Mic2Food
With rapid population growth, demand for food is quickly increasing and meeting protein supply requirements is becoming a global problem. Plant proteins have been proposed as alternatives to animal proteins, but their production needs big extensions of arable land and demands huge volumes of freshwater which results in considerable environmental issues. A promising solution is microbial protein for food and feed applications.
About the Action
This COST action, entitled Accelerating Innovation and Development of European Microbial Foods (Mic2Food), aims to facilitate the development of new microbial foods for the European market. Mic2Food will create a unique network with a balanced geographic distribution to tackle scientific and technological challenges to make microbial food substitutes a reality.
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What Are Microbial Foods?
Microbial foods represent a groundbreaking and sustainable approach to global food production. In this emerging field, microorganisms are grown in large bioreactors to produce entirely new food products.
While humanity has used traditional fermentation for thousands of years to make cheese, bread, and wine, the Mic2Food Action focuses on a highly promising technique called biomass fermentation. Instead of just using microbes as catalysts, this process cultures the microorganisms themselves to form a highly nutritious biomass. This biomass is then processed and formulated into appealing and healthy food products.
A pioneering example in this space is Quorn. This meat alternative was launched in the 1980s, relies on the biomass of the filamentous fungus *Fusarium venenatum*, and currently holds about 30 percent of the alternative meat market in the United Kingdom.
Why we need microbial foods?
By 2050, the global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion, making the supply of protein a critical global challenge. Traditional meat and dairy production emit enormous amounts of greenhouse gases and uses roughly 50 percent of the habitable land on Earth, which drives massive habitat loss and water pollution. While alternatives derived from plants exist, they still require massive extensions of arable land, demand huge volumes of freshwater, and often lack the taste, consistency, and essential amino acids that consumers desire.
Microbial foods overcome these planetary challenges by offering several unique advantages:
Zero Need for Arable Land
Microorganisms have evolved to metabolize a wide variety of substrates. They can be grown efficiently on industrial waste streams, such as whey, olive oil mill waste, or sawdust. This means their production facilities require no additional agricultural land.
Climate and Weather Independence
Because they are cultivated in controlled bioreactors, microbial food production is completely independent of weather, seasons, and location. This guarantees a constant and reliable food supply, which directly strengthens European food security and autonomy.
Lower Environmental Impact
Life Cycle Assessments demonstrate that microbial food production yields significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional meat products.
High Nutritional Value
Microbial foods can perfectly fulfil the macronutrient needs of the human body, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. They also provide essential micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, they can be specifically optimized to provide essential amino acids, like histidine and methionine, and vitamins, such as B12, which the human body cannot produce on its own.
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