Opalia’s cell-based milk could be produced at a pre-pilot scale as early as 2024, according to investment platform CULT Food Science. The Canadian alt-dairy company is currently searching for suitable commercial partners to make this possible.
The news comes just a few months after Opalia announced it had developed a non-animal-derived cell culture medium to replace fetal bovine serum (FBS). The new medium is more ethical, affordable, and consistent in quality than FBS, as well as being less prone to contamination.
Opalia first created a proof of concept in March of last year, when it successfully produced milk from an artificial mammary duct. The company claims to be the only one in Canada working on cell-based milk and is said to be in the process of acquiring stakeholders and raising funding.
“We are excited to be one step closer to upscaling production of our cell-based milk and to engage with downstream partners that are interested in commercialization of our milk,” said Opalia CEO Jennifer Cote.
CULT Food Science
Opalia is a portfolio company of CULT Food Science, an investment platform with a focus on cultivated foods. The platform has invested in a huge range of companies, including cultivated wagyu producer Ohayo Valley and whole-cut cultured meat startup Novel Farms. CULT says it aims to be a global leader in cultivated foods through both investment and in-house technology development.
“CULT Food Science exists to support and develop the most cutting-edge cell-based technologies (and people) globally to bring cell-based foods to everyday people,” the platform’s president Lejjy Gafour told vegconomist.
