Producing food for a growing world population amidst climate change and supply chain constraints is a tall order. Is biotechnology part of the solution?

URBANA, Ill. – Lab-grown protein that mimics the color, taste, and texture of meat. Egg white substitutes used for baked goods. Food colorants that replace beta-carotene extracted from carrots. Those are some of the products created with precision fermentation, an emerging technology that can develop tailored food ingredients in the laboratory. If adapted to large-scale production, it can potentially contribute to reducing global food insecurity by creating affordable, sustainable products supplementing those delivered by traditional agriculture.

What is precision fermentation?

While precision fermentation has been around for decades, the technology has primarily been used in production of fuel and animal feed. Regular yeast that is used for corn ethanol fermentation can’t process non-edible grain sources such as corn stover, but with metabolic engineering it’s possible to produce yeast that can ferment sugar from cellulosic biomass.

More recently, the technology is also being applied to food production, such as alternative proteins, vitamins, and nutrients. Traditional fermentation uses naturally existing micro-organisms to produce beer, wine, cheese and other consumables. However, precision fermentation uses genetically engineered microorganisms to redirect the cellular metabolism to produce specific food ingredients. One example is leghemoglobin, an alternative protein that is used to give plant-based burgers a red, blood-like color.

University of Illinois precision fermentation initiatives

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are on the forefront of these developments. Several facilities on campus provide resources for precision fermentation technology and applications, including the NSF iBioFoundry and the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory.

IBRL is a research and development facility that helps companies bridge the gap from basic discovery to commercialization of bioproducts. It is part of the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and The Grainger College of Engineering at the U. of I.

“Precision fermentation is one of our core competencies, and one of the areas that has been the busiest for the IBRL. Currently, we're seeing a lot of interest from the major consumer packaged goods companies on replacing traditionally petroleum-derived ingredients with natural alternatives, including food dyes, non-caloric sweeteners, and preservatives,” said Beth Conerty, IBRL Associate Director of Business Development.

Singapore research collaboration

The U. of I. has also co-established a research institute in Singapore. The Centre for Precision Fermentation and Sustainability (PreFerS) is funded by a $15 million grant from Singapore’s National Research Foundation and administered through the Illinois Advanced Research Center at Singapore Ltd., a U. of I.-affiliated non-profit organization.

Yong-Su Jin, professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, is a program lead of PreFerS.

“Singapore is a small country with no agriculture, so they are very interested in using precision fermentation for food production,” he said. “The center focuses on advancing technologies for microbial cell engineering to produce targeted nutritional molecules, including alternative proteins and vitamins. The goal is to enhance cost-effective production of safe and nutritious foods, ultimately improving food security while reducing environmental impacts.”

Specialized food product categories

In a recent publication, Jin outlined the steps necessary to bring these specialized food products to market. He highlights the core concept of minimum viable product, which indicates a product that provides value for the consumer and can be produced safely and economically.

He also introduces the precision fermentation ingredient pyramid, which comprises three tiers based on production volume, market value, and functionality.

• High-value food ingredients, the pyramid’s top tier, are traditionally obtained through plant extraction or chemical synthesis. An example of this is beta-carotene, which is used as food colorant and antioxidant. Extracting beta-carotene from carrots is inefficient and expensive. In comparison, microbial production can provide an economical, sustainable approach.

• The pyramid’s mid-tier, functional ingredients, includes products that deliver specific properties in a concentrated way. For example, ovalbumin, the main protein in egg whites, is widely used for baked goods and other food products. Precision fermentation can be a desirable way to produce functional proteins that mimic the natural product and does not rely on animal-derived ingredients.

• Commodity ingredients, the bottom tier of the pyramid, are typically inexpensive to produce with traditional methods. However, precision fermentation can be used to improve microbial production systems, for example to develop single-cell proteins as edible biomass for food ingredients. The technology is also used to produce amino acids such as lysine for animal feed and citric acid for canning.

“Most products are currently developed in the high-value category, which is a small market. My vision is to fill the whole pyramid, including commodity ingredients, within the next 10 to 20 years to obtain greater environmental impact,” Jin said.

A platform for sustainable food production

It is critical to consider consumer demand and economic potential when developing new products, he added.

“Scientists typically study fundamental technology, while consumers in the marketplace are looking for mature products,” Jin said. “But if we start with consumer input, we can ensure greater acceptance. We also need to conduct techno-economic analysis to evaluate market viability. This is a paradigm shift that is needed to advance the precision fermentation industry,” he said.

Jin is collaborating with campus facilities like IBRL and industry partners to research and develop consumer products. A novel approach to precision fermentation research and application is crucial to turning the technology into a viable platform for sustainable food production, he said.

The article, “Minimum viable products in precision fermentation: defining translational milestones for food biotechnology,” is published in Current Opinion in Biotechnology [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2026.103515].