·· ·· ··
Editor
CELL-AG

RESEARCH ARTICLE

State of the alternative protein research and innovation ecosystem in France, 2020-2025

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 20 August 2026 · DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20143921

GFI Europe assessed France’s alternative-protein research and innovation landscape using screened records from Dimensions.ai and its Research Grants Tracker. Publication and funding analysis covered 2020–2025, while patents covered 2015–2025. France recorded 1,010 patents, third in Europe, but only 276 peer-reviewed papers, ranking seventh. Papers rose from 27 to 77 annually and mostly addressed plant proteins; cultivated-meat work was limited and largely consumer-focused. Public support totaled at least €29 million, was mainly plant-based, peaked in 2023, and had the lowest per-person level among Europe’s ten highest-funded countries.

Read the paper →

Related

Enzyme-mediated dye degradation

Kinetic phenotyping of Fusarium venenatum A3/5 across waste-relevant carbon substrates

Fusarium venenatum A3/5 used waste-relevant carbon sources in markedly different ways, affecting feedstock choices for mycoprotein production. Researchers combined microlitre cultures, optical-density calibration, UHPLC time series and Gompertz models. Glucose and sucrose enabled fast growth but produced low biomass yields and substantial ethanol. Fructose gave the highest yield, at 0.49 g/g, while lactose consumption reached only 34% after 234.5 hours. An expired functional drink produced 18.37 g/L biomass, versus 12.49 g/L for a matched synthetic control. Beverage waste was the strongest tested feedstock, but evidence covers one real waste stream.

27 September 2026

Science digest

Toward Rational Design of Precision-Fermented Milk Proteins: Integrating Cross-Species Selection, Post-Translational Modification, and AI Optimization.

A review maps how milk proteins from humans, cows, goats and camels could be chosen and made through precision fermentation, addressing design gaps in target selection and protein processing. It compares sequences, structures and post-production modifications, then assesses host engineering, scale-up, purification and AI methods. Human proteins suit infant nutrition and immune uses, while ruminant proteins fit current expression systems better. α-Lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin need fewer modifications than caseins and lactoferrin. AI cannot yet optimise yield, folding and modification accuracy together, leaving scale-up, glycoengineering and regulation unresolved.

27 September 2026