US alt-dairy company New Culture has partnered with CJ CheilJedang, the ‘world’s largest’ supplier of bioproducts made from microbial fermentation.

The partnership will focus on reducing the cost of New Culture’s animal-free casein protein, unlocking commodity pricing for New Culture’s first product, mozzarella.

New Culture is the first company in the world to make dairy mozzarella without cow’s milk. The key ingredient is casein, the ‘cheese stretch’ protein, derived through precision fermentation.

CJ CheilJedang brings more than 60 years of experience in fermentation technology, advancing proprietary amino acids for feed and food, savoury flavours and seasoning materials and plant-based protein ingredients. CJ CheilJedang’s expertise spans ten manufacturing sites in seven countries, comprising millions of litres of fermentation capacity across a range of microbial platforms and downstream processing assets.

In February, New Culture’s animal-free casein protein received GRAS approval and was cleared for commercial sale, in a ‘world first’ for the precision-fermented dairy sector.

New Culture’s co-founder and CSO, Inja Radman, said: “Bringing our animal-free cheese to pizza lovers everywhere means producing it at a large enough scale and low enough cost so we can compete and win on product performance. Our partnership with CJ CheilJedang facilitates access to some of the largest and most sophisticated fermentation facilities on the planet to truly transform the dairy industry.”

Seung June Choi, SVP of strategic planning at CJ CheilJedang, commented: “Since our initial investment in New Culture in 2022, the CJ CheilJedang team has continued to be impressed by the company’s technical progress, robust bioprocess and global ambition in the animal-free dairy industry. Whether through commercial manufacturing, procurement, or other technical support, this partnership enables the full scope of our expertise to accelerate New Culture’s growth and market leadership.”

This is not CJ CheilJedang’s first foray into the food-tech realm. In October, CJ Foods, a business unit of South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang, announced that it entered into a joint development agreement with South Korean mid-tech company T&R Biofab. Under the JDA, the companies are working to develop alternative meat products using 3D bioprinting.

This latest partnership is set to strengthen New Culture’s manufacturing position and path to profitability for its animal-free cheese products.

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