Precision fermentation for food proteins: ingredient innovations, bioprocess considerations, and outlook — a mini-review

Abstract

The growing demand for dietary protein presents challenges for environmentally sustainable food production within global limits. Precision fermentation (PF) offers an innovative solution by employing engineered micro-organisms to ecosustainably produce animal or other proteins of interest for food applications. While microbes have been used to modify and create foods for thousands of years, microbial bulk protein production is relatively new. Some of the most compelling PF products are food proteins previously only derived from animal sources that can now be expressed in micro-organisms. The alternative protein space is flourishing with PF-derived protein research and development for formulation in dairy, egg, meat, and sweetener applications. This review discusses recent innovations in the space, popular target ingredients, bioprocesses, production microbes, and the regulatory landscape, all in a space poised for expansion this decade.