Microbial food: microorganisms repurposed for our food

Abstract

Sustainable food production is a key to solve complicated and intertwined issues of overpopulation, climate change, environment and sustainability. Microorganisms, which have been routinely consumed as a part of fermented foods and more recently as probiotic dietary supplements, can be repurposed for our food to present a sustainable solution to current food production system. This paper begins with three snapshots of our future life with microbial foods. Next, the importance, possible forms, and raw materials (i.e. microorganisms and their carbon and energy sources) of microbial foods are discussed. In addition, the production strategies, further applications and current limitations of microbial foods are discussed.

Microbial biotechnology to assure national security of supplies of essential resources: energy, food and water, medical reagents, waste disposal and a circular economy

“…There is a growing number of options for the production of microbial dietary protein (Choi et al ., 2022 ). Autotrophic microbes are of course at the base of many food webs, so their serving directly as food for us is a very natural solution.…”

Harnessing bioengineered microbes as a versatile platform for space nutrition

“…Microorganisms require comparatively fewer inputs, double their biomass more rapidly, and are generally more amenable to bioengineering interventions, all of which are critical advantages that justify developing them as food-production systems. Also, besides being consumed in food and beverages like bread, yogurt, cheese, beer, and wine for millennia and, more recently, as dietary probiotics, microorganisms are increasingly used to produce food additives and are considered a sustainable food source for the future 11 – 13 . If microorganisms can be grown on available or waste carbon and nitrogen to produce appealing and nutritious food, then they can not only extend the duration of extraterrestrial human operations but also decrease the environmental impact of current Earth-based agriculture.…”

“…The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a food-grade microorganism with thousands of years of usage in baking, brewing, and winemaking 14 . Yeast cells are a nutritious food source and have the potential to form a more significant part of a human’s diet, as they have a macronutrient profile similar to soy flour, with ~40.4% protein, ~34.6% carbohydrates, ~1.5% lipids, and ~13 kJ per gram of dry cell weight 11 , 13 . The amino acid profile of yeast proteins is also suitable for human nutrition, containing all the essential amino acids that humans cannot produce and must obtain from dietary sources (i.e., histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine) 15 .…”

Dynamical behaviour of single photobioreactor with variable yield coefficient

“…Recently, researchers have been attracted to the development and study of mathematical models to meet the demand for microbial products such as fermented food products, biofuel, cosmetics, medicines, vitamins, antibiotics, and food supplements [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. A continuous closed stirred photobioreactor, also known as a chemostat, is an experimental tool that is used to study for better understanding the mechanism of microbial growth of some microorganisms.…”