Milk & More
Whilst on a mission to create real milk without the mammal, one thing kept coming up for Turtletree cofounder Max Rye: the rising importance of human milk, both from an infant formula and overall human health perspective. Pioneering a method of cellular agriculture which can utilise cell-lines to make milk from cow and human alike, Singapore-based startup Turtletree are bringing something new and novel to the industry. In this week’s episode we talk more with Max on their unique technological approach, as well as regulatory processes and what these mean for product timeline and branding. We also discuss the launch of Turtletree Scientific, a recently-launched branch of the company which focusses on creating growth factors and media which can lower the cost of cell-based products, advancing the path to commercialisation.
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With plant-based dairy alternatives on the rise, companies are looking for new and innovative ways of re-imagining the way we make milk. Some companies are using precision-fermentation technology, however TurtleTree are doing things a little bit differently.
Max: What we really identified was cell-based technology was the only technology that allowed us to get to the entire composition of milk, not just one or two proteins.’
You may be wondering what the similarities and differences are between leveraging cell-based technology to cultivate meat versus dairy. One similarity is that both place cell lines in a special nutrient media, filled with vitamins and minerals.
Max: ‘The difference is that these cells start lactating milk once they start mixing with this media. The cells continue to lactate for a hundred days.’
Another difference is that in cell-based meat, the cells are the product.
Max: ‘In our case the cells are more of a bio factory, churning out milk.’
Once the fluids have been separated, the product can then be further refined, fractionated into certain proteins or fat - whatever B2B partners are looking for.
But what about the intensification of the process, and energy required to make cell-based meat vs. cell-based dairy?
Max: ‘The benefit that we have is that the cells themselves are not the product, and our cells continue to be functional and are producing milk for a significant period of time.’
Max: ‘The challenge is that this is a very new, novel area. When it comes to cell-based meat, there is a lot of established work… but not with cell-based milk.’
As mentioned previously, growing the cells themselves is a relatively similar process up until the lactation component. For Turtletree, they recently acquired equipment from Dyadic - a huge US-listed company which have an amazing strain that enables them to produce growth factors at a fraction of the cost.
Max: ‘This is something that not only we can use, but even the cell-based meat industry is able to capitalise on.’
And the reasons why these growth factors are particularly important?
Max: ‘Up until now we’ve been using pharma-grade growth factors. They are very expensive, $200,00+ per gram.’
You only need a very small amount but if you look at food, that can add up quite rapidly.
Max: ‘This is a big cost for the whole industry and what we’re doing is using a specific expression system that we’ve acquired to produce them at dollars a gram compared to hundreds of thousands. It’s a huge game changer for the entire space, and something we ourselves need when we’re growing out our mammary cells.’
This reduction in cost is enabling TurtleTree to hold themselves to high goals, with future products aiming to be affordable despite the novelty of the food technology.
But price is not the only obstacle, what about regulations?
Max: ‘We’re very fortunate APAC specifically Singapore has been at the cutting edge of regulations.’
We’ve seen this with the regulatory approval of EatJust’s cultivated chicken bites, but the progress doesn’t stop there.
Max: ‘Very recently, a few months ago, ISO standards which are led by APAC allow us to call our milk and our proteins a natural product.’
Although it may not seem like much, it signals a positive path ahead for the startup, and allows TurtleTree to pass through the regulatory process much more rapidly, in particular when it comes to their functional food products.
But even if the government is on board, we’ve all seen the rising tensions between the plant and animal-based milk sectors. What will be their response to a cell-based approach? The answer, it turns out is more positive than we thought.
Max: ‘I can tell you, with all honesty, that I have never seen so much excitement in my life than from the biggest dairy companies in the world with the work that we’re doing. All of the major infant formula companies are very closely working with us, and looking how to help commercialise this and take it to market.’
Max: ‘The most traditional dairy companies are also in this partnership as well. I can understand there may be some issues with the fluid milk market with the alternative milks that are out there, but for us that’s been a very different experience.’
Big dairy’s response isn’t the only positive news for the new company. At the end of last year Max and the TurtleTree team announced the launch of a separate branch of the business which will focus on producing food-grade growth factors and cell culture media, one of the biggest bottlenecks for commercialising cultivated products.
Max: ‘TurtleTree Scientific allows us as a company to bring the price of cell-based milk down to the point where we can commercialise it. At the same time it’s the same stuff that the entire industry uses on the cell-based meat side, and that’s also a massive opportunity.’
Even despite not having a background in science, Max and his founding team have managed to create and grow an established group of world-renowned science experts. We touched on the topic and what helped in getting new members on board.
Max: ‘We were fortunate that we had funds, we put in half a million dollars of our own cash into this project when we first started. That allows us to pay top dollar for top scientists. That’s something that all scientists worry about - job security, so that did help.’
Max: ‘No matter what though, first few folks are always the hardest.’
Max’s advice for anyone who’s sitting on the fence with an idea, wanting to bring it to reality?
Max: ‘I would say spend enough time understanding the industry and the problem you’re looking to solve, and it’s okay not to have all of the answers right away.’
Max: ‘Make sure you have a cofounder or a partner where your weaknesses are their strengths… that has been instrumental for us as we iterate and so forth.’
To learn more you can visit TurtleTree on their website, or head to their Instagram @turtletreelabs.