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).

RVC is one of the 4 student-led research teams working in the BioInnovation Group. They aim to use transformed yeast expression systems to produce casein proteins. After a conversation with Allison Muller, the co-lead of RVC, she told us that the team has recently collected protein samples of the same length as the desired casein protein and is working to confirm its identity.

The process of creating the cheese begins with introducing the Casein genes into yeast, turning them into Casein factories. If sufficient protein is produced, cheesemaking can begin. RVC’s leading candidate for their prospective cheese sample is mozzarella, which is relatively easy to make and cost-effective due to its high moisture content. Of course, the universal appeal and large consumer demand of mozzarella are also taken into consideration. Currently, RVC is looking to produce a processed cheese product rather than the traditional way mentioned earlier. Another advantage of the real vegan cheese product is that it can be a more sustainable alternative to traditional dairy cheese making. However, this requires optimising yeast colonies to produce high levels of Casein, which will be the next goal for the RVC team once their colonies are confirmed to be producing the various desired proteins.

For readers who are aspiring researchers, here are some tips Allison has for navigating wet-lab research as an undergrad student:

Gain exposure to a variety of niches in biology. This is the only reliable way to know what you would like to work with in the long term. BIG has multiple research projects and seminars running out of the lab that you can get involved in! Also, make connections with those in the industry and learn about their perspective and personal experiences in their industry.

Develop your research skills in your own time. Allison emphasised that an indispensable skill is being able to comprehend and analyse a journal article. The BIG journal club is the place to exercise those skills. Additionally, BIG-RT is designed to equip undergrads with 3 technical skills utilised in most wet labs: micropipetting, PCR, and gel-electrophoresis.

Embrace the learning curve! Joining a student-led research team is a great way to learn more advanced techniques from your peers. As you learn the ropes, it also becomes an opportunity to design every step of the research process. This makes the wins very rewarding, but also provides a challenge, as you are responsible for steering the ship.

If food science and synthetic biology sound interesting, or you have a passion for sustainability and innovation, keep an eye out for RVC applications next year! In the meantime, BIG has a lot of opportunities for students to continue learning and grow into accomplished scientists in the future.