Alternative Protein Solutions Database
Discover ideas for new startups, commercial ventures and products, research projects, ecosystem support, and investment opportunities for plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-derived proteins.
Additional Filters
Cultivated
Fermentation
Plant-Based
| Opportunity | Production platform | Value chain segment | Technology sector | End product focus | Relevant actor | Maturity level | Solution category | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Directed evolution using Raman activated cell sorting
The combination of flow cytometry—which allows single cell analysis and sorting—with Raman spectroscopy—which allows crude biochemical analysis of cells—can be used to develop new strains of microorganisms with enriched protein,… |
Fermentation
|
R&D | Host strain development | Species-agnostic | Academics Industry Startups | Research | Science | |
|
Consumer and sensory research to guide alternative fish R&D
Consumer and sensory research can help companies and academic researchers better understand seafood consumers’ needs and desires. Understanding consumers’ needs will allow alternative fish researchers to ask and prioritize the… |
Cultivated
Fermentation
Plant-Based
|
End Products | End product formulation & manufacturing | Seafood | Academics Industry Startups | Commercial Research | Science | |
|
Catalog of animal meat flavors
Creating a catalog of molecules responsible for the characteristic flavor of a species will enable alternative protein product manufacturers to create products that more accurately replicate the sensory experience of… |
Cultivated
Fermentation
Plant-Based
|
End Products Production R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Crop development End product formulation & manufacturing Ingredient optimization Target molecule selection | Seafood-relevant | Academics GFI Industry NGO’s Startups | Commercial Ecosystem Research | Industry Science | |
|
Synergistic climate and biodiversity benefits of alternative proteins
The direct climate and biodiversity benefits of alternative proteins are well understood by the alternative protein community, but the synergistic benefits of alternative proteins with other solutions—for example, clean energy… |
Cultivated
Fermentation
Plant-Based
|
Demand Generation Investment | Seafood-relevant | Academics Donors GFI Industry Investors NGO’s Policymakers Startups | Ecosystem | |||
|
Cultivated, fermentation-derived, or hybrid surimi
There has been little publicly announced R&D and commercial effort to develop cultivated, fermentation-derived, or hybrid surimi. Compared to other meat products, surimi is likely to be by far one… |
Cultivated
Fermentation
|
End Products | End product formulation & manufacturing Target molecule selection | Seafood | Industry Investors Startups | Commercial Research | Science | |
|
Optimizing fat profiles for nutritional and sensory properties
Because alternative meat’s fat content and fatty acid profile can be more easily controlled than conventional meat’s, there is an opportunity to alter fat content for nutritional benefits. Additional research… |
Cultivated
Fermentation
Plant-Based
|
End Products Production R&D | Cell culture media End product formulation & manufacturing Target molecule selection | Seafood-relevant | Academics Industry Startups | Commercial Research | Science | |
|
Consumer education on the food safety of cultivated meat
Consumer education on the food safety of cultivated meat can positively impact consumer acceptance when sufficient information is provided. Additional research and efforts to increase transparent science communication on the… |
Cultivated
Fermentation
|
Demand Generation End Products | Species-agnostic | Academics GFI Industry NGO’s Startups | Ecosystem | Science | ||
|
Hybrid products to optimize nutrition, taste, cost, and sustainability
Hybrid products are a promising means to introduce cost-competitive versions of cultivated meat to the market while improving the taste of plant proteins. Promoting the health benefits of hybrids may… |
Cultivated
Fermentation
Plant-Based
|
Demand Generation End Products Production R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | End product formulation & manufacturing Ingredient optimization | Species-agnostic | Academics Industry Investors Startups | Commercial | Industry Science | |
|
Scientist / engineer outreach and education
To expand the technical talent pipeline, various players in the alternative protein field should reach out to scientists and engineers in relevant disciplines (e.g., biotech, biopharma, and food science) to… |
Cultivated
Fermentation
Plant-Based
|
Workforce | Species-agnostic | Academics Donors GFI Industry NGO’s Policymakers Startups | Ecosystem | |||
|
Life Cycle Assessment for alternative seafood relative to conventional fishing and aquaculture
To date, no robust environmental assessments have been conducted to compare alternative seafood to its conventional counterparts. An open-access, quantitative analysis of the relative environmental impacts of alternative seafood will… |
Cultivated
Fermentation
Plant-Based
|
Demand Generation Distribution Channels End Products Investment Production R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Seafood | Academics GFI Industry | Research | Science |
Get involved
If you’d like to fund a research project, work on any of these solutions, share information about related efforts that are already underway, or elevate new ideas for advancing the alternative protein industry, we’d love to hear from you!
Explore key innovation priorities
Review commercial whitespaces, research gaps, technological needs, and investment priorities at each stage of the alternative protein value chain.
How we built this
Full report
Delve into the full report on the motivation, methodology, rationale, and key findings and recommendations of the Solutions initiative.
Futures wheels analysis
Explore our framework for uncovering second-order or third-order consequences and implications of hypothetical future scenarios to support better decision-making in the present.
Future-proofing
Discover key findings from GFI’s premortem analysis of potential threats to the widespread adoption of alternative proteins, including strategies to avoid or mitigate the most pressing risks.