Molecular farming technology is shaping the future of sustainable food alternatives. Our consulting team guides corporates through the entire value chain, paving the way for the next generation of food innovation.
Molecular farming transforms plants into biofactories, producing custom proteins and compounds for food applications. However, venturing into this innovative domain is fraught with technical and regulatory hurdles. Success belongs to those who are visionary, agile, and adaptive.
Our consulting team will bridge your knowledge gaps in molecular farming, empowering you to confidently explore the possibilities in pharmaceuticals, food additives, and beyond, every step of the way.
The arena of plant-based compound production has seen rapid advancement recently, moving from niche applications in pharmaceuticals to a broader application spectrum in food ingredients and beyond, with a surge of investments and interest worldwide.
CHALLENGE
Strong headwinds
Molecular farming is still in very early stages with the main challenges in environmental and societal concerns, insufficient yields, difficulties in finding the right plant host and complex plant engineering.
Opportunity
Plant potential
Plants can produce alternative proteins more cost effectively and ecologically than animals or even microbes used in fermentation. Additionally, plants do not contain human pathogens that could occur in the final product when using animal or microbe cells.
Trusted by Industry Leaders
At the forefront of AgriFood Tech strategy consulting since 2020.
Our strategy consulting team provides comprehensive guidance across all critical areas of molecular farming, ensuring you can confidently navigate the complexities and accelerate growth in sustainable food solutions.
Plant selection
Target molecule
Gene editing
Host development
Protein optimization
Scale-up strategies
Downstream processing
Purification methods
Regulatory compliance
Commercialization
Environmental impact
Intellectual property
Market trends
Partnerships
Sustainability
Consumer insights
Molecular farming FAQs
What is molecular farming?
Molecular farming involves genetically modifying plants to produce valuable proteins and chemicals by inserting genes into the host organism. These plants become biofactories capable of large-scale production of high-value compounds, which are otherwise challenging and costly to manufacture.
How can we advance the molecular industry further?
There are several ways to advance the industry:
Genetic engineering improvements: Enhancing gene editing techniques to increase yield and stability of the proteins produced.
Scaling production: Developing better separation and purification methods to transition to commercial-scale production.
Enhancing regulatory frameworks: Streamlining approval processes while ensuring safety and efficacy of the produced compounds.
Public acceptance and education: Increasing awareness about the benefits and safety of molecular farming products to build consumer trust.
Investment in research and development: Encouraging public and private funding to explore new applications and improve existing methodologies.
How does molecular farming compare to precision fermentation?
Types of products: Both technologies can in principle produce the same target molecules.
Hosts used: Molecular farming utilizes living plants, while precision fermentation primarily uses microorganisms like bacteria and yeast.
Production environments: Molecular farming can be integrated into existing agricultural infrastructures, using fields and greenhouses. Precision fermentation, on the other hand, requires controlled industrial fermentation facilities and bioreactors which arecapital-intensive to build and operate.
Client Feedback
"The BGP team helped us assess the alt protein market and better understand the most promising technologies and ingredients. Beyond providing insights and strategy advisory, they also helped us to strengthen our network in this space."
Steve Chantry
Vice President of International Growth Kraft Heinz Company
"BGP brought in uniquely deep insights through their professionally strong and reliable networks and a robust consulting framework, which is what we were looking for. Their work has helped us make better strategic and commercial decisions. We look forward to continuing our partnership."
Yasushi Noguchi
Senior Director Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America
"Utilizing their deep industry experience and extensive technical network, the BGP team navigated our project toward the most valuable solutions, making the most of past insights and existing data. The team stands apart in its approach to driving progress with consistent advancements that offer clarity at every project stage.”
Amanda Bess
Science & Technology Analysis Manager The Good Food Institute
"BGP was amongst the first ones we called when we embarked on our alt protein journey. The team did an excellent job organising an engaging workshop series for our key decision makers. They provided a detailed perspective on the industry and helped us identify relevant internal capabilities and resources to leverage."
Andrey Dribny
CEO of Culinary IFFCO Group
"BGP provides us essential support to help drive our vision towards practical implementation. The depth of industry insights they bring in, combined with their consistently top-quality work, enables us to confidently navigate this fast-changing field."
George Harrigan
Director of Food and Functional Ingredients NEOM
"We asked BGP to prepare a technical due diligence assessment for a potential investment in the cultured meat space. We were very much impressed by the quality of the BGP team, the thorough way of working, the valuable and up-to-date insights they provided and the open way of communication.
The assessment has helped us in better understanding the challenges of the company in this quickly evolving industry and in structuring a transaction. In many ways BGP outperformed our expectations and we are looking forward to working with them again."
Victor Meijer
Sr. Investment Manager, InvestNL
"BGP has been a valuable resource in leveraging industry knowledge, market sizing, and cultivated relationships to help our team further evaluate the Alternative Proteins landscape.
We appreciate their ability to envision and look beyond the current state of the industry, peering into the future state where we can all contribute to feeding 10 billion people differently."
Mike Snodgrass
Managing Director Global Alternative Proteins Griffith Foods
Featured case
Alternative protein industry mapping and roadmap development
Conducting comprehensive alternative protein market analysis, exploring B2B platforms, market dynamics, value chains, and roadmap strategies.
