by David Omale,

Biomass fermentation describes the efficient production of large amounts of protein-rich foods
by taking advantage of the rapid growth of microorganisms. It is a viable method used in
producing meat alternatives as a cluster of microbial cells like filamentous fungi end up
becoming the major ingredient and the final product (GFI, 2022; Alternative Proteins
Fundamental Programme, 2022). This microbial made protein is also known as bioprotein,
protein biomass, or single cell protein (SCP), although filamentous algae and fungi may be
multicellular (Jach et al., 2022).
Many of the organisms used in making whole cell biomass are incredibly high in protein content,
with most of the organisms having a protein content of more than 50 percent by dry weight and
provides a healthy balance of essential amino acids, which is more than half that found in
conventional meat (Ritala et al., 2017; GFI, 2022a). The microbial biomass itself can serve as
an ingredient with the cells intact and used as whole cell preparations or the cell wall may be
broken down to make the protein more accessible to improve digestibility or to enrich
ingredients for even higher protein content. Microbial biomass can be the main ingredient of a
food product or serve as one of several primary ingredients in a blend. Biomass fermentation
companies have a focus on developing ingredients and inputs for use in alternative protein end
products. Some of them include Yeap, which uses spent yeast from industrial processes to
produce proteins, Meati which uses filamentous fungi to make whole-cut steak and chicken
products and Smallfood which uses microalgae innovations relevant to protein production
(Ritala et al., 2017; GFI, 2022b)
Mycelium, microalgae, microbes, and fermented plant proteins can through biomass
fermentation, provide the sensory experiences, nutritional quality and also reproduce the taste
and consistency of animal products without undesirable substances, such as cholesterol,
antibiotics, and hormones (GFI, 2022; Matassa et al., 2022). Mycoprotein is popularly produced
from fungi like A. bisporus, P. ostreatus, and L. edodes, with protein content of 48%, 33% and
20% respectively. Mycelial proteins have the advantage of containing all essential amino acids
The nutritional microbial protein value is determined by amino acid composition. The mainly 8
exogenous essential amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, lysine, phenylalanine, methionine and
threonine, tryptophan, and valine that are not synthesized by humans but whole cell biomass
from yeast makes it a good source of dietary protein, as it contains a complete set of essential
amino acids with high bioavailability for humans and animals (Jach et al.., 2022).
Mushrooms particularly those made from Pluerotus ostreatus and Pluerotus tuberregium are the
most familiar and widely produced meat like protein in Nigeria (Okhuoya, 2010), obtained
through biomass fermentation, yet it doesn’t widely appeal to the Nigerian palette like
conventional meat does. Newer forms of Mycoproteins obtained through the biomass
fermentation process use the mycelium of the fungus to make meat-like proteins that can
provide the same taste and texture of animal meat, low calorific values and health promoting
metabolites after undergoing certain processes. The use of lifecycle analysis and energy use
efficiency makes their production contribute very little to global emissions in comparison to
animal meat farming as they can be produced in a controlled environment without being
susceptible to the threat of flood and drought. Increasing demands for sustainable sources of
meat proteins has made it imperative to invest time, energy and resources in education and
research to take advantage of these benefits (Berger, 2022).
Given the advantages biomass fermentation presents to providing meat like proteins as a
sustainable source, there are still certain bottlenecks that need to be overcome in order to
secure the food supply of Nigeria in decades. One of them is the production of biomass
fermented alt meat from a limited number of microbial species with feed grade waste like
domestic sewage and other agricultural wastes. Also, the cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin as
natural wood wastes are inexpensive or cost-free and are easily accessible sources for protein
production, but they must be pretreated enzymatically to make it degradable by microbes ( Iram
et al., 2020; Jach et al., 2022). Also, while algae generally have low nucleic acid content, the
rapidly proliferating bacterial and fungal species have high nucleic acid (RNA) content which
with high contents of nucleic acids could cause serious problem such as gout for individuals
who have dysfunction in purine metabolism which could lead to increased uric acid
concentrations in plasma, hence prior to consumption, yeast SCP biomass needs a reduced
number of nucleic acids to 1% so it can be considered as having the acceptable level of nucleic
acids for use as feed or food. This reduction can be done by chemical treatment with NaOH,
thermal shock and introduction of Ribonucleases (Ritala et al., 2017; Jach et al., 2022).
By 2050, the world would need to produce 1,250 million tonnes of meat and dairy per year to
meet global demand for animal-derived protein at current consumption levels (Ritala et al.,
2017). In African countries where people consume as low as 10 kg meat per person a year,
there is a protein source deficiency which is beginning to be a public health problem. Therefore,
one of the world’s most pressing challenge is the production of easily accessible protein
products in such a way that they do not have a negative influence on life, especially since
people from advanced countries are increasingly becoming interested in consuming healthier
food with the complete amino acids and quality fat, produced in an environmentally friendly
manner (Jach et al., 2022).
References
GFI. (2022a). The Science of Fermentation. Retrieved on October 8, 2022 from
https://gfi.org/science/the-science-of-fermentation/
GFI. (2022b). The State of the Industry Report: Fermentation. Retrieved on October 8, 2022
from https://gfi.org/resource/fermentation-state-of-the-industry-report/
Alternative Protein Fundamentals Programme. (n.d.). Technical track. Alternative Protein
Fundamentals
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of
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