Beyond Agriculture─How Microorganisms Can Revolutionize Global Food Production

Abstract

The global food production system has, until now, been absolutely dependent on photosynthesis. Using microbial biomass as a source of food rather than plant-or animal-derived biomass circumvents many of the biophysical constraints and vulnerabilities of the global food system. Microbial foods in the form of either bulk cellular biomass or recombinant food proteins (typically of animal origin) can be produced in the absence of sunlight, soil, favorable climate conditions, and in some cases without freshwater. This Review looks at some of the most recent developments in the field of microbial foods and discusses some of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for this technology.

Opportunities to produce food from substantially less land

“…Fermentation has been used for millennia to produce alcoholic beverages, bread, cheese, and products such as yoghurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut [ 40 , 41 ]. Today, there is great interest and investment in different fermentation technologies that might produce food with a relatively small land footprint [ 42 ].…”

“…Bacteria-based systems with a variety of gaseous feedstocks have also been investigated [ 41 , 53 ]. Methanotrophic bacteria can produce protein from methane, which has been used to make aquafeed and animal feed though at the cusp of financial viability.…”

Precision Fermentation as an Alternative to Animal Protein, a Review

“…This evolution in consumer attitudes, coupled with environmental issues associated with animal products, has catalyzed interest and investment in an innovative field -cellular agriculture. Coined around 2015, cellular agriculture encompasses the production of products traditionally derived from animals through alternative means, using 2 bioreactors instead of conventional livestock farming [7][8][9]. This new technology is designed to revolutionize the food industry and completely disrupt traditional animal-based agriculture.…”

Efficient Mycoprotein Production with Low CO2 Emissions through Metabolic Engineering and Fermentation Optimization of Fusarium venenatum

“…Fusarium venenatum has been successfully used as a mycoprotein source for consumption. − Mycoprotein shows a meat-like texture and offers a good nutritional balance, including richness in essential amino acids, zero cholesterol, and high dietary fiber, , and even offers therapeutic potential for alleviating various health disorders. , In terms of safety, mycoprotein has been accepted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) and has been sold lawfully in over 15 countries since 1985. , In addition, compared to animal and plant source proteins, the production of mycoprotein also has many advantages, such as reduced use of water and land, low levels of greenhouse gas emissions, and short production cycles, making it easy to achieve sustainable and environmentally friendly large-scale production. − Therefore, mycoprotein has the potential to partially or entirely substitute animal- and plant-derived protein in the human diet, but the low synthesis rate, carbon conversion ratio, and protein content are major obstacles that restrict the development of mycoprotein produced by natural strains.…”