of the day I hope we invent Star Trek replicators

    and allergy cures

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    I remember hearing about this during a lecture at uni, almost 10 years ago. I hope it will actually be available at some point

  • I remember hearing about this during a lecture at uni, almost 10 years ago. I hope it will actually be available at some point

    But what for? There's all sorts of plant-based "milk" and "cheese". In case of milk drinks, with superior qualities like shelf life.

    Edit: alright, some melty stringy cheesy cheese.

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    Fermentation-made milk substitute was available at supermarkets in Singapore (under the brand name Very Dairy, though the original product was from the startup Perfect Day). I really liked it---a lot nicer than oat milk for drinking straight up. Unfortunately it went off the shelves after a while, seems like demand wasn't high 😞

  • Next stop: synthetic cheese!

  • The foodtech will use yeast as hosts to initially produce casein and whey protein, two of the main proteins found in milk.

    Bioreacted casein would be a HUGE leap for cow-free dairy. I remember when Perfect Day started up they were having too much trouble producing casein, so their products couldn't be used to make stringy or melty cheese.

    As a former cheese addict who developed severe lactose intolerance, I'll just be waiting here for the synthetic cheese. (Please. I miss pain-free cheese so much 😭)

    Why not eat lactose free cheese?

  • But what for? There's all sorts of plant-based "milk" and "cheese". In case of milk drinks, with superior qualities like shelf life.

    Edit: alright, some melty stringy cheesy cheese.

    Plant based cheese is god awful, its congealed oil textured. Milks have been great though

  • Why not eat lactose free cheese?

    Certain cheese (mainly hard cheese) is theoretically zero lactose due to fermentation using it up, but I find that even most hard cheeses give me a reaction.

    I have a history of psychosomatic reactions to food, though. For example I couldn't eat beef, chicken, or pork for years after several food poisoning incidents in quick succession. Even though I knew the reaction was all in my head, the physical effects still happened. Super frustrating.

    However I have had 2 incidents where I had GI symptoms occur after eating something containing dairy where I didn't know until I looked at the ingredients list, so I know it's not 100% in my head.

    To my fellow LI sufferers I encourage you to experiment with hard cheeses, as there's plenty of people who have documented their success with those! 🙂

    (Just do it on a day where you have a bathroom always available, lol.)

  • Plant based cheese is god awful, its congealed oil textured. Milks have been great though

    Some are sure, but there are many different ways to make vegan cheese that produce wildly different results. IMO the cashew based ones are best. If you can find it at your local store, Myokos mozzarella for pizzas is absolutely divine.

  • None of those are synthetic cheese. Just imitation.

  • Certain cheese (mainly hard cheese) is theoretically zero lactose due to fermentation using it up, but I find that even most hard cheeses give me a reaction.

    I have a history of psychosomatic reactions to food, though. For example I couldn't eat beef, chicken, or pork for years after several food poisoning incidents in quick succession. Even though I knew the reaction was all in my head, the physical effects still happened. Super frustrating.

    However I have had 2 incidents where I had GI symptoms occur after eating something containing dairy where I didn't know until I looked at the ingredients list, so I know it's not 100% in my head.

    To my fellow LI sufferers I encourage you to experiment with hard cheeses, as there's plenty of people who have documented their success with those! 🙂

    (Just do it on a day where you have a bathroom always available, lol.)

    I'm not talking about hard cheese but cheese that specifically says "lactose free" in the packaging

  • Plant based cheese is god awful, its congealed oil textured. Milks have been great though

    My wife is a pretty talented vegan baker and cook. Some things I can’t even tell. I’m not vegan but one of our adult sons is so I’m able to taste the difference when she makes something for him. She tried to make a vegan cheesecake once. It was the most horrible thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. She thought so too so I’m not being cruel. The taste was ok I guess but the texture was a complete disaster. He seemed to like it though. And the vegan cheese we buy to put on things like lasagna, is passable at best. Most of it tastes like yellow soft plastic.

    So yeah I agree. But strangely enough we found this plant based heavy whipping cream from country crock that she makes stabilized whip cream from (think instant pudding and heavy whipping cream) and I think I actually prefer that to real heavy cream. It’s amazing.

  • I'm not talking about hard cheese but cheese that specifically says "lactose free" in the packaging

    Never actually seen any besides the cream cheese at Trader Joe's. Going to keep an eye out now

  • But what for? There's all sorts of plant-based "milk" and "cheese". In case of milk drinks, with superior qualities like shelf life.

    Edit: alright, some melty stringy cheesy cheese.

    I’ve tried really hard, and sampled many brands, but other than soy in lattes sometimes, I can’t stand plant based milk in my coffee. Some of it is fine stuff for other uses, or even just drinking, but it just doesn’t come close to the flavor I like as part of my wake up routine. And if my coffee isn’t good it sours my whole day, just a bit.

    I’d love to have something that tastes like milk and feels like milk and does the job of milk, but is vegan.

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    Copy of the article because I don’t respect Microsoft:

    With finite natural resources and a growing demand for food, the world must find ways to overcome this challenge. One proposal comes from a Brazilian startup that will produce milk proteins without the need for cows.

    Founded in 2023, Future Cow wants to transform the dairy market by using precision fermentation, a process that combines high technology, sustainability, and production efficiency.

    "Our mission is to make milk without a cow," summarizes Leonardo Vieira, the company's co-founder and CEO. "Precision fermentation is a technology similar to that used in the production of beer or wine."

    The entrepreneur explains that the technology involves identifying the genetic sequence in the animal's DNA that provides instructions for producing the milk protein. The sequence is then copied and encoded in a host, which can be a fungus, yeast, or bacterium. The host then multiplies in a fermentation tank with a calorie source for nutrition.

    The result is a liquid that—after being filtered and dried—is transformed into the initially programmed milk proteins.

    "These proteins serve as ingredients for the food and dairy industry, which can recombine the product to create various derivatives," he explains.

    The foodtech will use yeast as hosts to initially produce casein and whey protein, two of the main proteins found in milk. Casein is widely used in cheese and yogurt production, while whey is rich in protein and highly valued in the food supplement market.

    There are also other proteins in milk, each with specific applications.

    "One of them is lactoferrin, which is extremely difficult to produce using traditional methods," says Vieira. "It takes 10,000 liters of milk to obtain just one kilo of this ingredient."

    #From the laboratory to the market

    Future Cow began operating in the Supera Technology Park in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo state. There, it produced the first grams of milk protein using precision fermentation. It was then selected to take part in the DeepTech Acceleration Program (PACE) of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas.

    It is now testing the scaling of the process, which is a critical stage for biotech companies.

    "Ninety-five percent of biotechs fail when they leave a bench environment and go to a pilot plant or other relevant environment," recalls Vieira. "We're very optimistic that with the support of the CNPEM and the available infrastructure, we'll achieve the scale-up we need for the next stage."

    The startup does not intend to replace animal milk entirely; rather, it wants to create complementary solutions for the industry.

    "When precision fermentation began, it was all very black or white: the product was either animal or it wasn't animal. Now, we see more hybrid models," Vieira observes.

    According to Vieira, executives from large dairies claim to already purchase all the available milk on the market. "They can't increase production by 20% or 30% with just the traditional raw material," he says. "If they can mix our ingredient with the animal product to create a hybrid product and increase the scale, it'll be a significant gain," he says.

    Another relevant aspect is the decarbonization agenda of large companies.

    "Even if precision fermentation doesn't fully replace animal milk, a 10% or 20% reduction in the carbon footprint of large corporations in the food sector would already represent a considerable environmental impact," Vieira continues.

    #Brazilian potential

    The sector for alternative proteins produced by precision fermentation is still in its early stages, but startups specializing in the segment are already emerging around the world.

    "Each one follows a different technological route. There's variation in the type of host [fungus, yeast, or bacteria] and in the target proteins," says Vieira.

    The entrepreneur points out that Brazil is in a privileged strategic position to lead the global market.

    "Brazil is the only country in the world that has an abundance of water, sugar, and renewable energy, which are the three essential inputs for fermentation. It's a unique opportunity for the country," he points out. "With these characteristics, Brazil can take the lead in a strategic industry for the future of global food."

    Future Cow's technical and economic analyses show that producing milk proteins on a 300,000-liter scale will be less expensive than traditional production methods. He points out that when precision fermentation reaches an industrial scale with lower costs, it will disrupt the market: "If Brazil only focuses on traditional agriculture at that point, we'll be left behind."

    The researcher cites New Zealand as an example. The country has characteristics similar to Brazil's, and a significant portion of its gross domestic product (GDP) comes from milk exports.

    "They've already realized that the sector is going to change and are moving to avoid being left behind," he comments. "I've been trying to alert the Brazilian government authorities to this potential."

    #Future prospects

    Future Cow already has a functional strain and is now looking to increase production yields.

    "The more the strain produces, the more the unit price falls. So we're optimizing the fermentation processes," Vieira asserts. The expectation is that the product will be ready and available for sale by the end of 2026.

    Since the product is an ingredient, the company will not sell directly to the end consumer, but rather will act as a supplier to the food industry. This approach could facilitate the startup's entry into the market.

    Vieira explains, "As an ingredient, our product can be incorporated into existing products without facing a high entry barrier."

    The startup will initially market the proteins it has already developed before expanding to other varieties.

    "Only after the first commercialization will we develop other proteins," says the entrepreneur.

    The company is preparing to take part in VivaTech, an innovation fair that will be held in Paris, France, in June.

    "The technology already exists in other countries and at VivaTech we'll be able to show that Brazil has it too," says Vieira. "We can win over investors who realize that we can manufacture in Brazil and export to other locations. This kind of exposure abroad is uncommon for Brazilian companies."

    At the meeting, Future Cow aims to connect with the innovation ecosystem, raise awareness of the development of the technology in Brazil, and attract potential corporate partners. "We want to demonstrate that we're developing alternative proteins and, with this, attract multinationals from the dairy sector to be our clients."

    #Scientific entrepreneurship

    One aspect that Vieira highlights is the combination of skills at Future Cow. While he brings experience in business and entrepreneurship, his partner, Rosana Goldbeck, has a Ph.D. in food engineering from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and has already studied meat cultivation in Brazil.

    He says, "This mix is an important differentiator, as it brings together someone who understands business and someone who understands the technology."

    According to Vieira, this is one of the main barriers preventing more innovations from Brazilian universities from becoming commercial products: "Brazil produces a lot of science, has many scientific articles, but most of them don't become businesses," he laments. "There need to be more connections between the academic environment and entrepreneurship in Brazil."

    Provided by FAPESP

  • PSA: Stop Using These Fire-Prone Anker Power Banks Right Now

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    Agreed here. Frequently people charge these near where they sleep and the failure mode is... sudden. Couches and beds tend to be really good kindling too. Urgency in this case is probably warranted.
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    it becomes a form of censorship when snall websites and forums shut down because they don’t have the capacity to comply. In this scenario that's not a consideration. We're talking about algorithmically-driven content, which wouldn't apply to Lemmy, Mastodon, or many mom-and-pop sized pages and forums. Those have human moderation anyway, which the big sites don't. If you're making editorial decisions by weighting algorithmically-driven content, it's not censorship to hold you accountable for the consequences of your editorial decisions. (Just as we would any major media outlet.)
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    I'm not saying to waste space... but when manufacturers start a pissing match among themselves and say that it's because it's what the customers want, we end up with shit. Why does anyone need a screen that curves around the edge of the phone? What purpose does this serve? Who actually asked for this? I would give up some of my screen area to have forward facing speakers. I want a thicker phone that has better battery life. I also want to be able to swap out my battery. Oh, and I don't want the entire thing encased in glass. If we're so concerned about phone size then they should stop designing them so that a case is required.
  • Tough, Tiny, and Totally Repairable: Inside the Framework 12

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    What? No, the framework 12 is the thing the had before the 13 one. Nowadays, they call that model always 13 it seems. I think you're confusing something, I've got mine since a few years now.
  • Catbox.moe got screwed 😿

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    I'll gladly give you a reason. I'm actually happy to articulate my stance on this, considering how much I tend to care about digital rights. Services that host files should not be held responsible for what users upload, unless: The service explicitly caters to illegal content by definition or practice (i.e. the if the website is literally titled uploadyourcsamhere[.]com then it's safe to assume they deliberately want to host illegal content) The service has a very easy mechanism to remove illegal content, either when asked, or through simple monitoring systems, but chooses not to do so (catbox does this, and quite quickly too) Because holding services responsible creates a whole host of negative effects. Here's some examples: Someone starts a CDN and some users upload CSAM. The creator of the CDN goes to jail now. Nobody ever wants to create a CDN because of the legal risk, and thus the only providers of CDNs become shady, expensive, anonymously-run services with no compliance mechanisms. You run a site that hosts images, and someone decides they want to harm you. They upload CSAM, then report the site to law enforcement. You go to jail. Anybody in the future who wants to run an image sharing site must now self-censor to try and not upset any human being that could be willing to harm them via their site. A social media site is hosting the posts and content of users. In order to be compliant and not go to jail, they must engage in extremely strict filtering, otherwise even one mistake could land them in jail. All users of the site are prohibited from posting any NSFW or even suggestive content, (including newsworthy media, such as an image of bodies in a warzone) and any violation leads to an instant ban, because any of those things could lead to a chance of actually illegal content being attached. This isn't just my opinion either. Digital rights organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation have talked at length about similar policies before. To quote them: "When social media platforms adopt heavy-handed moderation policies, the unintended consequences can be hard to predict. For example, Twitter’s policies on sexual material have resulted in posts on sexual health and condoms being taken down. YouTube’s bans on violent content have resulted in journalism on the Syrian war being pulled from the site. It can be tempting to attempt to “fix” certain attitudes and behaviors online by placing increased restrictions on users’ speech, but in practice, web platforms have had more success at silencing innocent people than at making online communities healthier." Now, to address the rest of your comment, since I don't just want to focus on the beginning: I think you have to actively moderate what is uploaded Catbox does, and as previously mentioned, often at a much higher rate than other services, and at a comparable rate to many services that have millions, if not billions of dollars in annual profits that could otherwise be spent on further moderation. there has to be swifter and stricter punishment for those that do upload things that are against TOS and/or illegal. The problem isn't necessarily the speed at which people can be reported and punished, but rather that the internet is fundamentally harder to track people on than real life. It's easy for cops to sit around at a spot they know someone will be physically distributing illegal content at in real life, but digitally, even if you can see the feed of all the information passing through the service, a VPN or Tor connection will anonymize your IP address in a manner that most police departments won't be able to track, and most three-letter agencies will simply have a relatively low success rate with. There's no good solution to this problem of identifying perpetrators, which is why platforms often focus on moderation over legal enforcement actions against users so frequently. It accomplishes the goal of preventing and removing the content without having to, for example, require every single user of the internet to scan an ID (and also magically prevent people from just stealing other people's access tokens and impersonating their ID) I do agree, however, that we should probably provide larger amounts of funding, training, and resources, to divisions who's sole goal is to go after online distribution of various illegal content, primarily that which harms children, because it's certainly still an issue of there being too many reports to go through, even if many of them will still lead to dead ends. I hope that explains why making file hosting services liable for user uploaded content probably isn't the best strategy. I hate to see people with good intentions support ideas that sound good in practice, but in the end just cause more untold harms, and I hope you can understand why I believe this to be the case.
  • Why doesn't Nvidia have more competition?

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    It’s funny how the article asks the question, but completely fails to answer it. About 15 years ago, Nvidia discovered there was a demand for compute in datacenters that could be met with powerful GPU’s, and they were quick to respond to it, and they had the resources to focus on it strongly, because of their huge success and high profitability in the GPU market. AMD also saw the market, and wanted to pursue it, but just over a decade ago where it began to clearly show the high potential for profitability, AMD was near bankrupt, and was very hard pressed to finance developments on GPU and compute in datacenters. AMD really tried the best they could, and was moderately successful from a technology perspective, but Nvidia already had a head start, and the proprietary development system CUDA was already an established standard that was very hard to penetrate. Intel simply fumbled the ball from start to finish. After a decade of trying to push ARM down from having the mobile crown by far, investing billions or actually the equivalent of ARM’s total revenue. They never managed to catch up to ARM despite they had the better production process at the time. This was the main focus of Intel, and Intel believed that GPU would never be more than a niche product. So when intel tried to compete on compute for datacenters, they tried to do it with X86 chips, One of their most bold efforts was to build a monstrosity of a cluster of Celeron chips, which of course performed laughably bad compared to Nvidia! Because as it turns out, the way forward at least for now, is indeed the massively parralel compute capability of a GPU, which Nvidia has refined for decades, only with (inferior) competition from AMD. But despite the lack of competition, Nvidia did not slow down, in fact with increased profits, they only grew bolder in their efforts. Making it even harder to catch up. Now AMD has had more money to compete for a while, and they do have some decent compute units, but Nvidia remains ahead and the CUDA problem is still there, so for AMD to really compete with Nvidia, they have to be better to attract customers. That’s a very tall order against Nvidia that simply seems to never stop progressing. So the only other option for AMD is to sell a bit cheaper. Which I suppose they have to. AMD and Intel were the obvious competitors, everybody else is coming from even further behind. But if I had to make a bet, it would be on Huawei. Huawei has some crazy good developers, and Trump is basically forcing them to figure it out themselves, because he is blocking Huawei and China in general from using both AMD and Nvidia AI chips. And the chips will probably be made by Chinese SMIC, because they are also prevented from using advanced production in the west, most notably TSMC. China will prevail, because it’s become a national project, of both prestige and necessity, and they have a massive talent mass and resources, so nothing can stop it now. IMO USA would clearly have been better off allowing China to use American chips. Now China will soon compete directly on both production and design too.
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    https://web.archive.org/web/20250526132003/https://www.yahoo.com/news/cias-communications-suffered-catastrophic-compromise-started-iran-090018710.html?ref=404media.co
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    By giving us the choice of whether someone else should profit by our data. Same as I don't want someone looking over my shoulder and copying off my test answers.