Backed by millennia of usage, fermentation has long been a traditional part of food. Now, the rise of cellular agriculture and growing demands for alternative proteins are bringing a very 21st-century flair to this space. 

Ahead of Kerry Health and Nutrition (KHNI)’s upcoming webinar on fermentation, Jacques Georis, global fermentation science and functional technologies R&D director at Kerry, speaks to FoodIngredientsFirst about the trajectory of this space.

“When most people hear about fermentation, chances are they think of a DIY kombucha kit or the manufacturing of cheese and yogurt.”

However, there are many different ways to categorize fermentation, he explains. This can be based on the technical approach, such as batch fermentation, fed-batch fermentation and continuous fermentation – or by purpose: traditional or microbial fermentation, biomass fermentation and precision fermentation. 

For example, microbial fermentation is the natural process by which sugars are converted into alcohols, gas (usually carbon dioxide) and acids by microorganisms. It is the oldest of biotechnology processes, and it has been used by humans to process and preserve food for thousands of years. 

“This is what most of us are familiar with. It involves cultivating microbial organisms to produce a final F&B product, modifying its taste, texture and nutritional profile,” he explains. 

Other fermentation forms step in
Other forms of fermentation are starting to make waves in the F&B industry. Biomass fermentation refers to the cultivation of microbial organisms with the purpose of obtaining as much as possible of the microorganism mass to use as food. 

“This can include alternative protein and yeast extract. The most well-known example is Quorn’s meat-free mycoprotein, which is produced by fermenting Fusarium fungi,” details Georis. 

Meanwhile, precision fermentation uses the metabolism of microorganisms to program microbes to act as “cell factories” for specific compounds of interest.

“This technique enables us to produce metabolites typically produced by microbes or mammals or plants in a much more sustainable and economical way, such as cultured meat and alternative proteins,” he continues.  

The most well-known example is the production of animal-free rennet or plant hemoglobin, which can be produced by fermenting yeast.

Feeding a growing population
According to Georis, the global population is expected to swell by another 2 billion to hit nearly 10 billion by 2050.

“As incomes rise, people will increasingly consume more resource-intensive, animal-based foods. At the same time, we urgently need to cut greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production. Today, 50 percent of our world’s vegetated land is dedicated to agriculture – of which approximately 30 percent is used to grow grain for animal feed.”

Notably, if dietary patterns continue to include consuming large amounts of farm-produced protein, an additional 593 hectares of land (equivalent to twice the size of India) would be needed to feed the global population in 2050.

“It also takes years to grow animals and months to grow plants. With fermentation, microbes have the potential to double their biomass in hours. Fermentation can produce animal-free protein such as eggs, dairy and meat in a much more sustainable and healthier way,” argues Georis.

One notable example in this space is Eat Just’s Good Meat, which recently landed US$170 million for its cultured chicken. 

Meanwhile, Pascual recently launched what is tipped as the first global incubation program for cellular agriculture technologies in the dairy industry.

Navigating challenges
There are still a few hurdles to navigate surrounding fermented protein alternatives. These include issues related to regulation, consumer acceptance and cost of production. 

Additionally, successful industrial-scale fermentation involves developing a fermentation process that is time and cost-efficient, as well as highly reliable.

“To prepare for this, process parameters are initially evaluated at the bench level before moving to a bioreactor. It is important to assess the challenges of scaling up and understanding what steps you can put in place to address these challenges,” explains Georis.

However, even with the best of planning and intentions, many parameters can still change when manufacturers move from bench to large-scale cultivation. 

Common challenges include potential microbial contaminations, microbe robustness versus process drift, raw material sourcing and consistency, on-line and off-line process control, productivity and cost.

KHNI’s webinar, entitled “Fermentation: Will the past power the future?” will take place on July 13, and registration is now open here.