Project since 2023
Produced via precision fermentation with Pichia pastoris — an animal-free path to a high-value functional protein.
Lactoferrin is a multifunctional glycoprotein found in milk. It supports immune function, helps modulate inflammation, and plays a role in iron binding and antimicrobial defense.
In bovine milk it appears only in trace amounts, yet demand continues to rise across infant nutrition, clinical nutrition, and specialty food applications.
Producing 1 kg of lactoferrin by traditional dairy extraction can require roughly 10,000 liters of bovine milk — resource-intensive and difficult to scale sustainably.
WFFI develops lactoferrin through precision fermentation, using engineered yeast to produce a bioidentical protein without relying on animal farming.
Higher raw-material efficiency, lower environmental burden, and a production route designed for consistent quality at larger scale.
Our work evaluates how fermentation-derived lactoferrin compares with milk-derived lactoferrin — not only as a molecule, but as a protein that must perform under real physiological conditions.
Produce lactoferrin in engineered yeast
Simulate gastric and intestinal conditions
Measure peptide and protein signals
Compare digestion-derived peptides
Link structure to functional outcomes
Improve hosts for performance and scale
SDS-PAGE
This SDS-PAGE result shows lactoferrin produced by precision fermentation. The gel confirms that the target protein is expressed and detectable at the expected molecular weight range.
Such analytical checks are part of our routine strain screening and product evaluation workflow, helping verify that fermentation-derived lactoferrin matches the intended protein profile before further functional studies.
Beyond nutritional fortification, animal-free lactoferrin may support infant formula, therapeutic nutrition, and other specialty uses where purity, consistency, and supply security matter.
At WFFI, research and partnership design happen in Wageningen. Pilot production and experimental validation are advanced with NewPro, so concepts can move from the lab toward scalable manufacturing.
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