Precision fermentation: the technology that could transform our food system

Microbes have long helped us make fermented foods like yoghurt, sauerkraut and alcoholic drinks. Now, a high-tech version of fermentation can create foods that are exactly the same as animal products – just without the animals.

You might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Haven’t we been fermenting foods for ages? Yes, our ancestors figured out that microorganisms like yeast can transform and preserve food. Often the fermented ingredients create richer flavours and can bring nutritional benefits, like promoting our gut health. 

As the name suggests, precision fermentation is much more targeted. Although there is no official definition, it tends to focus on making specific ingredients in a highly controlled way.

What does that mean? Well, recent advances show it’s now possible to recreate ingredients associated with animals, but without the need to farm animals. That’s right – we’re talking about the exact same proteins and fats, not just imitations. Think milk that’s chemically identical to the milk produced by cows. Or egg proteins made without a chicken laying a single egg. This article will look at how precision fermentation works and what this could mean for the future of our food system. 

The science of precision fermentation 

Ever wondered why sauerkraut, or sourdough starters, tend to be made in containers with lids? It’s because fermentation happens when oxygen is shut out. Without oxygen, microbes feed on sugars, breaking them down into smaller, often more flavourful molecules. Some gases are released during fermentation, so cooks might allow some air flow, or occasionally lift the lid to “burp” the food. Otherwise pressure can build up – leading to a messy explosion!

To see how precision fermentation differs from the traditional kind, let’s look at an example from beer brewing.

When people make beer, they mix malted barley with warm water to create a sweet liquid called wort. The wort is boiled with hops, which add taste and aroma, then cooled. Yeast – which is a tiny fungus – is added to the mix, and it feeds (ferments) the sugars into alcohol and flavour. After fermentation, the beer is filtered and carbonated, then it’s ready to drink. 

In precision fermentation, things get far more targeted. Imagine you only wanted to make the oily liquid that gives some beers their banana-like aroma: isoamyl acetate. Scientists can now “programme” yeast to focus solely on producing that molecule, then extract it from the mix. The result is a pure flavour ingredient that can be added to other foods.¹

Precision fermentation in three steps:

1. Microorganisms are programmed to produce a specific ingredient by altering their genes.
2. They’re fed on sugars in a warm fermenter, where oxygen is shut out.
3. The target ingredient is extracted from the mixture. It is then purified, and used to create foods, or added to other products.

Although it sounds futuristic, precise forms of fermentation are already used in some foods. You’ve maybe eaten one already – cheese. Traditionally, the active ingredient rennet, used to separate milk into solids (curds) from liquid (whey), was taken from animal stomachs. Today, many commercially available cheeses use vegetarian rennet, produced by fermenting microbes in a lab, allowing large-scale production.² Some traditional cheeses protected by the EU’s geographical labelling still require the use of animal rennet – for instance Parmaggiano Regiano, Gorgonzola and Gruyère.³

Why does precision fermentation matter for the future of food?

The way we produce and consume food is closely tied to global challenges we face today. Here are three big ones:

1. Planet: meat, fish, and other animal products have a large environmental footprint. Cattle farming, for example, requires vast amounts of land, water, and feed, and produces significant greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Health: diet-related diseases are on the rise in Europe and other developed regions. Eating too much processed or red meat has been linked to health issues such as bowel cancer. Giving shoppers more choice to buy affordable, healthy protein products could help. 
3. Resilience: we have seen supply chains disrupted in recent years, due to extreme weather, conflicts and the pandemic. Food prices can rise sharply – especially for meat and dairy products. Developing new ways of producing food could make our food system stronger.

Part of the solution to these challenges is to widen the range of healthy, affordable protein alternatives. Plant-based proteins, including those made through fermentation technologies, can be part of this future.

A big reason food companies are excited about this technology today is that costs have come down. That’s making it feasible to produce a wider range of ingredients with greater efficiency.⁴

Take egg whites, for example. Scientists have found a way to make their main protein, ovalbumin, without involving chickens. They take microbes and give them instructions by adding a gene. Within a fermenter, these microbes feed on sugar – converting it into the same protein found in real eggs.

Tofu and tempeh are examples of plant-based proteins that we can already use in our kitchens as a substitute for meat. They are created using traditional fermentation, the type that’s been around for thousands of years. Recently, a growing number of companies are using advanced forms of standard fermentation to make something called mycoprotein, known for its “meaty” tastes and textures. The most common variety comes from a fungus called Fusarium venenatum – you may have eaten it in vegan burgers, sausages, and steaks.

Looking to the future, precision fermentation can complement these existing techniques. It can create specific nutrients like “heme”, an easily digested source of iron, or to replicate the rich, savoury “umami” flavours that give meat its depth.⁵ These new fermented ingredients can make plant-based foods more appealing to people who still crave the taste of meat but want to cut back for environmental or health reasons.

In the next few years, products that include small amounts of these novel substances are likely to be much more common than items like meat steaks made with 100% precision fermented ingredients. That’s because of the price. In 2025, it costs €2–€13 to produce 1kg of traditional protein, while it typically costs ten times more to produce the same amount using novel protein technologies.⁶ Prices can drop significantly with investment.  

This isn’t about replacing meat entirely – it’s about expanding our options. By adding new, sustainable ways to produce familiar ingredients, precision fermentation could help make the global food system more resilient.

Where can I buy these products?

Products made with precision fermentation ingredients are already on the market in the US and Singapore.⁷

In Europe, however, new foods made using precision fermentation are classed as “Novel Foods”. This means they can’t be sold until they’ve gone through a rigorous safety approval process.

Not scared off by the paperwork, a growing number of European companies are developing precision fermentation products. Politicians have also sensed the opportunity. The Netherlands, the UK, and Catalonia (Spain) have all launched research and development programmes to support it.⁵

By the end of 2024, there were 165 fermentation companies worldwide focused exclusively or predominantly on proteins.⁹

Are there any concerns with precision fermentation?

When new technologies come along, it’s natural for people to feel cautious – especially when it comes to food. What we eat is deeply tied to our health and wellbeing, and our opinions are also shaped by our traditions and identities.

A 2024 study of European consumers found that around half said they’d be willing to try foods made with precision fermentation.¹⁰ In other words, opinions are still divided. For many, taste, texture, and appearance will be key to whether these products catch on.

When it comes to safety, most potential risks – such as microbiological or chemical hazards during production – are already well understood.¹¹ Food authorities apply the same strict checks used for other foods, with particular attention to how genetic engineering is used in manufacturing.

What happens next?

Precision fermentation is just one part of a new wave of food biotechnologies reshaping how we grow and make food. These include:

• New plant breeding techniques that create crops more resilient to disease and climate change.
• Novel flavours made with enzymes – these natural proteins speed up chemical reactions. Scientists can use them to enhance or even create new flavours. For example, they can turn milk sugar into a sweeter taste or develop rich flavours like those found in soy sauce.
• Cultivated meat, which is biologically identical to conventional meat but grown directly from animal cells in a lab.

In 2025, the European Union proposed a “Biotech Act” aimed at boosting Europe’s biotechnology sector.¹³The plan is to support innovators, simplify the regulations, and attract more investment into emerging food technologies.

If the EU plan is adopted in 2026, it could soon become much easier for companies to gain approval to sell precision-fermented and other biotech foods in Europe – meaning they might be coming to supermarkets near you soon.

However, people still have genuine concerns. Some Europeans worry that the benefits of biotechnology could flow mainly to large corporations, leaving smaller farmers and consumers behind.

That’s why it’s vital to keep the conversation open – to discuss how these innovations might reshape our food system, and to make sure the voices of farmers, shoppers, nutritionists and other health professionals are heard.

Old wisdom, new possibilities

Fermentation may sound like a futuristic technology, but its roots go back thousands of years. Microbes have always helped us to make and store food – now, they might help us reimagine it. Precision fermentation isn’t the only answer to our global food challenges, but it could play an important part in building a healthier, more sustainable future for everyone.