Fermentation-derived ingredients are powering the next wave of alternative protein innovation
If the future of meat is plant-based and cultivated, then fermentation is the stock that quietly adds a depth of flavour—holding the secret to the success of alternative proteins.
As the sector matures, it is clear that technologies across the three value chains must integrate to achieve taste, nutrition, and price parity vis-à-vis conventional meat—or even outperform it. Fermentation-derived ingredients—be it mycelium produced through biomass fermentation or enzymes derived from precision fermentation—are revealing themselves as crucial enabling technologies for the sector, driving the next evolution of alternative proteins. The webinar “Upgrading alternative proteins through fermentation-derived ingredients” was precisely aimed to visualise this potential by highlighting case studies on the application of fermentation-derived ingredients to ‘upgrade’ plant-based and cultivated meat products.
Enzymes are one of the most commonly used precision fermentation-derived ingredients. With a market size of USD 8.76 billion in 2025, enzymes have established themselves as an effective and clean-label tool for texture and flavour modulation of food products, including alternative proteins. Taking the example of plant-based dairy products, Anupriya Sunderajoo (Associate Industry Technology Specialist, Novonesis) highlighted how enzymatic solutions directly address some of the most persistent challenges faced by the plant-based milk companies. Plant-based milk made from cereals such as oat and rice are notoriously difficult to process due to their high starch and fibre content, which leads to excessive viscosity during slurry preparation, poor mixing and filtration, inconsistent texture, and low extraction yields. If left unchecked, these early-stage issues cascade into downstream problems such as instability, graininess, and an unappealing mouthfeel in the final product. Fermentation-derived enzymes such as alpha-amylases can help resolve these issues by breaking down large starch molecules into smaller dextrins—rapidly reducing viscosity, improving process efficiency, and delivering smoother, creamier textures that better resemble conventional dairy. Beyond texture, plant-based milk may also lack inherent sweetness, compelling manufacturers to rely on added sugars or artificial sweeteners. By using maltogenic amylase, or glucoamylase, dextrins could be converted into maltose or glucose, developing an inherent sweetness while maintaining a clean-label formulation.
Together, these enzymatic interventions enable higher yields, more consistent quality, improved sensory profiles, and simpler production processes, demonstrating how enzymes function not just as processing aids but as critical enablers of scalable, consumer-acceptable plant-based milk.
Beyond enzymes, fermentation-derived ingredients can also solve structural challenges, especially for cultivated meat, where scaffolds remain a key bottleneck for cell attachment, tissue formation, and ultimately texture. Shubhankar Takle (Chief Technology Officer, MyoWorks) shared how mycelium-based scaffolds can act as an edible, supportive substrate for adherent cells, creating a clear bridge between fermentation and cultivated meat in hybrid product formats. MyoWorks’ process begins with fungal fermentation to generate biomass, followed by washing and treatment to remove undesirable or potentially cytotoxic components, before processing the material into scaffold formats. In their current 2D kit format (mycelium discs in a 12-well plate), Takle reported compatibility across multiple cell types (including chicken, beef, fish, and shrimp). They also showed proliferation over seven days, alongside representative colony images, and early work on 3D-shaped scaffolds (including shrimp-shaped prototypes) to demonstrate how mycelium can be formed into porous, food-relevant structures. A key advantage Takle highlighted is that mycelium can provide both structural fibres and cell-friendly surface chemistry without requiring the extensive grafting chemistry that many polysaccharide scaffolds rely on.
This approach enables mycelium to contribute edible texture and structure, while cultivated cells add nutrition and sensory familiarity comparable to conventional meat, together forming a practical route towards scalable, consumer-acceptable cultivated meat products.
While application-driven case studies demonstrate the functional value of fermentation-derived ingredients, their success ultimately depends on whether fermentation processes can deliver high-yield, fast production timelines, and consistent batch performance at an industrial scale. Eve Samyukta (Founder and CEO, 70/30 Food Sci & Tech) highlighted how fermentation performance often becomes the main bottleneck during scale-up, as processes that perform well at laboratory scale frequently fail to translate reliably to large fermenters.
Positioned at the intersection of fungal biomass protein development and fermentation optimisation, 70/30 Food Sci & Tech focuses on improving fermentation under real manufacturing conditions. Samyukta identified three key performance metrics that determine commercial viability: biomass yield, production speed, and batch-to-batch consistency. A common challenge with filamentous fungal fermentation is a prolonged lag phase after inoculation, where cells remain viable but show limited growth, delaying production and reducing fermenter productivity. Industrial producers often compensate by increasing glucose feed or extending fermentation cycles, both of which significantly increase costs. To address this, the company developed a biological growth enhancer that supports filamentous fungi at the earliest stages of fermentation by supplying signalling molecules and nutrients that accelerate entry into exponential growth. Early-scale observations have demonstrated approximately three- to four-fold improvements in growth efficiency during this phase–potentially enabling shorter fermentation cycles, reduced reliance on costly carbon inputs, and improved process predictability. Alongside fermentation performance solutions, the company is also developing proprietary fungal biomass proteins that provide both nutritional and functional benefits while remaining compatible with existing food-grade fermentation infrastructure.
Together, these developments highlight that improving fermentation performance is as important as developing new ingredients when aiming to scale fermentation-derived products in a scalable, commercially viable manner.
From a holistic perspective, the three speakers highlighted that fermentation could be a key link between innovations across the plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cultivated meat sectors, driving the overall evolution of alternative proteins. From enzymes to mycelium, it is clear that impact emerges only when biology, process, and application advance in tandem. To dive deeper into how these ideas were debated, challenged, and stress-tested by the audience, we invite you to watch the full YouTube recording of the webinar, including a panel discussion with our three speakers.