Verley, a French biotech company (previously Bon Vivant) has announced the launch of what it claims is a ‘world-first’ portfolio of functional, precision-fermented dairy proteins.

The proteins are designed to overcome the limitations of both traditional and plant-based alternatives to dairy ingredients.

Verley’s technology aims to address the challenge of producing dairy proteins that combine high nutritional value with high-quality taste, texture and sustainability, by enhancing stability, digestibility and processing performance.

It leverages precision fermentation – a process where microorganisms can be trained to produce traditionally animal-derived proteins, such as whey and casein, in an entirely animal-free process.

Traditional dairy proteins often struggle under heat, acidic conditions and nutrient-dense formulations, Verley explained, while plant-based alternatives contain fewer essential amino acids, making them nutritionally incomplete.

Verley claims to be the first company to develop patented functionalisation technologies for recombinant whey. Its proteins are stable, versatile whey nutriments with complete amino acid profiles, developed for demanding food formulations such as UHT beverages, sports nutrition and functional dairy products.

The range includes three functionalised whey proteins. FermWhey Native offers a high-purity beta-lactoglobulin with an optimised amino acid profile, well-suited to sports nutrition and nutrient-dense food applications due to its muscle recovery support benefits.

FermWhey MicroStab features a microparticulated structure that ensures heat and acid resistance, making it suitable for UHT beverages and fresh dairy products. Traditional milk ingredients do not tolerate severe heat treatments such as ultra-high pasteurisation, as this can cause damage to heat-sensitive amino acids and reduce dairy’s nutritional value.

Finally, FermWhey Gel is designed to offer advanced gelling properties, allowing manufacturers to create spoonable dairy and cheese products with improved texture and stability, eliminating the need for additional stabilisers.

Stéphane Mac Millan, CEO & co-founder of Verley, commented: “We are entering a new era of food innovation. Precision fermentation has proven its potential, but its true impact lies in functionality. Our patented functionalisation technologies allow us to develop proteins with 11% more leucine – which is key for muscle maintenance and overall health – than native WPI, and 50% more than soy alternatives.”

With three patent families and nine filed patents, Verley is now preparing to introduce its FermWhey proteins to the global food and beverage market through partnerships with dairy manufacturers and ingredient suppliers.

The company said it is focusing on scaling production to meet industry demand while maintaining sustainability ‘at the core’ of its innovation.