this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2025
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/34272214

A California-based biotechnology startup has officially launched the world's first commercially available butter made entirely from carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen, eliminating the need for traditional agriculture or animal farming. Savor, backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates through his Breakthrough Energy Ventures fund, announced the commercial release of its animal- and plant-free butter after three years of development.

The revolutionary product uses a proprietary thermochemical process that transforms carbon dioxide captured from the air, hydrogen from water, and methane into fat molecules chemically identical to those found in dairy butter. According to the company, the process creates fatty acids by heating these gases under controlled temperature and pressure conditions, then combining them with glycerol to form triglycerides.

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[–] sexy_peach@feddit.org 7 points 1 day ago
[–] 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works 12 points 2 days ago (14 children)

I'm not giving up a small pleasure like butter just so that a billionaire can buy another private jet and wipe out whatever tiny carbon footprint savings comes from giving up butter

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Should be a nice change from that silicon based butter I usually get.

[–] interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml 21 points 2 days ago (2 children)

So, like every other butter and oil, that's why we call them hydrocarbon.

I imagine this "butter" doesn't contain any glycomacropeptide, α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, serum albumin and immunoglobulins

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 18 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You're probably right, but I can't wait to see the egg on your face if it does turn out to contain glycomacropeptides, α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, serum albumin and immunoglobulins!

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[–] Bosht@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago (7 children)

How much carbon is emitted to run the factory to make it though? Are we talking a net negative here?

[–] hamsterkill@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Some, as prepping the carbon and hydrogen will take energy. But it wouldn't be hard to be way better than the emissions associated with dairy farming for butter. Cost could still be higher, though depending on how much material is needed for the process.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I wonder where they source the methane from. Because I pictured a comicbook flip book of a balloon blowing up behind a cow

[–] hamsterkill@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Methane is just the primary compound in natural gas.

I mean they can get it from the ground, but it can also come from things kind of fermenting in cows/our stomachs.

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[–] muntedcrocodile@hilariouschaos.com 37 points 2 days ago (1 children)

All butter is made from CO2 it simply goes through a processing step known as cow.

[–] AmidFuror@fedia.io 9 points 2 days ago

You missed the grass or corn step.

[–] ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.world 20 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I don’t eat carbon-based foods. Exotic silicon lifeforms, fresh from Titan’s methane seas.

[–] Blackout@fedia.io 15 points 2 days ago

How do you know when someone is a non-carbon eater? Don't worry they will tell you.

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[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago (1 children)

To put it in simple terms, Savor says they take carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen from water, heat them up, oxidize them and get a final result that looks like candle wax but is in fact fat molecules like those in beef, cheese or vegetable oils.

So their process sounds like it creates synthetic lard, not butter. This can still be a good thing as the extra ingredients to make it "butter" aren't really the hard/impactful part of butter.

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[–] PumpkinSkink@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (5 children)

So when I poop the carbon butter out, how long does it take to decompose? Because unless we make one of those nuclear waste containment salt bunkers for all. the butter carbon poop this kinda seems like a dumb idea.

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[–] IllNess@infosec.pub 13 points 2 days ago (2 children)

This is interesting...

Lab grown meat have problem where they cannot create fat. So if this works, maybe this is the solution.

"So you're using this gas right now to cook your food and we're proposing that we would like to first make your food with— with that gas," said Kathleen Alexander, co-founder and CEO of Savor.

That doesn't sound appetizing... Lol.

[–] NoForwardslashS@sopuli.xyz 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I would like to propose you eat my gas

[–] IllNess@infosec.pub 9 points 2 days ago

"Eat my gas" should be their slogan.

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[–] tal@lemmy.today 13 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (6 children)

I'd actually be willing to give it a try if it's vaguely price-competitive, but their website is all glam shots of butter and people doing things with butter and not only doesn't sell it but doesn't tell you where you can get it.

https://www.savor.it/

Also, they did not do a good job of choosing that name. It looks like there's a very-similarly-named French Canadian manufacturer of butter, Savör, which apparently isn't too religious about using their umlaut:

At Savor, we believe the best butter starts with the best environment. That’s why we source our grass-fed dairy butter from New Zealand, a country renowned for its pristine landscapes, sustainable farming, and exceptional dairy quality.

I foresee a collision between those two.

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[–] qyron@sopuli.xyz 6 points 2 days ago

So, in essence, this, but with added marketing steps.

[–] UltraBlack@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (2 children)

From the description I cannot in a million years assume that it tastes anywhere near butter. And where's the buttery taste going

"Fat molecules chemically identical to those in butter". I'll wait until I hear more third party people try it or I do myself.

[–] Krudler@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Of course not. They've made artificial fat, not butter. BIG difference

water, lecithin as an emulsifier, flavor and color

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