HYDROCOW (https://www.hydrocow.eu/)

HYDROCOW aims to engineer a microbe that converts carbon dioxide and hydrogen into beta-lactoglobulin, a principal constituent of milk, using electricity.

It is funded by the European Innovation Council and aims to produce milk with carbon dioxide and electricity, removing the need for cows in the process.

Potential Impact:

• The project has the potential to create a new market in the food industry by developing a net-zero carbon, animal-free food product.

• It is estimated to result in a 99% reduction in land and water use compared to dairy cows.

Environmental Impacts of Milk Production:

• Milk production has significant environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions and extensive land demand.

• Project HYDROCOW aims to address these challenges through a net-zero carbon dairy protein production platform.

Objective of Project HYDROCOW:

• The main objective of the project is to develop and demonstrate a first-of-a-kind engineered hydrogen oxidizing bacterium (eHOB), Xanthobacter sp. SoF1-based protein secretion system.

• The system valorizes Carbon dioxide and soon Nitrogen into food-grade protein, decoupled from agriculture.

Key Technologies of the Project:

• The project will deliver key technologies, including an innovative eHOB protein secretion system, predictive eHOB metabolic models, genetic engineering tools, and a novel high-throughput screening system for DBTL cycling.

• These technologies will have immediate and long-term impacts on the production of food and nutrition, materials, medicines, fuels, and chemicals.

Long-Term Potential:

• The proposed platform has the potential not only to replace conventionally produced food proteins but also to deliver proteins for materials or therapeutics important for human and animal health.

• The platform does not compete with human nutrition for valuable feedstock and contributes to the sustainable development of society.

Work Packages of Project HYDROCOW:

• The work packages are organized based on a Design, Build, Test, Learn, Validate & Produce (DBTL) cycle, focusing on developing new capacities for data and model-driven eHOB design, rapid genetic implementation, and high-throughput testing.

• The project includes various work packages such as project management, dissemination, communication, and exploitation; design and learn; genetic tools and protein secretion; ultra-high throughput screening; and validation and production.

For more information on the project, log on to https://www.hydrocow.eu/  or get in touch with Team HYDROCOW.