November 4, 2003
New Zealand's Dairy Giant Fonterra Researching Novel Flavours in Dairy Products
Fonterra, New Zealand's Multinational Dairy Giant, has been given permission to genetically engineer fruit enzymes into bacteria, and yeasts to see if they can produce "novel and desirable" flavours in dairy products.
The government is funding the small-scale experiments, designed to prove the concept on a laboratory bench. The results will not be taste-tested.
A dozen dairy bacteria, and three organisms commonly used for experiments by molecular biologists, non-pathogenic forms of the gut bacteria E. coli, bakers' or pudding yeast, and a yeast that feeds on methane, pichia pastoris, will be used in the experiments.
They will be engineered with DNA from apple, kiwifruit, blueberry, and a wildcress weed often used for gene experiments, Arabidopsis.
A spokesman for Fonterra said the experiments were not aimed at producing flavoured milks or cheeses, but at increasing its scientists' understanding how the natural flavours in dairy products could be modified.
The technology could be used to make the natural flavours of cheese more or less intense.
The application for research said flavour was a critical factor in sales of dairy foods, and that Fonterra "wishes to test whether genetically modified bacteria or yeasts can express cloned fruit enzymes in fermentations that can make new flavours that can be used in dairy systems".
Compounds produced this way would be considered for use to flavour new dairy products, the scientists said.
Following the experiments at Fonterra's enzymology and genetics lab at Palmerston North, the materials would be sterilised, although some dairy products from the experiments might be released to containment in other Fonterra labs at Palmerston North, or to Hortresearch's laboratories in Auckland.
Fonterra, which processes and sells more than 90% of the nation's milk, has repeatedly said it does not plan to produce genetically engineered products unless it's scientifically proven they are safe for consumption.
In 2000, Fonterra announced that it would be boosting research spending by up to $150 million over the next five years to investigate the potential of biotechnology, including not only GE products, but also use of technology such as DNA sequencing and cloning in production of non-transgenic animals and plants.