Industries
Alternative proteins
What changes this industry: bio-solutions with evidence, technologies, suppliers and open money.
Overview of the industry
Protein produced without animals — precision-fermented dairy and egg proteins, mycoprotein, plant-based meat and dairy, cultivated meat and seafood. Ratings are therefore Partial or Watchlist.
Novel proteins need authorization (EU Novel Food Regulation 2015/2283; in Russia/EAEU: state registration under TR CU 021/2011 — no approval route for cultivated meat yet). The articles are overviews, not regulatory dossiers.
Covers index topics plant-based and cultivated-meat.
Articles#
| ID | Problem → alternative | Replaces | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| AP01 | Animal protein → precision-fermented whey/casein/egg proteins, mycoprotein | A share of dairy and meat protein and its chemical inputs | Partial |
| AP02 | Meat and dairy → plant-based analogues, cultivated meat and seafood | A share of conventional meat and its chemical inputs | Partial / Watchlist |
Related articles elsewhere#
- Fermentation-produced chymosin: FI05; microalgal omega-3: FI06
- Insect and single-cell protein for feed: FD02, FD06
Reviewed but SKIPPED (no proven bio-alternative)#
| Substance / use | Hazard | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Insect protein for human food | — | Approved in the EU for a few species, but consumer markets are tiny; feed use is in FD02 |
| “Air protein” (hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria) for food | — | Pilot scale only; watchlist |
What it replaces 2
| D1 | Plant-based meat and dairy analogues and cultivated (cell-cultured) meat and seafood instead of a share of conventional meat and its antibiotic, antiparasitic and feed-chain chemical inputs Replaces: A share of conventional meat, seafood and dairy — and the antibiotics, antiparasitics, feed-crop pesticides and fertilizer of the animal chain | 9 | NOVEL |
| D1 | Precision-fermentation dairy and egg proteins (whey, casein, ovalbumin) and fungal biomass protein (mycoprotein) instead of a share of antibiotic- and land-intensive animal protein Replaces: A share of conventional dairy and meat protein — and with it the antibiotics, antiparasitics, fertilizer and pesticide inputs of the animal-feed … | 6 | NOVEL |
Technologies 23
| 3D food printing & kitchen robotics Layer-by-layer extrusion of food inks, laser-fixed in place as they print, paired with vision-guided robot arms that fry, wok-stir and plate the result — … | Food & alt-protein |
| Algal protein isolates for food Chlorella, spirulina and specialty microalgae strains are being processed into functional protein isolates and pigmented ingredients for bakery, meat-analogue … | Food & alt-protein |
| Alternative proteins Plant-based and fermentation-derived protein sources designed to replicate the sensory and nutritional profiles of animal products. | Food & alt-protein |
| Biological carbon capture & utilization (bio-CCU: gas fermentation, CO2-to-protein, e-fuels) Turning captured CO2 into fuels, proteins, polymers and methanol via microbial gas fermentation, engineered microbes and algae — a carbon-utilization value … | CDR & carbon management |
| Cellular fats and cultured lipids True animal cell culture — growing adipose (fat) cells rather than fermenting a microbial host — reached a first regulatory milestone in 2025 when Mission Barns … | Food & alt-protein |
| Cultivated meat Genuine animal muscle and fat tissue grown from starter cells in bioreactors, decoupling meat from livestock while cutting the land, water and climate footprint … | Food & alt-protein |
| Cultured meat for pets Cell-cultured and precision-fermented animal proteins are entering pet food ahead of human food in several markets — the UK became the first European country to … | Food & alt-protein |
| Cultured seafood Genuine fish, crustacean and mollusc tissue grown from fish cells in bioreactors, offering sushi-grade seafood without fishing pressure on wild stocks or the … | Food & alt-protein |
| Enzymatic texture and flavor modification Enzyme cocktails replace emulsifiers in bakery, accelerate cheese and charcuterie ripening, and improve plant-based meat texture — a mature specialty-enzyme … | Food & alt-protein |
| Gas fermentation of food protein Microbial food protein grown by feeding hydrogen-oxidising bacteria a mix of hydrogen, CO2 and oxygen in gas-loop bioreactors — a land-free 'food from air' … | Food & alt-protein |
| Industrial insect farming Industrial-scale black soldier fly and mealworm farming is going through a hard correction in 2026 — a flagship European originator collapsed into insolvency … | Food & alt-protein |
| Industrial single-cell protein for feed Microbial single-cell protein grown by fermenting methane, CO2/hydrogen or side-streams into a high-protein feed ingredient that displaces fishmeal and … | Livestock & aquaculture |
| Insect protein snacks for human consumption Cricket bars, mealworm snacks, cricket pasta and chips — high-protein (~65%) insect-based snacks positioned on a fraction of the land, water and feed of … | Food & alt-protein |
| Meat hybrids (50/50 plant + meat) Conventional meat processors blending animal protein with pea, soy and chickpea isolates into 50/50 hybrid sausages, schnitzel, nuggets and meatballs — the … | Food & alt-protein |
| Microcarriers for adherent cell cultures Small (100–300 μm) suspended particles whose surface lets anchorage-dependent cells grow inside ordinary stirred-tank and single-use bioreactors — the … | Consumables |
| Molecular farming for food Genetically engineered food crops — pea, potato, soybean, tobacco — are being turned into biofactories for specific animal-identical proteins (myoglobin, … | Food & alt-protein |
| Mycoprotein and mushroom sector Fungal biomass protein (mycoprotein) and mycelium materials produced via fermentation of Fusarium, Neurospora and Trichoderma — a $4.6B market growing at 12% … | Food & alt-protein |
| Novel food approval-as-a-service (EU/UK/SG) Consultancies that carry a new food ingredient through pre-market authorisation — EFSA novel food dossiers, UK FSA filings that no longer follow the EU … | Regulatory & legal |
| Plant-based, mycoprotein & seaweed-derived seafood Plant-protein isolates, fermented mycoprotein and seaweed are extruded and 3D-structured into whole-cut and canned seafood substitutes — a route distinct from … | Aquaculture & seafood |
| Precision fermentation Genetically engineered microbes as cell factories for proteins, enzymes, HMOs and flavors — a stack from strain design to purified ingredient, at 30–50 g/L … | Food & alt-protein |
| Precision fermentation of dairy and egg proteins Recombinant whey, casein and egg-white proteins produced by engineered yeast and filamentous fungi, cutting GHG emissions 90–97% and water use 95–99% versus … | Food & alt-protein |
| Precision fermentation of fats & oils Microbially fermented fats and oils for food — high-smoke-point fermented cooking oils, microalgae EPA/DHA omega-3 oils, animal-free flavor fats for plant-based … | Food & alt-protein |
| Precision-fermented infant formula Engineered yeast and fungi now express the bioactive milk proteins — above all lactoferrin, the iron-binding 'pink gold' that is just 1 percent of whey and … | Food & alt-protein |
Opportunities 1
| Tender | Lithuania – Laboratory reagents – 9580508 Reagentai molekuliniams tyrimams su įrangos įsigijimu panaudos būdu … Lietuvos sveikatos mokslų universiteto ligoninė Kauno klinikos (PV) | Oct 12, 2026 5 days |