Bacterial Single Cell Protein: Applications, Productions, and Commercialization: Opportunities and Challenges

Valorisation of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) residues and cheese whey into volatile fatty acids for single cell protein production

“…The use of lignocellulosic biomass (e.g., agricultural residues) in second-generation biorefineries, in analogy to petroleum-based refineries, is being increasingly regarded as a promising approach for the sustainable production of biofuels/bioenergy and other value-added products such as biodegradable plastics, biochemicals, or high-quality protein-based products such as single cell protein (SCP) [ 1 , 2 ]. Considering the increase in the animal-based protein demand, currently reaching about 202 million tons year −1 , and the fact that 1 kg of animal-based protein requires almost 6 kg of plant biomass, the current available resources will likely not be sufficient to guarantee sustainable livelihoods at the global level [ 3 , 4 ]. The production of SCP, and second-generation SCP using waste resources in particular, could overcome the environmental drawbacks of the conventional protein sources (e.g., meat, fish, chicken, or soybean) such as excessive use of land, fertilisers, energy and water, and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions, by using carbon and nitrogen from different residual organic streams [ [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] , [7] ].…”

“…Considering the increase in the animal-based protein demand, currently reaching about 202 million tons year −1 , and the fact that 1 kg of animal-based protein requires almost 6 kg of plant biomass, the current available resources will likely not be sufficient to guarantee sustainable livelihoods at the global level [ 3 , 4 ]. The production of SCP, and second-generation SCP using waste resources in particular, could overcome the environmental drawbacks of the conventional protein sources (e.g., meat, fish, chicken, or soybean) such as excessive use of land, fertilisers, energy and water, and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions, by using carbon and nitrogen from different residual organic streams [ [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] , [7] ]. For instance, the water footprint of particular SCP-based products (i.e., FeedKind protein, a bacterial SCP produced from natural gas or biogas) is reported to be about 20 and 140 times lower than that of fishmeal and soybean meal, respectively [ 8 ].…”