Food & Agriculture

Given the exponentially rising global population, agriculture is under increasing pressure to meet human needs. With the world estimated to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050, food production must increase by roughly 25–70%. This challenge is compounded by obstacles in plant breeding which include water scarcity, pest pressure, climate change, and limited arable land.

With increasing consumption of meat and growing environmental concerns, scientists are looking for new ways to fulfill the demands. Lab grown meat, also known as cultured or cell-based meat, is meat developed from animal cell culture rather than through raising and slaughtering living animals. Animal cells are cultivated in vitro, meaning cells are grown outside of a living organism, in a carefully controlled environment. Instead of raising animals for years, researchers only grow the edible fat and muscle tissue.

Traditional cheese is made by curdling milk using rennet or natural acids, causing it to separate into solid curds and liquid whey. The curds are then drained, pressed, and often aged in various ways to develop the flavor of different types of cheese. Casein is the major component of these curds and is responsible for giving cheese the beloved creamy, stretchy texture that has been missing from veggie-based cheese products. To fulfil this market gap, a group of students at UC Davis kickstarted the Real Vegan Cheese Project (RVC).