REVIEWPaywalled
Pinon M, Falholt P, Schmidt TG et al.
Trends in biotechnology · 16 September 2026
An opinion article assesses precision-fermented milk proteins as alternatives to livestock-linked dairy supplies, with implications for food, clinical products and infant nutrition. It compares β-lactoglobulin, α-lactalbumin and caseins by nutritional role, food function, production difficulty and market readiness. The authors report that better microbial hosts, protein secretion and process design have brought production closer to industrial use. They conclude that scale, accurate post-translational processing and careful protein selection matter more than expressing the correct genetic sequence alone.
DOI 10.1016/j.tibtech.2026.07.026Read the paper ↗
REVIEWPaywalled
Smets J, Voordeckers K, Steensels J et al.
Trends in biotechnology · 16 September 2026
Kluyveromyces marxianus could support precision fermentation across several product classes, widening the choice of production organisms and feedstocks. The review examines work on bioethanol, organic acids, flavour compounds and enzymes. It considers strain screening, fermentation design, temperature, pH and oxygen supply. The authors link the yeast’s fast growth, tolerance of heat and acidity, varied substrate use and genetic diversity with its production potential. Better engineering tools help, but strain choice and process control remain decisive.
DOI 10.1016/j.tibtech.2026.07.016Read the paper ↗
REVIEWPaywalled
Lee GW, Song HY, Kim BM et al.
Current opinion in biotechnology · 101 · 16 September 2026
A review examines microbial bile acid conversion as a way to control metabolites linking diet and gut microbes with human metabolism and immunity. It surveys synthetic biology methods that rebuild bile acid pathways as modules in manageable microbial hosts. It also covers process optimisation, computational design, biosensors and encapsulation for improving scale and predictability. Such control could support pharmabiotics, functional foods and personalised microbiome treatments, but the abstract reports no performance data for these applications.
DOI 10.1016/j.copbio.2026.103572Read the paper ↗
RESEARCH ARTICLEPaywalled
Gao Y, Chen C, Yang D et al.
Food & function · 16 September 2026
High-pressure homogenisation broke down mycoprotein structures and improved digestion under simulated older-adult conditions, which could aid the design of high-protein foods for ageing populations. Researchers compared untreated and treated mycoprotein with pork and commercial plant-based meat in a static oral, gastric and intestinal model. Treatment left major nutrient composition largely unchanged, cut mean particle size by more than 80% during digestion and increased hydrolysis. Free amino acid release neared pork levels and exceeded the untreated and plant products. The case for older-adult foods is credible, but remains laboratory-based.
DOI 10.1039/d6fo02720bRead the paper ↗
REVIEWPaywalled
Peng B, Tominaga M, Ishii J et al.
Metabolic engineering · 16 September 2026
A review examines how methanol-using yeasts can make and release food proteins, a key constraint on the cost, output and function of precision-fermented ingredients. It centres on Komagataella phaffii and covers dairy proteins, inputs for plant-based and cultivated meat, and sweet proteins. The authors assess genome editing, gene-control systems, secretion-pathway changes and glycosylation engineering as routes to improve yield and product quality. They conclude that progress also depends on linking strain design with industrial process development.
DOI 10.1016/j.ymben.2026.102532Read the paper ↗
PREPRINTPaywalled
Nifatova O, Danko Y, Volchenko N et al.
Preprints.org · 16 September 2026
Researchers reviewed Scopus-indexed literature on plant, microbial, cultivated and insect proteins, using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer to map publication trends and compare environmental, economic, technical, nutritional and social factors. Research has moved from individual production methods towards sustainability, circularity, life-cycle impacts and consumer acceptance. Plant-based options lead on maturity and cost, while microbial and insect systems aid resource reuse. Cultivated meat best matches conventional meat but faces high costs and energy use. No single approach leads on every measure, so mixed systems offer the soundest route.
DOI 10.20944/preprints202608.0797.v1Read the paper ↗
REVIEWPaywalled
Lee DY, Bok CH, Shin YW et al.
Critical reviews in food science and nutrition · 16 September 2026
Researchers reviewed agricultural by-products as possible lower-cost, sustainable ingredients for cell culture media, because current formulations face cost, ethics, safety and consistency limits. They classified livestock, seafood, plant and secondary-processing sources, then mapped them to basal nutrients, serum replacement, growth factors, antibiotic alternatives, scaffolds and additives. Livestock sera and plasma proteins supported proliferation comparable with FBS. Fish collagen peptides and microalgal extracts had growth-factor-like or scaffold uses. Variable composition, uncertain long-term safety, limited scale-up testing and uneven regulation still block broad industrial adoption.
DOI 10.1080/10408398.2026.2728303Read the paper ↗