Israeli Startup Produces Vegan Milk from Cow’s Milk

Imagindairy, an Israeli startup in the field of vegan food products, has produced an alternative milk to the commonly-consumed soy, almond and oat milks based on the same proteins seen in cow’s milk, the company announced on Thursday.

Imagindairy was founded last year, and uses the artificial intelligence technique called “precision fermentation,” which involves creating single-celled organism designed for extracting individual compounds. These compounds act as a real substitute for whey and casein proteins found in cow’s milk.

Beyond acting a cruelty-free approach to consuming milk, the startup also notes that its lab-created milk has the flavor and texture of cow’s milk unlike other dairy-free vegan options, which be used to make other dairy products such as cheeses.  The startup was co-founded by Eyal Afergan, CEO and a graduate of Israel’s Technion Institute of Technology. 

Alan Aziz, CEO of Technion UK, expressed pride in the startup’s innovation in the field of vegan foods products: “Up until now, the vegan sector has focused on trying to find the closest alternatives to everyday dairy products. But it turns out that the best substitutes for milk and cheese are just milk and cheese – minus the cows.”  Technion isn’t trying to milk the news of another revolutionary start-up created by one of our graduates, but we are proud to see a former student yet again set on transforming the way we live our lives.”