This just in – an article in the Washington Post has revealed a new plant based milk containing the same fats, sugars, vitamins and minerals as the cow-derived variety is set to be launched. Biohackers Ryan Pandya and Perumal Gandhi are the duo behind Muufri, a San Francisco based startup funded by Singularity University’s Synthetic Biology Accelerator program. They have been busily fashioning a humane alternative to lab-brewed milk set to hit shelves in 2017.
Having spent the last few months in a lab at University College Cork in Ireland, the pair have been closing in on a prototype batch that is free from animal ingredients. To achieve this, they’ve managed to modify sunflower oil to mimic the structural composition similar to milk fats, substituted lactose with galactose (a nearly indistinguishable sugar) and cultured a strain of yeast to produce casein, a natural animal milk protein.
Animal welfare advocates, allergen specialists and environmentalists alike have all been supportive thus far, believing the product will enable consumers with ethical and environmental concerns, as well as allergies, to enjoy the nutritional benefits and taste of milk without concern or adverse reactions. With the end product being free from the typical cholesterol, lactose and bacteria present in the animal variety, this manmade version won’t even need to be refrigerated and will be far cheaper than the cow variety.
Whilst many plant-based foodies steer clear of meat for ethical reasons, some still include a significant amount of dairy in their diets without taking into consideration the impact dairy farming has on both dairy cows and the environment. In addition to the deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats to make room for farming space, given a natural healthy life, cows can live for twenty years or more. However, high yielding dairy cows will last for only around a quarter of that time and are often culled after three lactations because they are chronically lame or infertile. Worse still, and a fact that not many people consider when they are drinking their latte, when dairy cows give birth to male calves deemed unsuitable for beef production, the calves are either shot (100,000 a year in the UK alone), or the remainder are exported to low welfare veal farms outside the UK1.
So while you may find it hard to give up the white stuff and as you wait patiently for Muufri to launch, here at Content, we’ve collated a list of our fave nut milks and recipes below:
The Content Guide To London’s Best Nut Milks
Content Winter Warmer Vanilla Smoothie Recipe
Content Medicinal Hot Chocolate
Raw Press’ Recipe for Coffee & Mylk
Sprout Market Berry Beautiful Smoothie
Cream anyone? Below is a list of our favourite dairy-free alternatives direct from the #ContentKitchen:
Yoghurt: Coyo – Amazing by itself, served on-top of porridge or vegan pancakes or topped with cacao nibs and berries as a snack!
Cream: Whilst there are a few out there on the market, we prefer to scoop the creamy topping off of organic full fat organic coconut milk. How? Turn a can upside down and refrigerate overnight. The next day remove from the fridge, pour out the liquid at the top (we save ours and use in smoothies) to reveal the ‘cream’ that remains.
Probiotic Drinks: We love this brand of Coconut Kefir, a great alternative to the refined sugar and processed varieties out there on the market such as yakult.
Ice Cream: Coyo have a coocnut ice-cream alternative, while Booja Booja Dairy Free Ice Cream made from cashews comes in a variety of different flavours that we love. Booja Booja’s Hunky Punky Chocolate and Coconut Hullabaloo are our favourites.
Cheese: Nuts can be made into the most delicious cheeses too. Some of the best we have tried are from Little Bird in NZ – you can check out their new recipe book here.
Our Favourite Plant-Based Blogs & Instagrams | How to Be Vegan
1. Compassion in World Farming. Welfare issue for dairy cows. Retried from: http://www.ciwf.org.uk/farm-animals/cows/dairy-cows/welfare-issues/
