Can you artificially create milk? The science behind lab-grown dairy

November 2, 2025 •

3 min read

According to a 2023 report, investments in fermentation and cell-culture protein production methods have reached over $3 billion, highlighting the explosive growth of lab-grown food technology. This rapid innovation means that it is now possible to artificially create milk, moving beyond traditional animal-based production methods.

Quick Summary

This article explores the cutting-edge methods of cellular agriculture, including precision fermentation and mammary cell cultivation, to produce artificial milk. It details the processes, compares the resulting products to both traditional dairy and plant-based milks, and discusses the challenges and potential future of this sustainable dairy alternative.

Key Points

Precision Fermentation: Uses genetically engineered microbes (like yeast) to produce milk proteins such as casein and whey in a controlled environment.
Mammary Cell Cultivation: Involves growing animal mammary cells in a bioreactor to mimic natural milk production, offering the potential for complete, whole milk.
Nutritional Superiority: Lab-grown milk is designed to have a nutritional profile identical or superior to traditional cow's milk, addressing the nutritional gaps of most plant-based alternatives.
Environmental Benefits: Creating milk artificially drastically reduces greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water consumption compared to traditional dairy farming.
Market Presence: Products using lab-grown milk proteins are already on the market, particularly in high-protein items like ice cream and protein powder.
Customization: The production process allows for tailoring milk's composition, such as removing lactose for intolerance or boosting specific nutrients for health.
Industry Disruption: Lab-grown dairy has the potential to significantly disrupt the conventional dairy industry, pushing toward new, more sustainable food systems.

The Core Technologies for Artificially Created Milk

Artificially created milk, or lab-grown dairy, relies on cellular agriculture, a field that produces animal products from cell cultures rather than livestock. This approach offers significant environmental benefits, reduced animal welfare concerns, and the potential for a more stable and efficient food supply chain. The primary methods for producing milk components in a lab are precision fermentation and mammary cell cultivation.

Precision Fermentation: Using Microbes as 'Cellular Factories'

Precision fermentation is a biotechnology process using modified microorganisms like yeast to produce specific milk proteins such as casein and whey. This involves inserting dairy protein genes into the microbes, fermenting them in bioreactors with nutrients, purifying the proteins, and then combining them with other ingredients to create a milk-like product. Companies like Perfect Day utilize this method for animal-free protein ingredients.

Mammary Cell Cultivation: Mimicking the Udder

Mammary cell cultivation is another approach where mammary cells are grown in a lab to produce whole milk. This method aims to replicate the complex composition of natural milk, including structures like casein micelles. The process involves harvesting cells, growing them in a bioreactor, inducing lactation with hormones, and then separating the milk produced. While challenging to scale, it offers the potential for a product very close to traditional milk.

Comparison: Lab-Grown Milk vs. Traditional Dairy vs. Plant-Based Alternatives

Artificially created milk seeks to offer the best of both worlds: the nutritional profile of traditional dairy with the environmental benefits of plant-based options.


Feature	Lab-Grown Milk (via Precision Fermentation)	Traditional Dairy (Cow's Milk)	Plant-Based Milks (e.g., Oat, Almond)
Composition	Can be nutritionally identical to cow's milk, producing exact whey and casein proteins. Can be fortified with specific nutrients or customized.	Contains a full profile of milk proteins, fats, lactose, and a wide range of micronutrients.	Varies significantly depending on the source; often lacks the complete protein profile of dairy and may be low in certain nutrients unless fortified.
Taste & Texture	Designed to mimic the taste and texture of cow's milk very closely, including properties needed for cooking and cheese-making.	The established standard for dairy products; known for its creamy mouthfeel and functional properties.	Can have distinct, often 'beany' or nutty flavors, and varying textures. Functional properties like frothing or melting cheese are often difficult to replicate.
Environmental Impact	Significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water consumption compared to traditional dairy.	Associated with high greenhouse gas emissions (especially methane), significant land use for grazing and feed, and high water consumption.	Generally lower environmental impact than dairy, but varies. Almond milk, for instance, is water-intensive, while soy can be linked to deforestation.
Animal Welfare	Eliminates animal welfare concerns associated with industrial animal farming.	Raises ethical concerns regarding the treatment and living conditions of dairy cows.	Not applicable, as no animal products are involved in production.
Allergen/Intolerance	Lactose-free, but may still contain dairy proteins (casein, whey) that trigger milk allergies.	A source of lactose and dairy allergens, making it unsuitable for lactose-intolerant or allergic individuals.	Naturally lactose-free and a suitable alternative for lactose-intolerant individuals. However, some (e.g., soy, almond) are common allergens.

Challenges and the Future of Lab-Grown Dairy

Key challenges for artificial milk include scaling production, reducing costs, gaining regulatory approval, and achieving consumer acceptance. However, the ability to customize nutritional content and the significant environmental advantages suggest a promising future for lab-grown dairy as a sustainable alternative.

Conclusion

Yes, artificially creating milk is possible and becoming a commercial reality through precision fermentation and mammary cell cultivation. These technologies offer a sustainable, ethical, and potentially customizable alternative to traditional dairy and plant-based milks, with the potential to significantly impact the global food market.

Frequently Asked Questions

The most commercially viable method today is precision fermentation, where genetically modified microorganisms like yeast are used to produce specific dairy proteins, such as whey and casein, in a bioreactor.

There are two methods: precision fermentation uses microorganisms like yeast, not animal cells, to produce the proteins. Another experimental method involves cultivating mammary cells directly from an animal, but this is less common commercially.

Lab-grown milk is designed to be nutritionally and functionally identical to dairy milk, containing the same proteins for texture and taste. Plant-based milks, while more sustainable than traditional dairy, often lack the protein content and functional properties of cow's milk.

No, if you have a cow's milk protein allergy, you should avoid lab-grown milk. The process uses the same dairy proteins (casein and whey), which can still cause allergic reactions even if produced without an animal.

Yes, lab-grown dairy is considered significantly more environmentally friendly than traditional dairy farming. It requires less land and water and produces considerably lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Major challenges include scaling production to reduce costs, regulatory approvals, and gaining widespread consumer acceptance. The price point remains higher than traditional milk for now.

Whether it's considered vegan is a subject of debate. Precision fermentation uses genetically engineered yeast and plant-based sugars, and no animals are used in the process. This aligns with many vegan principles, though some may have concerns about genetic modification or initial animal-derived cell lines.