Real milk proteins. No herd required.
We grow functional dairy proteins directly from mammary cells and use AI to push yields to food-grade purity. The same proteins that make cheese stretch and yogurt set, without a single cow in the process.
Ingredient Specification
Plant-based proteins do not behave like dairy proteins
Pea, soy, and oat fractions cannot replicate casein micelle formation or whey gelation. Food manufacturers targeting dairy-alternative markets are forced to choose between functional performance and animal-free claims.
Gelling and texture
Casein micelles create the distinctive texture in yogurt, cheese, and UHT dairy. No plant fraction replicates this structure at comparable protein load.
Foaming and emulsification
Whey proteins provide stable foam and oil-in-water emulsions in products from cappuccino foam to salad dressings. Plant alternatives perform inconsistently across pH ranges.
Heat and acid tolerance
Most plant proteins precipitate or aggregate under pasteurization conditions. Dairy-quality heat stability is structurally coded into milk proteins at the sequence level.
Functional dairy proteins, cell-cultured
beta-Casein BC-1
Our primary ingredient. Enables micelle formation, thermal stability, and the characteristic mouth-feel of full-fat dairy. Available at pilot scale from Q3 2025.
alpha-Lactalbumin + beta-Lactoglobulin
Co-expressed whey proteins for foam stability and gel formation. Suitable for protein fortification, RTD beverages, and cultured dairy analogs.
Application-specific blends
We work with partner manufacturers to define target functionality profiles and tune our bioprocess toward a custom fraction blend for their application.
From mammary cells to food-grade protein, in three stages
Cell expansion
We maintain a proprietary mammary epithelial cell line optimized for continuous culture. Cells are expanded in a fed-batch bioreactor under tightly controlled conditions.
AI media control
Our AI system monitors dissolved oxygen, pH, and metabolite concentration in real time, adjusting media composition and feed rates to steer protein secretion toward the target fraction profile.
Protein purification
Secreted proteins are harvested from conditioned media and purified through sequential ultrafiltration and chromatography steps to achieve food-grade purity thresholds.
Early-access formulation results
"The beta-casein fraction behaved exactly as conventional casein does in our acid-gel system. We were able to match our target texture at lower inclusion rates than we expected."
Formulation Lead at a dairy-alternative ingredient company (early-access pilot program, 2025)
Across 12 pilot-scale production batches. Measured by RP-HPLC.
Built for food manufacturers, not consumer shelves
Opalia is an ingredient supplier. We work directly with dairy-alternative manufacturers, formulation labs, and ingredient distributors who need a functionally credible animal-free dairy protein. We do not sell to consumers and do not operate a consumer brand.