QL AG and Ginkgo Bioworks Collaborate to Foster Sustainable Dairy Protein Production

QL AG, a food technology solutions company, has announced a new collaboration with Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA). The partnership aims to redefine the dairy protein industry, leveraging advanced biotechnological solutions to produce high-quality, nutritionally equivalent dairy proteins. Under the agreement, QL AG will utilize Ginkgo’s unique protein production technology to scale manufacturing.

The dairy sector is experiencing profound challenges due to climate change, including dwindling arable land and water resources. Supply chain disruptions are contributing to rising input costs, while consumers increasingly seek healthier, sustainable, and affordable food alternatives that can effectively replace traditional animal agriculture. 12% of U.S. households now routinely choose dairy alternatives and approximately one third of U.S. consumers have used a dairy alternative product in the last week. However, current dairy alternatives often fall short of consumer expectations, particularly concerning taste and texture.

QL AG is dedicated to developing dairy proteins through fermentation-based processes. Fermentation-derived dairy proteins offer significant advantages, including improved taste and texture, minimal arable land requirements, and reduced water consumption making them environmentally sustainable.

Roger Föhn, CEO, and co-founder of QL AG, expressed his enthusiasm for this innovative collaboration, explaining, “Dairy proteins derived using fermentation have advantages across many key dimensions, including taste and texture, as well as the fact that they have no arable land requirement and a lower water requirement. By accessing Ginkgo’s platform, QL AG can help reduce the cost of producing dairy proteins with fermentation. We are excited to pursue our goal of making a quantum leap in alternative agriculture by leveraging Ginkgo’s unique capabilities in producing strains at high titers and scaling fermentation processes.”