Good Food Institute Sees Fourth Pillar of Alt Protein Market Through Molecular Farming
Over the past few years, the Good Food Institute (GFI) has created dedicated reports for each segment, or “pillar,” of the protein market: plant-based, precision-fermented, and cultured meat/seafood. However, this week, GFI teased what it sees as the fourth pillar of the protein alternative in the form of cell culture.
Molecular farming, which GFI refers to as “plant cell farming,” is a concept that readers of The Spoon may be familiar with. It involves producing animal protein using seed plants. Genetic engineers introduce animal DNA directly into seeds, turning the resulting plants into protein factories. Once the genetically modified seeds are planted, traditional agricultural management methods can be used to grow the crops until they are ready for harvest.
This process has gained momentum in recent years, in part because of the cost savings it promises to deliver. After all, there is no more efficient way to produce calories for human consumption than to grow them in the soil, and by turning plants into small bioreactors, molecular agriculture companies can take advantage of the reduction and cost effectiveness of using traditional row crops as engines for protein production.
The addition of a fourth pillar to the alternative protein market comes as cell culture gains momentum. Earlier this month, cell farming pioneer Moolec announced that its safflower plants had been cleared by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which poses no greater risk of plant pests than non-genetically engineered safflower plants. Through its former parent company, Bioceres, Moolec has the ability to produce proteins such as chymosin (an enzyme used in cheese) using safflower plants. The USDA approval comes just months after Moolec became the first molecular agriculture company to go public in early 2023 with a SPAC vehicle.
Bioengineered ingredients specialist Motif Foodworks announced earlier this year that they are branching out into molecular farming in partnership with IngredientWerks. IngredientWerks will help Motif produce its Hemami ingredient, an ingredient similar to myoglobin in meat, using corn plants. Previously, Motif used precision fermentation techniques to produce Hemami.
According to GFI, there are currently 12 companies worldwide using this technology to grow a variety of products, including casein and lactoferrin (Forte Protein and Greenovation Protein), animal-free milk proteins for cheese, ice cream, and yogurt (Miruku, Mozza, and Nobel Foods), plant-based meat growth factors (Tiamet Sciences and Bright Biotech), and more.
Interestingly, GFI notes that there are currently no other protein startups in the Asia-Pacific region using cell culture, with only one startup (Miruku) in the broader APAC region (New Zealand). Given the concentration of other proteins in many Asian countries, this situation is likely to change soon (one can almost hear the frantic typing of PowerPoint pitch decks while reading this post).
You can find GFI state of the industry reports – including the molecular farming fact sheet – on this page for free to download after registration.
