Fermentation may be ancient biotechnology but there remains a lot left to be discovered. Key players in the industry have a number of opportunities across the value chain with which to advance the field.
Many extremophilic bacteria are a prime target for future developments. For example, these can be successfully utilized to mitigate fermentation issues such as microbial contamination, energy consumption, and freshwater shortage. In addition to working with new microorganism strains, further modifications can be made to current lines to increase efficiency or produce new ingredients.
Other opportunities to advance fermentation include the development of new and existing technology, such as improved fermentation incubators and bioreactors, as well as the refinement of nutrient-rich feedstocks to boost bioconversion.
Finally, the range of animal-based products that are yet to spawn alternatives is endless. The precision fermentation market has produced substantial breakthroughs in recent years and there is plenty of space for more to come.
For example, Harmony manufactured the first human breast milk-based infant formula to deliver nutrition much closer to breast milk than any cow’s milk formula, and Melt & Marble can mimic any fat structure, as well as create completely new and better fats, without using any animals.
The possibilities are immense.