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.
Cultivated
Fermentation
Plant-Based
| Opportunity | Production platform | Value chain segment | Technology sector | End product focus | Relevant actor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
B2B growth factors for proliferation
There is a need for a supplier of low-cost growth factors produced without the use of animals to support the proliferation phase of cultivated meat production. The cost of growth… |
Cultivated
Fermentation
|
Production R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Bioprocess design Cell culture media | Seafood-relevant Species-agnostic | Academics Industry Startups |
|
Understanding uptake and interconversion of omega-3 fatty acids by cultivated fish cells
Although fish are one of the best dietary sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (FAs), these compounds are mostly bioaccumulated from a fish’s diet rather than synthesized de novo. Consistent… |
Cultivated
|
R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Cell culture media Cell line development Host strain development | Seafood Seafood-relevant | Academics Industry Startups |
|
Forging product development partnerships among ingredient suppliers and manufacturers
Opportunities exist to coordinate product development partnerships between ingredient suppliers, strategic partners, and product manufacturers to directly engage more holistically on product formulation. |
Cultivated
Fermentation
Plant-Based
|
End Products Production Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Cell culture media Crop development Feedstocks Ingredient optimization Scaffolding | Species-agnostic | GFI Industry |
|
Species-specific research toolkits for cultivated meat-relevant species
Coordinated efforts to develop standardized, comprehensive research toolkits of meat-relevant species would exponentially accelerate cultivated meat research. |
Cultivated
|
Compliance R&D | Cell culture media Cell line development End product formulation & manufacturing | Seafood-relevant | Academics GFI Industry NGO’s Startups |
|
Systematic investigation of growth factor needs and effects
Open-access research into growth factors required for proliferation, maintenance, and differentiation of cell types relevant to cultivated meat will support both academic and industry research efforts. This research could include… |
Cultivated
Fermentation
|
R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Cell culture media Target molecule selection | Seafood-relevant | Academics |
|
Growth factors from conditioned cell culture media
Rather than relying on recombinant growth factors, cultivated meat companies could use conditioned media from animal cells producing high levels of these molecules. |
Cultivated
Fermentation
|
R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Cell culture media Target molecule selection | Seafood-relevant | Academics Industry Startups |
|
Post-harvest processes and end product characterization for cultivated meat
A number of cellular processes occurring after slaughter are known to affect the quality and sensory properties of conventional meat. Cultivated meat will offer unprecedented control over these parameters and… |
Cultivated
|
End Products R&D | Bioprocess design Cell culture media End product formulation & manufacturing | Seafood-relevant | Academics Startups |
|
Pooled procurement/group purchasing for ingredients and inputs
Many alternative protein companies use similar inputs, but individually lack the purchasing power to negotiate favorable contract terms. A pooled procurement/group purchasing mechanism for ingredients, inputs (growth factors, media, etc.),… |
Cultivated
Fermentation
Plant-Based
|
Business Services Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Cell culture media Crop development Feedstocks | Species-agnostic | Industry NGO’s Startups |
|
Cultivated meat co-product valorization
Animal cell metabolism within cultivators can produce useful co-product side streams that provide monetary value to the manufacturer while creating a novel source of inputs for other industries. Potential side… |
Cultivated
|
R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Bioprocess design Cell culture media | Seafood-relevant | Academics Industry Startups |
|
Open-access formulations & optimization methods for cell culture media and growth factor cocktails
The availability of more open-access formulations will provide a foundation to enable both academic researchers and startup companies to develop their own customized formulations with far less effort and cost. |
Cultivated
|
R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Cell culture media | Seafood-relevant | Academics |
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.
