Emerging evidence positions this dairy protein as a powerful nutritional ingredient - and 21st.BIO's precision fermentation could make it more sustainable than ever.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ß-Lactoglobulin (BLG), the most abundant whey protein in cow's milk is drawing renewed attention as scientists uncover its unique dual benefits for metabolic regulation and muscle health. A newly published review by researchers at the University of Copenhagen synthesizes the latest research and positions BLG as a nutritional ingredient with therapeutic potential well beyond traditional dairy.
BLG's dual benefits
Rich in leucine and capable of generating bioactive peptides during digestion, BLG offers a rare combination of metabolic and muscle-preserving benefits - two of the most pressing nutrition challenges in ageing and metabolic health.
The review highlights several features that set BLG apart. It contains 1.5 times more leucine than standard whey or casein, providing a strong trigger for muscle protein synthesis. BLG ensures sustained amino acid availability, longer than with other proteins. Its structure also confers bioactive versatility: BLG can bind hydrophobic ligands such as fatty acids and retinol, and during digestion it releases peptides that have been shown to support glucose regulation. Together, these properties underpin BLG's comprehensive metabolic actions - influencing insulin, GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon, supporting glucose uptake, slowing gastric emptying, and promoting satiety - and help create a favorable hormonal milieu that stimulates both muscle protein synthesis and glucose disposal.
"These combined actions position BLG as a unique nutritional solution for interconnected health challenges such as conditions causing muscle loss, immobilization and age-related muscle loss, and weight management," explain researchers Morten Hostrup and Emil Lundgren, from the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. "Unlike current pharmacological approaches, BLG shows potential to both enhance appetite suppression and protect against muscle mass loss, which could prove particularly interesting for people under GLP-1 therapies."
"BLG isn't only for people with specific health needs," they say. "It's a protein that can support muscle and metabolism, particularly beneficial if you're active or managing your weight, or anyone seeking to optimize their nutritional intake. We can see ourselves adding it to our own diet."
From dairy bottlenecks to biotech solutions
The new review arrives at a time when global demand for BLG is soaring. Most BLG suppliers are sold out until at least 2026, with dairy supply constrained by structural challenges: fewer and ageing farmers, farm closures, and strict emission targets limiting herd expansion. Meanwhile, whey prices continue to climb.
For the food industry, this science opens opportunities in functional nutrition, active ageing, sports recovery, and medical nutrition - particularly when paired with sustainable production methods. Traditionally sourced from dairy, BLG can now also be produced via precision fermentation, offering consistent quality, optimized bioactivity, and a dramatically lower environmental footprint compared to conventional dairy farming.
Precision fermentation as a resilient solution
To meet both scientific promise and market demand, the review points to precision fermentation as a scalable path forward. The technology enables the production of BLG with consistent bioactivity, free from seasonal variations, and with a fraction of the land, water, and carbon footprint of conventional dairy. It also allows for tailored BLG variants with optimized amino acid profiles or enhanced bioactive sequences for specific applications.
"This review article perfectly sums up why beta-lactoglobulin is setting a new standard for protein. As consumer education and global demand for high-quality protein rises, precision fermentation offers a way to deliver the nutritional and functional benefits of BLG at scale - without relying on cows," says Thomas G. Schmidt, co-founder and CEO at 21st.BIO. "Our production technology enables food and nutrition companies to unlock these health benefits in a sustainable, commercially viable way."
21st.BIO develops industrial-scale precision fermentation technology for high-value dairy proteins such as BLG and a-lactalbumin. Building on strain optimization expertise developed over decades within Novonesis (formerly Novozymes), the company provides licensing programs that cover the full journey from strain to scale-up. Its platform helps partners - from start-ups to ingredient manufacturers and dairy companies - to bring next-generation proteins to market at competitive cost and commercial scale.
Media contact:
Mathilde Pinon
Marketing & Business Development Manager
m.pinon@21st.bio | +45 31543184
www.21st.bio
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https://news.cision.com/21st-bio/i/emil-lundgren-lab,c3470044 | Emil Lundgren lab |
https://news.cision.com/21st-bio/i/morten-hostrup,c3470045 | Morten Hostrup |
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