Air-Based Butter Tastes Like Real

‘The idea of switching to lab-made fats and oils may seem strange at first. But their potential to significantly reduce our carbon footprint is immense,’ Bill Gates explained in his blog.

A California startup, supported by Bill Gates, claims it can make butter without using milk or any other dairy products. The company, Savor, creates butter from carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen. They say it tastes just like real butter, according to The Guardian.

Savor is also working on dairy-free alternatives for ice cream, cheese, and milk. They use a thermochemical process to develop fat molecules from gases.

Why switch to dairy-free alternatives? The UN reports that the livestock industry is responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing meat and dairy consumption is crucial for reducing environmental impact. Savor’s products aim to have a much lower carbon footprint than animal-based ones. Traditional butter has a carbon footprint of 16.9kg CO2 equivalent per kg, while Savor’s butter has less than 0.8g CO2 equivalent per kg.

Bill Gates explained in a blog post that switching to lab-made fats and oils can help reduce our carbon footprint. “This process doesn’t release any greenhouse gases, uses no farmland, and requires less than a thousandth of the water used in traditional agriculture. And most importantly, it tastes really good – like the real thing, because chemically it is.”

However, Savor’s butter won’t be available until at least 2025. Kathleen Alexander, Savor’s CEO, said they are currently pre-commercial and working through regulatory approval. They don’t expect to start sales until at least 2025.

Re-reported from the article originally published in Moneycontrol.