Squid self-repairing design inspires U.S. military, microflora-based vegan ice cream, dairy-waste to hand sanitizer, banana fiber PPE, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of August 6th

#7 Vegan ice cream Brave Robot uses biotech to produce milk proteins

In California, food technology firm Perfect Day has expanded into animal-free dairy ice cream.

Dubbed Brave Robot, the company uses genetically modified microflora to produce milk proteins casein and whey. After adding plant fats and other ingredients, the company is able to replicate the taste and consistency of dairy-based ice cream. Flavors include Vanilla, Buttery Pecan, PB ‘N Fudge, and Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk.

“After trying all four, I can say all were smooth and creamy, flavorful and, most importantly, tasted just like dairy-based ice cream,” writes The Spoon’s taste-tester and columnist Michael Wolf. “I’ve had lots of plant-based ice cream, and while most taste pretty good… none had ever fooled my taste buds into thinking they weren’t made with dairy. Not so with Brave Robot.”

More on the story, here.