Cultivated
Fermentation
Microbial fermentation process optimisation for abundant target molecule production
The target molecule can be a protein, a lipid, a flavour compound, a fragrance, an enzyme, a growth factor, a pigment, or another class of molecule.
Production platform
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Cultivated
-
Fermentation
Technology sector
- Host strain development
- Target molecule discovery
Resources:
- https://gfi.org/science/the-science-of-fermentation/#h-target-selection-and-design
- Role of Lipids in Food Flavor Generation
- Flavor and Metabolite Profiles of Meat, Meat Substitutes, and Traditional Plant-Based High-Protein Food Products
Current challenges
Many of the desirable properties of food derive from specific functional molecules (e.g., specific lipids, enzymes, and volatile compounds). These molecules include proteins and small molecules with defined structures that allow them to interact with other food matrix components or directly with a consumer’s senses to generate particular flavours, aromas, and textures. Identifying microbial fermentation-derived analogues of characteristic molecules from animal-derived meat, dairy, and eggs would allow alternative protein products to mimic animal products more accurately.
Proposed solutions
- Producing animal-like fats through microbial fermentation
- Fermentation-derived lipid production is relatively unexplored for food applications but has a fairly robust history for industrial chemicals. We need to develop fermentation-derived edible fats by aggregating lipid synthesis pathway insights from the chemicals industry. Research and innovation priorities in this area are listed here.
- Fat production & encapsulation within oleaginous yeast
- Oleaginous yeast species such as C. curvatus and Y. lipolytica accumulate a high percentage of lipids (20-75% dry weight) in the form of triacylglycerides (TAGs) when subjected to nutrient depletion. New research on lipid encapsulation in yeast should investigate the efficacy of yeast species for the accumulation and storage of lipids — including lipids with the same profile as animal lipids. More research opportunities in this area are detailed here.
- Novel methods for long-chain omega-3 fatty acid production at scale and cost-effectiveness
- A low-cost and abundant source of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is a necessity for which affordable and efficient animal-free omega-3 ingredient production methods need to be explored.
- Deeper fundamental knowledge of the causes and prevention of oxidation of omega-3 fatty acids before, during, and after addition to alternative seafood products is needed to improve their nutritional and organoleptic properties.
- Production of algal biomass extracts and bioactive components as potential replacements for animal serum for cultivated meat-relevant cell culture applications
- Chlorella vulgaris extracts have been shown to contain bioactive polysaccharides that exert important cell proliferative effects through gene induction pathways.