Synthetic Milk | Professor Dora Marinova

Would you drink milk that came from a laboratory instead of a cow? Synthetic milk is set to shake up the dairy industry, boasting a similar look, taste and nutrition profile to cow’s milk, but with a smaller carbon footprint. 

In this episode, Sarah is joined by Professor Dora Marinova from the Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute. They discuss how synthetic milk is made, why we need another dairy alternative and the possible benefits and impact of fake milk on the dairy industry and consumers. 

• I can’t believe it’s not milk! [01:02]
• What is synthetic milk made from? [02:30]
• How ‘green’ is synthetic milk? [07:26]
• Impact of synthetic milk on dairy jobs [11:53]
• We already drink processed milk [14:05]
• Trying different brands avoids path dependency [16:28]
• Has the food industry become hyperreal? [19:23]
• “We need miracles on demand” to battle climate change [23:56]

Learn more

• Which milk is best for the environment?
• Leading the whey: the synthetic milk start-ups shaking up in the dairy industry
• Food in a planetary emergency

Connect with our guests

Professor Dora Marinova

Dora Marinova is Professor of Sustainability at the Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute and was CUSP Director from 2015 to 2018 and Deputy Director from 2007 to 2014. 

She has more that 320 refereed publications and has supervised 57 PhD students. Marinova’s research areas of interest include innovative global green systems, sustainometrics (the modelling and measuring of sustainability), flexitarianism, the role of China in decarbonising the global economy, and the role of the individual in living sustainably.

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Transcript

Read the transcript.

Behind the scenes

Host: Sarah Taillier
Content creator: Zoe Taylor

First Nations Acknowledgement

Curtin University acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which Curtin Perth is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation, and on Curtin Kalgoorlie, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields; and the First Nations peoples on all Curtin locations.

Music

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Curtin University supports academic freedom of speech. The views expressed in The Future Of podcast may not reflect those of Curtin University.