Alternative proteins
Fermentation technology
This technique has been used for hundreds of years to preserve and improve the nutritional and sensory aspects of foods. Due to its significant production and transformation potential, fermentation has become one of the three pillars of the alternative protein industry, offering solutions for obtaining animal product analogues and ingredients for the production of cultivated meat.
Credit: Aqua Cultured Foods
Credit: Chunk
What is fermentation?
Fermentation in the context of the alternative protein industry involves cultivating microorganisms to process a food or ingredient, obtain more of the microorganism itself as a primary protein source (biomass), or obtain specific ingredients, such as flavorings, enzymes, proteins, and fats, for incorporation into products made from plants or cultivated meat. Fermentation agents are microorganisms widely distributed in nature, many already used for food production, such as bacteria, fungi, and microalgae.
Different ways to use fermentation technology
Credit: Mun Alimentos
Traditional fermentation
This is the type of fermentation in which live microorganisms are added to a protein matrix of plant origin, with the aim of, through their multiplication and the production of metabolic compounds, developing more attractive sensory characteristics and/or improving the nutritional value and bioavailability of proteins.
Credit: Meati Foods
Biomass fermentation
This is the process by which live microorganisms are added to a natural nutrient substrate or a formulated culture medium to promote the multiplication of microbial cells and then utilize the microorganism itself (i.e., the cell biomass) as a protein source. Due to the rapid growth of these microorganisms, this technological approach offers advantages such as high productivity, meaning protein can be obtained quickly, and is a well-established technological process for other applications. Furthermore, microorganisms can multiply using various carbon sources.
Credit: New Culture
Precision fermentation
This process uses genetic engineering techniques to insert the genes responsible for producing ingredients of interest into a fast-growing host microorganism. This makes it possible to produce proteins identical to those of animal origin more efficiently and quickly. After production by the microorganisms, these ingredients undergo purification processes for later application in the formulation of similar products. It is possible to produce ingredients such as milk and egg proteins, enzymes, flavorings, pigments, oils, but also components of culture media for cultivated meat, such as growth factors.
Want to know more?
Read our publication on advances in fermentation in the production of alternative proteins in Brazil.
Learn about the extrusion technique in the production of analogous vegetable meats
Deepen your knowledge
The importance of a robust compilation of state-of-the-art data in market development motivated a partnership between GFI Brazil and the Food Technology Institute (Ital). As a result, we launched three issues, one for each technology used in the production of alternative proteins.
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