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 | Solution category | Value chain segment | Technology sector | Maturity level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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
|
Research | R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Cell culture media Target molecule selection | |
|
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
|
Commercial Research | R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Cell culture media Target molecule selection | 1 – Inception |
|
Producing animal-like fats through microbial fermentation
Microbial fermentation may be able to help us produce lipids that are identical or similar to animal fats—especially saturated fats, which are exceedingly rare in the plant kingdom. |
Fermentation
|
Commercial Research | R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Host strain development Target molecule selection | 1 – Inception |
|
Biological processing methods for isolating protein ingredients
Developing and commercializing biological processing methods for isolating and functionalizing protein ingredients |
Fermentation
Plant-Based
|
Commercial Research | R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Bioprocess design Feedstocks Ingredient optimization Target molecule selection | |
|
Biosynthetic pathway discovery for fermentation-produced molecules
Microbial biosynthetic pathways can be mined computationally to identify candidate pathways for manufacturing high-value ingredients via fermentation. |
Fermentation
|
Commercial Research | End Products R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Host strain development Target molecule selection | |
|
Fat production & encapsulation within oleaginous yeast
Oleaginous yeast with durable cell walls may be able to serve as natural methods of fat encapsulation to protect fats through manufacturing, storage, and preparation. |
Fermentation
|
Research | R&D Raw Materials, Ingredients, & Inputs | Host strain development Target molecule selection |
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.