Vegan milk? Yes, it exists

Andrea Varga-Darabos Vegan milk? Yes, it exists 09 September 2016 | 2 minute reading time

Do you drink milk or eat dairy? Many people suffer from short-term or persistent skin conditions that are caused (or exacerbated) by dairy consumption. If you are suffering from eczema, spots, acne or unpleasantly dry skin it’s worth leaving dairy off your diet for few weeks. Also, a lot of research indicates that consuming dairy products is not exactly healthy for many adults and that the production and processing of milk is not good either for the economy or for the planet – with cattle farming producing huge amount of greenhouse gas.

Nowadays, you have plenty of options if you are looking for a healthy, high-protein alternative to your favourite dairy product. Made from soy, grain, stone fruits or coconut, dairy-free milks are delicious, healthy and free from hormones, antibiotics and steroids. Fortified with a range of vitamins and trace elements, they are perfect substitutes for cow’s milk. But one thing is still missing: the taste. The taste that you remember from your childhood, one that’s so essential to the taste and texture of cakes. And when it comes to replacing solid dairy products like cheese, the vegan way becomes quite tricky and difficult.

Could vegan milk and dairy ever come close to the real thing? We may see that happen in a few years’ time.

For several years now, two Indian biotech engineers have been working to develop vegan dairy products that have almost exactly the same look, taste, texture and nutrients as real milk. Using a procedure similar to beer brewing, the two engineers have already managed to produce the pure-vegan version of cow’s milk – and remarkably, the vegan version has the same protein-, fat- and calcium content, even its casein levels (the substance responsible for that ‘milky’ taste) is the same as in cow’s milk. The researchers say that humans doing the cow’s job makes a huge difference: using yeast, sugar and other vegetable ingredients, their process much less energy and natural resources than the traditional method. On top of that, it the final product is even healthy.