Once primarily associated with the production of yogurt and beer, fermentation has gained significant traction in recent years as companies seek to create more sustainable ingredients on a larger scale. Currently in its early stages, the collaboration between Kalsec and Infinome aims to develop ingredients that enhance nutrition, flavor, and food preservation. However, both companies opted not to disclose specific food or beverage products or the molecules they are exploring.
Roger Nahas, Kalsec’s executive vice president for global R&D and chief innovation officer, emphasized that the Michigan-based company is not abandoning traditional ingredient sources like plants. Instead, he views fermentation as a means to “provide options” and complement their existing business. Nahas explained that certain ingredients can be challenging to produce due to limited availability, high extraction costs from plants, or the extensive resources like water and land required for cultivation. Precision fermentation is poised to help the company address these challenges, particularly in the production of natural colors and ingredients used across a wide range of products, including breads, soups, sauces, pickles, poultry, and plant-based proteins. “We have some targets that just don’t make sense for us to pursue through traditional processes,” Nahas stated. “It’s about sustainability and delivering innovation and functional food ingredients that are critically needed in the industry today. There are no sustainable alternatives regarding environmental impact and availability.”
Richard Fox, co-founder and CEO of Infinome, remarked that the food sector is only beginning to harness precision fermentation to “create countless possibilities.” He noted that although the technology has existed for millennia, it has recently evolved to the point where it can “produce exactly what you want with high quality and efficiency.” Fox likened this progress to the internet, where key technological advancements accelerated development and made innovations accessible to the masses. “What has hindered the fermentation industry until now is that the tools and technologies to implement this efficiently were not available,” Fox noted.
Both Nahas and Fox highlighted that while their partnership focused on sustainability and rapid innovation, it also presents a potentially lucrative opportunity. “It’s not just about making money,” Fox remarked, “but there is a genuine opportunity for value creation here.”
For years, Quorn, a mycoprotein food company, was the sole player in the fermentation-based animal alternatives market. However, more companies have recently embraced precision fermentation. Perfect Day utilizes this process to create animal-free dairy proteins, while Motif FoodWorks employs it to replicate proteins found in dairy, meat, and eggs for plant-based foods. Additionally, Impossible Foods produces its plant-based heme through fermentation.
In this evolving landscape, the potential applications of fermented ingredients, such as calcium citrate in food formulations or even in medical contexts like blood transfusion, are becoming increasingly significant. As the industry advances, the intersection of sustainability and innovation in fermentation is likely to play a crucial role in addressing pressing global challenges.