At IFT FIRST Chicago 2026, we presented a new approach to ice cream and gelato formulation developed in a year-long project thanks to a collaboration between Standing Ovation, Essenza Gelato (part of the Toschi Group), and gelato.expert.
The objective was to develop a new category of gelato and ice cream formulations fully animal-free and with a reduced environmental impact, while replicating the physical and sensory properties of traditional dairy products.
This was done using Advanced Casein™ produced via precision fermentation (more on this later) and vegetable fibers from Essenza Gelato.
As part of this collaboration:
- Standing Ovation provided its Advanced Casein™, a non-animal dairy protein
- Essenza Gelato contributed with its clean-label stabilisation systems (FiberIceCream)
- gelato.expert curated the R&D and conducted scientific application testing, translating the ingredient functionality into real gelato applications
The results were presented at IFT through live tastings, where R&D professionals and industry leaders experienced firsthand the potential of these formulations.
The feedback we got in Chicago from expert food scientists and brand owners was extremely positive and encouraging to start bringing actual products on the market.
What is casein from precision fermentation
Casein is the group of proteins that accounts for over 80% of milk protein content and it plays a major role for many of the properties that define gelato and ice cream like emulsification, foam stability, mouthfeel, dairy flavour..
Traditionally, casein comes from animal (mostly cow) milk. However, precision fermentation now allows us to produce the same protein without using animals, which can have ethical and environmental advantages.
What is precision fermentation?
Fermentation is one of the oldest ways used by humans to preserve and transform food. Among fermented products you can find yogurt, kefir, cheese, miso, tempeh, natto, sauerkraut, kimchi, olives, pickles, kombucha, kvass, beer, and so on..
Similarly, precision fermentation uses microorganisms (such as yeast or fungi) that are programmed to produce specific proteins, for example casein.
The process:
- Microorganisms are given the genetic instruction to produce casein
- They are fed with sugars and fermented in controlled conditions (similar to modern beer brewing)
- The protein is extracted and purified
The result is functionally equivalent casein, but:
- Animal-free
- Lactose-free
- Produced with controlled consistency
- The process uses significantly less resources (land, water, lower CO2 emissions..)
Precision fermentation might sound unfamiliar to many but in reality is already widely used to produce everyday food ingredients (for decades in some cases), including:
- Enzymes (rennet for cheese making, lactase for lactose free products, amylase and protease used in baking and brewing, pectinase for juices and fruit puree production)
- Vitamins (like B12)
- Citric acid (yes, it’s not usually extracted from lemons)
- Flavours (e.g. vanillin)
- Xanthan gum
What is new is the ability to produce complex dairy proteins like casein, which unlocks entirely new formulation possibilities, and products with a lower environmental impact compared to standard animal-based ones.
If you want to read more about precision fermentation you can find more information here: https://gfieurope.org/precision-fermentation/
Gelato and frozen desserts applications
Casein is probably the most important group of proteins for gelato, both from a functional point of view and to contribute to the dairy flavour.
Other attempts at making ice cream from dairy proteins from precision fermentation didn’t have much success (e.g. Perfect Day) in part because of the fact they were using whey proteins which are less interesting functionally and have a very strong flavour that is not easily relatable to milk.
We decided to test Advanced Casein™ in fully animal-free formulations based on water, coconut oil, sugars and fibers. We tested both standard stabilisers containing emulsifiers and a fiber-based clean label solution provided by Essenza Gelato (FiberIceCream).
In our lab trials, Advanced Casein™ showed key functional behaviours:
- Complete emulsification of vegetable fats (coconut oil) in water even without emulsifiers
- Ability to support high overrun levels (up to ~80% in a batch freezer)
- Contribution to fat destabilisation even without emulsifiers
- Compatibility with both emulsifier-based and clean-label stabilisation systems
- Creation of a stable matrix without syneresis
- Excellent shape retention and melting characteristics
On the other hand we tested for flavour to get as close as possible to a traditional dairy product, both in gelato (or hard ice cream), and soft serve applications.
The outcome is not just a prototype but a validated formulation approach, supported by structured testing, benchmarking against dairy references, and sensory evaluation.
This approach now enables the possibility to develop custom applications for new products. In other words, it’s not a recipe but deep knowledge of a functional system that can be used for different types of frozen desserts, from standard gelato, to industrial novelties, to soft serve ice cream and so on.
Next steps
Although precision fermentation is not used and it’s been used for decades for many everyday ingredients, proteins from precision fermentation require regulatory approval as novel food.
The regulatory process is now activated in the European Union and in the USA. In the USA Advanced Casein™ has GRAS Self-affirmation and is in the process of becoming GRAS and then fully FDA approved.
For these reasons the next step is to start real market tests in the USA with innovative brands that are willing to engage in the sustainability and/or ethical discourse and test this new category of products.
If you are interested in developing a new product with this technology you can reach us out at info@gelato.expert.
FAQ
About Advanced Casein™
What exactly is Advanced Casein™?
It’s casein produced from precision fermentation, you can learn more at https://standing-ovation.co/en/solution/advanced-casein
Is it identical to dairy casein at a molecular level?
Yes, it’s identical to animal casein but with no animal involved in the production.
Does it contain lactose?
No, it’s completely lactose-free.
Is it animal free?
Yes, there are no animals involved in its production. However it’s still identical to an animal protein from the molecular and nutritional point of view.
Is it still an allergen?
Yes, it’s lactose free but being identical to the animal equivalent it’s still a “milk” allergen for people allergic to animal casein.
Functionality in gelato
How does Advanced Casein behave during pasteurisation?
It’s extremely stable at pasteurisation temperature, there is no difference to normal gelato in processing.
How does it influence overrun and air incorporation?
It has excellent capabilities in air incorporation and air bubbles distribution.
Can I avoid using emulsifiers?
Yes, in our test of animal-free formulations we were able to completely emulsify mixes without any emulsifiers.
What is the dosage range in gelato?
In most cases it can be used at an inclusion rate between 0.5% and 2.5%.
Sensory aspects
How close is the taste to dairy gelato?
The flavour is not 100% identical to fresh milk but it’s the closest to milk you can taste without using animal products.
Are there off-notes, and how can they be managed?
There are subtle mineral and fermentation notes at higher inclusion rates, but in panel testing only a minor part of the panelists could identify them in a vanilla flavoured gelato.
What is the impact on creaminess and mouthfeel?
It gives an extreme creaminess even in formulations with only 5-7% of fat while maintaining a clean mouthfeel especially compared to the use of emulsifiers or thickeners like CMC in plant-based products.
Clean label & positioning
Can formulations be fully additives-free?
Yes, we fully tested additives-free formulations with excellent results.
How does it compare to plant-based alternatives?
It has a dairy flavour, a dairy-like creaminess, no plant protein aftertaste. It is more comparable to dairy ice cream than plant-based alternatives.
Is it suitable for “vegan” claims?
While it’s animal free, “vegan” claims and labelling might be confusing for consumers with allergies or that don’t want to consume proteins identical to animal ones. For these reasons a different positioning might be more appropriate.
If you are vegan and have opinions on this topic feel free to share them with us at info@gelato.expert
How does it impact ingredient lists?
The industry is currently evaluating the most transparent and consumer-understandable terminology, such as “protein from fermentation” or “casein from fermentation”.
