Fermentation-derived proteins are putting down roots in the alternative protein ecosystem

Explore the fascinating world of fermentation and one company using biotechnology to build a more sustainable food system

This nature-inspired technology is primed to transform the future of food. Fermentation-derived products are a rapidly growing category within alternative proteins, alongside plant-based and cultivated meat, eggs, and dairy. Driven by innovations in biotechnology that enable yeast and bacteria to produce proteins, fats/oils, and other ingredients, many traditionally animal-based products can now be made via microorganisms.

Among the 136* companies in this emerging field is Infinite Roots (formerly Mushlabs), a Hamburg, Germany-based startup using submerged fermentation to grow mushroom mycelium that, according to the company, serves as the main ingredient for a completely new range of innovative and tasty food products — mycelium meatballs, sausages, and steaks, to name a few. 

Infinite Roots recently reported securing $58 million to scale its ‘asset-light’ mycelium fermentation platform. While some startups in this space are building in-house production facilities, Infinite Roots is taking a different approach – partnering with contract manufacturers and repurposing existing brewery infrastructure to produce its mycelium biomass.

“We don’t own production facilities because of the heavy CapEx [cost] that comes with it,” Infinite Roots founder Dr. Mazen Rizk told AgFunderNews, “by using existing infrastructure we can stay asset-light and focus on generating revenue.”

Our 2023 Fermentation Capacity Analysis found that contract manufacturing and retrofitting existing equipment are two effective strategies for quickly increasing manufacturing capacity. For Infinite Roots to combine both of these strategies into a plan for commercial production is an exciting approach for biomass fermentation at scale.

There are multiple avenues for scaling up the production of fermentation-derived alternative proteins, but one thing is certain – to ensure the long-term growth of the fermentation category, the industry must identify and address limitations in manufacturing capacity and technical capabilities to accommodate rising demand and ever-improving innovations in microbial biotechnology and fermentation approaches.

Scaling this industry has the potential to not only bolster our food supply but the health of our planet, too. Researchers found that substituting just 20 percent of beef with microbial proteins from fermentation could cut deforestation in half by 2050. There are as many as one trillion species of microorganisms estimated to exist on earth. So far, only a tiny few of those species have ever been commercialized for use in food.

With greater investments in scientific discovery and R&D that can accelerate scale-up, fermentation technology could produce the animal proteins people want to eat but without the negative impacts generated by conventional animal agriculture - a true win-win for people and the planet. 

(Photo courtesy of Meati Foods, another company in the mycelium-based protein space)

Dig deeper

Fermentation nerds looking for a deeper dive into this topic should check out last year’s webinar exploring the key findings from Fermentation Capacity Analysis.

Infinite Roots is also developing its technology to use sidestreams from the agrifood industry as feedstocks such as brewers’ spent grains. Our recent analysis of commodity crop sidestreams found brewers’ spent grains as a top candidate for application in alternative protein production.

Upcycling agricultural and food processing residues like brewer’s spent grain not only helps alt protein manufacturers keep costs down, it integrates their products into circular bioeconomies that produce food more efficiently, affordably, and sustainably. We just so happen to have a webinar about this, too.

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*Our 2022 fermentation State of the Industry report found 136 fermentation companies in the alt protein space. In a few months, we’ll be releasing our latest alternative protein State of the Industry Reports with data from 2023. Subscribe to our Substack to be the first to know when these reports go live!