Food synthetic biology-driven protein supply transition: From animal-derived production to microbial fermentation

• Published in: Chinese journal of chemical engineering 2021-02, Vol.30 (2), p.29-36
• Main Authors: Liu, Yanfeng, Dong, Xiaomin, Wang, Bin, Tian, Rongzhen, Li, Jianghua, Liu, Long, Du, Guocheng, Chen, Jian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Artificial food; Biotechnology; Food processing; Food synthetic biology; Protein source; Protein supply
• ISSN: 1004-9541; 2210-321X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2020.11.014

•Development of alternative food protein sources is the need of the hour.•Progress has been made for artificial bioengineered food based on synthetic biology.•Protein synthesis and production processes should be improved. Animal-derived protein production is one of the major traditional protein supply methods, which continues to face increasing challenges to satisfy global needs due to population growth, augmented individual protein consumption, and aggravated environmental pollution. Thus, ensuring a sustainable protein source is a considerable challenge. The emergence and development of food synthetic biology has enabled the establishment of cell factories that effectively synthesize proteins, which is an important way to solve the protein supply problem. This review aims to discuss the existing problems of traditional protein supply and to elucidate the feasibility of synthetic biology in the process of protein synthesis. Moreover, using artificial bioengineered milk and artificial bioengineered eggs as examples, the progress of food protein supply transition based on synthetic biology has been systematically summarized. Additionally, the future of food synthetic biology as a potential source of protein has been also discussed. By strengthening and innovating the application of food synthetic biology technologies, including genetic engineering and high-throughput screening methods, the current limitations of artificial foods for protein synthesis and production should be addressed. Therefore, the development and industrial production of new food resources should be explored to ensure safe, high-quality, and sustainable global protein supply.