“By 2028, we believe that cell-cultivated milk will be a standard option on supermarket shelves,” says Senara, a young biotech startup from Germany that recently came out of stealth, unveiling a technology to produce milk using cells.
Founded in Freiburg in 2022 by Dr. Svenja Dannewitz and Dr. Philipp-Prosseda, along with a team of scientists, Senara, which operates at pilot scale, claims it has developed a platform that can cultivate milk at lower costs. Senara explains that it uses a selection process to choose the best cells from milk (instead of taking animal samples) to grow them in bioreactors using a “continuous, high-throughput process” that significantly reduces production costs.
The final product, “real milk” — not a plant-based alternative — is said to contain all the essential milk nutrients such as lactose, casein, whey, and micronutrients. Additionally, it is free from bacteria and yeasts and can be customized to be more digestible, fatty, or lactose-free.
Why cell-cultivated milk?
Senara argues that cultivating milk is a sustainable alternative to animal milk production that addresses 12 of the 20 sustainability goals of the World Health Organization.
“Cell-cultivated milk offers a sustainable solution to reduce the environmental impact of dairy production by minimizing land use, greenhouse gas emissions, and water resources. It also promotes animal welfare by eliminating the need for factory farming practices,” explains Dr. Dannewitz, who is also Senara’s CEO.
The biotech’s approach to milk production has been backed by PurpleOrange Ventures, Positron Ventures, Partners in Clime, Black Forest Business Angels, and SquareOne Foods.
In addition, it has received various recognitions, including the MakeItMatter Award, a finalist nomination in the Science Startups category for the Falling Walls Award, and winner of “Cell-based Drink” at the World Cell-based Innovation Awards 2023.
In similar fields, the French startup Nūmi (previously MUMilk) also develops cell-cultured milk, but human breast milk instead of animal milk. Recently, the startup raised €3 million to facilitate its next phase of R&D.
“I recall my grandparents milking their cows, and now I’m applying my years of scientific experience to make milk – a fundamental nutritional building block – sustainable and accessible for today’s world and future generations,” shares Dannewitz.
