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[deleted] t1_iza95ak wrote

There's a protein (or perhaps multiple proteins, I'm not sure) in cow's milk that binds to the bitter compounds in coffee and tea in an amazing way. Plant milks are unable to replicate this. That's why almond milk, for example, will make your coffee creamier, but doesn't really cut down on the bitterness much.

If they could just add to plant milks whatever protein is in cow's milk that makes coffee/tea taste so good, that alone would make me very happy.

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alexxerth t1_izaauk4 wrote

That's roughly what this is. They grow the proteins using yeast instead of cows. The rest of milk could already be replicated, so this was the last piece of the puzzle... Sort of.

It still doesn't have lactose, but as far as I can tell that's an intentional choice so people with lactose intolerance can drink it still. Shouldn't effect anything other than making it slightly sweeter if they don't offset the sugar content.

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[deleted] t1_izadeyi wrote

I see. Boy, food is going to probably be very weird in a few centuries. At first, we're going to try to replicate all of the natural foods we're familiar with. But as we grow more disconnected from natural food over time, I imagine people will become increasingly open to lab foods that don't resemble anything found in nature. I see this evolution concluding with fantastical, extremely addicting foodstuffs that will share only a faint resemblance to what we eat today.

We'll live in virtual worlds and eat synthetic food and own nothing, and we'll love it!

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alexxerth t1_izadvm2 wrote

I'd argue jello and marshmallows are pretty close to that already.

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[deleted] t1_izb5wcs wrote

Good point, although jello is actually just an industrialized evolution of entirely natural dishes such as aspic. In fact, when people now say folks were crazy for putting meat in jello back in the 1950s, what they don't realizes is that those '50s recipes were just emulating what European aristocrats had been enjoying for centuries. It wasn't some wacky idea that popped up out of nowhere.

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Just_wanna_talk t1_izdfim8 wrote

Wait so they can get rid of lactose and reduce sugar content? Sounds like a win win.

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Pavetsu t1_izal8u9 wrote

Oat milk at least is better than regular milk imo, especially those made for coffee. Haven't tried other vegan milks though.

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[deleted] t1_izcfv3m wrote

Is it the same phenomenon with dairy products cooling your mouth after eating a really spicy chili?

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[deleted] t1_izck87u wrote

Yes, basically. The milk proteins can break up the capsaicin compounds.

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