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Freeing up farmlandPrecision fermentation to make protein and synthetic meat directly from animal cells will cut cattle farming’s share of the market and will free up 80% of land—an area the size of the US, China, and Australia combined—according to RethinkX, a company specializing in disruptive technology analysis.
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Fish food from natural gasAbout one-third of the world’s ocean fish that are caught are used to feed farmed fish, contributing to overfishing. In a bid to avoid this problem, Calysta has developed a fermentation process for making protein-rich fish feed from single-cell bacteria that are free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and fed with natural gas. Calysta’s joint venture company Calysseo has started up a plant in Chongqing, China, to produce up to 20,000 metric tons (t) or fish food and pet food per year. “We are producing the equivalent of the edible parts of 10 cows an hour in a plant that requires zero arable land and 90% less water than equivalent sources of protein,” Calysta CEO Alan Shaw says. Calysta plans to build a 100,000 t per year facility in the Middle East.
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Yeast 2.0Foodstuffs made with yeast have gone way beyond the staples of bread and beer. Food technology firms are inserting genes into the DNA of yeasts, including the baker’s yeast variety Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to produce foods rich in protein and vitamins. Products include animalfree versions of dairy products, eggs, meats, fats, collagen, and gelatin, as well as novel flavors. Impossible Foods has engineered a yeast to make heme, a flavoring compound that gives its plant-based burgers a meaty taste. Perfect Day has raised hundreds of millions of dollars from venture capitalists to develop an engineered yeast–based process to create whey and casein. These proteins can be used to produce cheese, yogurt, and ice cream that are identical in taste and texture to traditional animal-derived products.
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Honey without beesThe market for natural honey may be about to change. Having raised more than $5 million from venture capitalists, start-up MeliBio is in the middle of scaling up a microbial fermentation process for making synthetic honey. MeliBio claims that a masked taste test with industry leaders found that its synthetic product, named Mellody, was indistinguishable from natural honey. The firm Bee-io is also developing a bioprocess for making artificial honey.
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Mycelium burger, anyone?Humans have been consuming mycoprotein in large volumes since Imperial Chemical Industries dropped Quorn onto our plates in 1985. Quorn is made by fermenting a fungus, Fusarium venenatum. In recent years, several new companies have entered the fray. The Fungi Protein Association, an industry body that formed in 2022, now has 36 members. Among them, the firm the Protein Brewery has developed Fermotein, a non-GMO mycelium made using a fermentation process with inputs of water and carbohydrate crops. It is 50% protein and also contains vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The company opened a pilot production plant in 2021 and gained approval earlier this year to sell Fermotein in Singapore. The product’s flavor is neutral, so it can be added to—or blended with—numerous foods, including meat analogs, dairy alternatives, and pastas, the company says.
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Protein from the airThe company Solar Foods is leading a pack of more than a dozen companies developing fermentation processes for making protein from non-GMO, single-cell bacteria fed with hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and other trace elements. The company aims to make the world’s most sustainable protein production process by using hydrogen made using renewable energy. The company opened its first plant in April with an annual capacity to produce 160 t per year of its protein—a relatively tiny volume for the food industry. The dried bacteria form a high-protein orange powder that can be added to many foods.
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A response to climate change“Precision fermentation is going to have an increasingly important role to play in meeting the world’s need for food, particularly as traditional food supply chains become ever more impacted by climate change,” says Shahin Ali, a senior scientist at ATCC, a developer and supplier of microorganisms. “Precision fermentation focuses on producing high-value ingredients in controlled environments, meaning they are sheltered from volatile weather patterns and can become a stable means for large-scale food production year-round. With its stability and reduced environmental footprint, precision fermentation is undoubtedly going to be a part of our future.”
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Freeing up farmlandPrecision fermentation to make protein and synthetic meat directly from animal cells will cut cattle farming’s share of the market and will free up 80% of land—an area the size of the US, China, and Australia combined—according to RethinkX, a company specializing in disruptive technology analysis.
Fish food from natural gasAbout one-third of the world’s ocean fish that are caught are used to feed farmed fish, contributing to overfishing. In a bid to avoid this problem, Calysta has developed a fermentation process for making protein-rich fish feed from single-cell bacteria that are free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and fed with natural gas. Calysta’s joint venture company Calysseo has started up a plant in Chongqing, China, to produce up to 20,000 metric tons (t) or fish food and pet food per year. “We are producing the equivalent of the edible parts of 10 cows an hour in a plant that requires zero arable land and 90% less water than equivalent sources of protein,” Calysta CEO Alan Shaw says. Calysta plans to build a 100,000 t per year facility in the Middle East.
Yeast 2.0Foodstuffs made with yeast have gone way beyond the staples of bread and beer. Food technology firms are inserting genes into the DNA of yeasts, including the baker’s yeast variety Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to produce foods rich in protein and vitamins. Products include animalfree versions of dairy products, eggs, meats, fats, collagen, and gelatin, as well as novel flavors. Impossible Foods has engineered a yeast to make heme, a flavoring compound that gives its plant-based burgers a meaty taste. Perfect Day has raised hundreds of millions of dollars from venture capitalists to develop an engineered yeast–based process to create whey and casein. These proteins can be used to produce cheese, yogurt, and ice cream that are identical in taste and texture to traditional animal-derived products.
Honey without beesThe market for natural honey may be about to change. Having raised more than $5 million from venture capitalists, start-up MeliBio is in the middle of scaling up a microbial fermentation process for making synthetic honey. MeliBio claims that a masked taste test with industry leaders found that its synthetic product, named Mellody, was indistinguishable from natural honey. The firm Bee-io is also developing a bioprocess for making artificial honey.
Mycelium burger, anyone?Humans have been consuming mycoprotein in large volumes since Imperial Chemical Industries dropped Quorn onto our plates in 1985. Quorn is made by fermenting a fungus, Fusarium venenatum. In recent years, several new companies have entered the fray. The Fungi Protein Association, an industry body that formed in 2022, now has 36 members. Among them, the firm the Protein Brewery has developed Fermotein, a non-GMO mycelium made using a fermentation process with inputs of water and carbohydrate crops. It is 50% protein and also contains vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The company opened a pilot production plant in 2021 and gained approval earlier this year to sell Fermotein in Singapore. The product’s flavor is neutral, so it can be added to—or blended with—numerous foods, including meat analogs, dairy alternatives, and pastas, the company says.
Protein from the airThe company Solar Foods is leading a pack of more than a dozen companies developing fermentation processes for making protein from non-GMO, single-cell bacteria fed with hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and other trace elements. The company aims to make the world’s most sustainable protein production process by using hydrogen made using renewable energy. The company opened its first plant in April with an annual capacity to produce 160 t per year of its protein—a relatively tiny volume for the food industry. The dried bacteria form a high-protein orange powder that can be added to many foods.
A response to climate change“Precision fermentation is going to have an increasingly important role to play in meeting the world’s need for food, particularly as traditional food supply chains become ever more impacted by climate change,” says Shahin Ali, a senior scientist at ATCC, a developer and supplier of microorganisms. “Precision fermentation focuses on producing high-value ingredients in controlled environments, meaning they are sheltered from volatile weather patterns and can become a stable means for large-scale food production year-round. With its stability and reduced environmental footprint, precision fermentation is undoubtedly going to be a part of our future.”
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