Precision fermentation is opening new ways to produce food ingredients, from alternative proteins to natural colourants. Researchers at the University of Illinois are exploring how consumer needs, manufacturing economics and biotechnology could help turn these innovations into a more sustainable food system.
As the world faces growing pressure to produce food sustainably amid climate change and supply-chain constraints, precision fermentation is emerging as a potential tool for developing new food ingredients.
The technology uses genetically engineered microorganisms to produce specific compounds, including proteins, vitamins and other ingredients with applications across the food industry. Unlike traditional fermentation, which relies on naturally occurring microorganisms to make products such as cheese and beer, precision fermentation redirects microbial metabolism towards a targeted output.
Applications already include leghemoglobin, a protein used to give some plant-based burgers their meat-like colour, alongside alternative proteins for food products and ingredients designed to replace conventional colourants and other additives.
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are investigating how the technology can progress from laboratory research to commercially viable food production.
From research to real-world products
The university’s Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory (IBRL) supports the development and commercialisation of bioproducts, helping bridge the gap between scientific discovery and industrial application. Its work includes precision fermentation, an area attracting interest from major consumer goods companies looking for alternatives to traditionally petroleum-derived ingredients.
The university is also involved in the Centre for Precision Fermentation and Sustainability (PreFerS), a research collaboration in Singapore supported by a $15 million grant from Singapore’s National Research Foundation.
Yong-Su Jin, professor of food science at the university and a programme lead at PreFerS, says the centre is exploring microbial cell engineering to produce targeted nutritional molecules, including alternative proteins and vitamins. The ambition is to develop cost-effective ways of producing safe, nutritious food while reducing environmental impacts.
Singapore’s interest reflects the potential relevance of the technology to places with limited agricultural resources. However, achieving wider impact will depend on making products affordable and scaling production beyond specialist applications.
A pyramid for scaling food biotechnology
In a recent paper published in Current Opinion in Biotechnology, Jin examines how precision fermentation products can move towards commercialisation. The research introduces a three-tier ingredient pyramid based on production volume, market value and functionality.
At the top are high-value ingredients, which can be expensive or inefficient to obtain through conventional extraction or chemical synthesis. Beta-carotene, used as a food colourant and antioxidant, is one example where microbial production could offer an alternative.
The middle tier comprises functional ingredients, including proteins with specific properties. Ovalbumin, the main protein in egg whites, is widely used in baking and other food products; precision fermentation offers a potential route to producing similar functional proteins without relying on animal-derived ingredients.
At the base are commodity ingredients, generally produced at high volumes and low cost. Expanding precision fermentation into this category presents a greater challenge, but could also widen its potential reach. Applications include microbial production systems for edible biomass and ingredients such as amino acids.
Jin says most products are currently concentrated in the high-value category, a relatively small market. His longer-term ambition is to fill the entire pyramid over the next 10 to 20 years, extending the technology into higher-volume applications and increasing its potential environmental impact.
Why consumers and economics matter
Technical progress alone will not determine whether precision fermentation succeeds. Jin argues that researchers need to consider consumer demand and market viability much earlier in product development.
Scientists may focus on advancing fundamental technology, while consumers expect finished products that meet their needs. Starting with consumer input, he suggests, can help improve acceptance, while techno-economic analysis can establish whether products can be produced at a competitive cost.
This approach places commercial practicality alongside scientific innovation, recognising that a promising ingredient must be safe, useful and economically viable if it is to reach widespread adoption.
Precision fermentation is not a replacement for every aspect of traditional agriculture, and its eventual contribution to food security and sustainability will depend on how successfully it can be scaled. But by connecting microbial engineering with consumer needs and industrial production, researchers are working to establish it as another potential platform for future food innovation.
Research paper: Minimum viable products in precision fermentation: defining translational milestones for food biotechnology, published in Current Opinion in Biotechnology.
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