Precision fermentation is about to explode. Partnerships are popping up everywhere with the big promise of producing “value-added ingredients” in a “less resource-intensive manner.”
Say what? “Precision fermentation is a form of fermentation that uses microorganisms as production factories in order to produce specific ingredients.” Foods and ingredients produced using this method include vegan food coloring, plant-based dairy, and lactoferrin (which is found in breast milk).
The big players: Danone, Unilever, Grupo Bimbo, FrieslandCampina, and Kalsec have all invested in precision fermentation.
Danone has partnered with Michelin; DMC Technologies, a U.S. startup; and Crédit Agricole, a French banking group, to create a huge platform for this production method. The Biotech Open Platform is located in Clermont-Ferrand, France, with the goal of producing through precision fermentation on a large scale.
Soundbite: “From [a] manufacturer standpoint, [the] main challenges in this field are linked to [the] ingredient quantity needed to reach a proper proof of concept to validate its functionality and how we get confidence in the scale up of the ingredient.” — Danone spokesperson
Meanwhile, Unilever is working with Every Co., a California-based startup, to replace the egg ingredients in The Vegetarian Butcher’s plant-based meat products.
Grupo Bimbo is using precision-fermented sweet proteins in its baked food products.
Fast fact: Markets and Markets estimates growth of precision fermentation to $36.3B by 2030. This is a compounded annual growth rate of 44%!
What does it mean for corn? Earlier this summer, the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Tech Hub (iFAB) received a $51M federal grant to study new uses for Illinois corn and other crops. The lab is turning corn dextrose into hemoglobin, which mimics blood in fake meat. It’s also making oil by fermenting grains.
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Congress to EPA: What’s Your BEEF with Meat Packers?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering new regulations that take aim at meat and poultry processors.
And some members of Congress have a BEEF with the EPA’s proposals.
The proposed rules: In late January, the EPA released the details of its proposed “Clean Water Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Meat and Poultry Products Point source category.”
Huh?
Basically, the EPA formally published its proposals to combat wastewater contaminants that come from slaughterhouses.
Okay… that makes more sense.
At the heart of the rules proposal is a concern from environmental groups about nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants that originate from slaughterhouses. In some cases, the wastewater goes directly into waterways. In other cases, the water goes to municipal wastewater treatment facilities.
But not everyone is on board with the EPA’s suggestions…
Congress responds: Last week, two U.S. representatives—Eric Burlison (MO) and Ron Estes (KS)—pushed back against the EPA and introduced the “Banning EPA’s Encroachment of Facilities (BEEF) Act.” If passed and signed by President Biden, the law would prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the rule.
According to the lawmakers, the proposed rules place undue burden on small processors—costs that can be absorbed by larger companies.
Soundbite: “The… proposed regulation isn’t just an attack on family-run small businesses, it’s an attack on rural communities,” said Burlison. “These meat and poultry processors are the lifeblood of our communities. The BEEF Act… lets these hardworking Americans do what they do best, produce safe, affordable food for our families.”
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