Biomass fermentation: collaborating to realise its potential

Sustainable, long-term food solutions are more vital than ever with the United Nations (UN) projecting the world population will increase to around 10.9 billion by 2100¹ from its current approximately 8.2 billion. When you combine rapid population growth with climate change, a lack of food supplies and increased demand, it is critical that food manufacturers and industry players explore new techniques and alternative ways to feed the planet. Though 2100 may feel distant, the concern is far more immediate.  

Feeding the future global population, published in Nature Communications,² highlights the obstacles ahead: “Achieving global food security sustainably will not be easy given that the UN estimates the human population will reach 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050. While the overall population growth rate is estimated to be slowing, it is nonetheless projected to remain high in several regions of Africa and Asia, including areas already at risk of food insecurity.” Meanwhile, the effects of climate change will continue to create new challenges for global agriculture. Producers today are therefore looking to new food technologies to help close the projected gap in the global food supply.  

Could fermentation be the answer? 

Many studies show that fermentation³ is an efficient means of providing nutritional food options to help solve the dual problems of food waste and the food crisis.⁴ The biomass fermentation market⁵ is expected to grow from $1.2 billion (2024) to $9.33 billion by 2035, representing a 20.4 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR). 

Given this huge growth potential, MISTA, a Givaudan entity and leading global food innovation platform, recently focused on the subject of biomass fermentation in its 2024 MISTA Growth Hack.⁶ In November 2024, experts from across the corporate global food system – 14 early-stage food-tech startups and eight leading international food companies – collaborated to co-create delicious, nutritious and sustainable ingredients and foods. Blending their expertise and deep industry knowledge, they reimagined the products of the future, enabling them to address some of the most urgent food sector challenges. 

What is biomass fermentation?  

There are three types of fermentation:  

• Biomass fermentation (growing a microorganism for its own sake) 

• Precision fermentation (leveraging fermentation to produce a specific molecule of interest) 

• Traditional fermentation (such as making beer, yoghurt or bread). 

The Good Food Institute (GFI) describes biomass fermentation as follows: “Biomass fermentation uses the high-protein content and rapid growth of microorganisms to efficiently make large amounts of protein-rich food. In this application, the microorganisms that reproduce through this process are themselves ingredients for alternative proteins. For example, Quorn grows filamentous fungi via fermentation to use as the primary ingredient in [its] products.” When industry players seek to address the food crisis, biomass fermentation may be the key to shaping the food landscape in 2025 and beyond.  

Fermentation technologies 

According to the GFI’s 2023 State of the Industry Report: Fermentation, ⁷ 158 fermentation companies focused exclusively or predominantly on alternative proteins at the end of 2023. Further to this, 50 percent of these organisations concentrated on biomass fermentation technology. In 2023 alone, $515 million was invested in companies focused on fermentation for alternative proteins. 

There are many benefits of biomass fermentation processes. The ability to grow microbial cells in fermentation tanks or in solid state systems means they can be produced consistently in a matter of days, anywhere and anytime. All that is required are a vessel, power and basic nutrients consisting of simple carbon feedstocks like sugar, CO2 or food sidestreams, some nitrogen to enable the cells to produce proteins and some trace elements. This straightforward method can unlock localised food production, reducing the fluctuation of seasons and eliminating the risk of contaminants (pesticides, antibiotics, antinutritional compounds, etc.) Additionally, the end product can be consumed in its entirety, without the need to separate out the producing organism, thus reducing the cost of harvesting the food product.  

The future of food: biotechnology  

Why is biomass fermentation important for our food future? Global food security is a huge issue. Manufacturers need longer-term solutions and technologies to be able to produce more sustainable, nutritious foods at scale. 

Biotechnology is central to delivering this, providing integrated options with biomass ingredients, helping industry players to produce food applications, formulas and products, and ensuring the availability of desirable foods for today’s consumers. By focusing on biomass fermentation, food producers can help accelerate the future food system transformation.  

Fermentation products/outputs

Examples of biomass fermentation ingredients are yeasts, microalgae, fungi or mycelium and bacteria. Some plants can also be grown as individual cells in a fermenter, and in the future, precision fermentation side streams could also be repurposed as food ingredients. 

Opportunities and challenges  

Biomass fermentation ingredients can be produced in bulk, at a price point that is already compatible with widespread food uses. They are also nutritious and functional, with increased sustainability and upcycling potential. Some of the challenges include product variability, sensory obstacles and regulatory hurdles. However, given that they represent a novel prospect and are not drop-in replacements of existing ingredients, the food industry must come together to explore, understand and integrate these new solutions into delicious food products that are accepted from a regulatory standpoint. 

The 2024 MISTA Growth Hack  

This programme focused on the opportunities created with biomass fermentation including mycelium, microalgae and yeast as ingredients. It aimed to raise the bar in the food technology space, rethinking food solutions for the future. The 2024 cohort for the MISTA Growth Hack consisted of 14 leading startups from across the globe: Arborea, CaliforniaCultured, Calysta, EQUII, Ingrediome, MOA Foodtech, Nutrition From Water, Revyve, Sempera Organics, Solar Foods, Solmeyea, Superbrewed Foods, The Better Meat Company and The Protein Brewery. 

Each startup anchored a technical team to develop a food or beverage prototype highlighting the benefits of their hero ingredients in concrete and delicious applications. Each technical team featured a unique mix of experts from several large corporate MISTA members, including: AAK, Buhler, CJ CheilJedang, Danone, Givaudan, Ingredion, JPG Resources and SIG.  

These teams worked to combine their individual companies’ knowledge and solution sets into a unique proposition of integration and collaboration, designed to disrupt conventional development processes. This is a first of its kind feat, uniting key parties and technical players to work their magic in the biomass fermentation arena. To address the urgent industry challenges, we must work together in a new and collaborative manner. The MISTA Growth Hack culminated in a two-day event in San Francisco on 19-20 November, 2024.  

“MISTA’s cross-value chain ecosystem is curated to connect innovators and opportunities, delivering new potential to evolve people, teams and companies,” said Scott May, Head of MISTA. “The MISTA Growth Hack demonstrates how we collaborate to bring the largest players in the food system together with an amazing array of early-stage companies, bringing new ingredients and technologies to life. The experiences and reflections emerging from the MISTA Growth Hack transform how we integrate these new ingredients and technologies to deliver solutions that nourish and delight people and the planet.” 

About MISTA 

MISTA’s mission is to transform the global food system to meet the needs of the future…an abundant future that nourishes and delights people and planet. We are a global nodal network and innovation platform consisting of members ranging from large, established companies to new food technology start-ups. We practice curated collaboration by bringing companies together in a trust-based ecosystem to work in new ways, inspiring innovative, regenerative solutions that accelerate the changes required to solve challenges facing our global food system. For more information go to www.mistafood.com. 

About Givaudan

Givaudan is a global leader in Fragrance & Beauty and Taste & Wellbeing. We celebrate the beauty of human experience by creating for happier, healthier lives with love for nature. Together with our customers we deliver food experiences, craft inspired fragrances and develop beauty and wellbeing solutions that make people look and feel good. In 2023, Givaudan employed 16,260 people worldwide and achieved CHF 6.9 billion in sales with a free cash flow of 13.3 percent. With a heritage that stretches back over 250 years, we are committed to driving long-term, purpose-led growth by improving people’s health and happiness and increasing our positive impact on nature. This is Givaudan. Human by nature. Discover more at www.givaudan.com. 

About the author

Céline Schiff-Deb has been working for over 20 years at the interface of science and business, translating biotech innovations into relevant commercial products in the areas of food, feed, ag and cosmetics. She is currently the CSO at MISTA, a multi-dimensional food innovation platform. Previously, she led Product Innovation for multiple biotech platforms, including Solazyme (microalgae oils) and Calysta (microbial proteins) and was advising biotech companies in France. Céline is an agronomist by training and has a PhD in plant molecular biology.

REFERENCES 

1. United Nations. World Population Day [Internet]. United Nations. 2022. Available from: https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-population-day 
2. ‌Feeding the future global population. Nature Communications [Internet]. 2024 Jan 3;15(1):222. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-44588-y 
3. ‌Good food institute. The science of fermentation (2021) | GFI [Internet]. gfi.org. 2024. Available from: https://gfi.org/science/the-science-of-fermentation/ 
4. ‌Wheeler H. How Fermentation Can Help in the Fight Against Food Waste [Internet]. Earth.org. 2024. Available from: https://earth.org/fermented-future-tackling-food-waste-and-climate-change-one-jar-at-a-time/ 
5. ‌Pranjal. Biomass Fermentation Market Size & Share Report, 2035 [Internet]. Rootsanalysis.com. Roots Analysis; 2023 [cited 2025 Feb 19]. Available from: https://www.rootsanalysis.com/biomass-fermentation-market 
6. ‌“Biomass fermentation” chosen as the central focus of MISTA’s second annual Growth Hack | Givaudan [Internet]. Givaudan.com. 2024 [cited 2025 Feb 19]. Available from: https://www.givaudan.com/media/trade-media/2024/mistas-second-annual-growth-hack 
7. ‌Fermentation | State of the Industry Report | GFI [Internet]. gfi.org. Available from: https://gfi.org/resource/fermentation-state-of-the-industry-report/