Intersecting precision fermentation for global cell-based food production innovation: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract

Precision fermentation represents an innovative cell-based production approach that employs synthetic biology and metabolic engineering tools, revolutionizing global food production by utilizing “microbial cell factories” to produce added-value ingredients. However, its global implementation is hindered by technological and scalability bottlenecks, regulatory fragmentation, regional accessibility and consumer acceptance, and nutritional trade-offs challenges. This review utilizes illustrated case studies and modeling analysis to present a detailed exploration of precision fermentation intersecting with global cell-based food production, discussing actionable research gaps and insights as well as advanced bioengineering practices and analytical techniques, to address these challenges for ongoing academic research, industrial applications and policy initiatives, thus supporting the transition of fermentation-enabled food production toward efficient and sustainable manufacturing. Moreover, attention is also dedicated to ethical concerns such as intellectual property monopolies and equitable technology access in low-resource regions. We highlighted crucial elements such as synthetic biology and metabolic engineering tools with advancements in precision nutrition, recognizing their crucial roles in large-scale fermentation-enabled production, market adoption, and elaborating on the “hidden hunger” hypotheses regarding the mechanism of potential “Nutritional starvation” risk and proposing mitigation strategies. Adopting computer-aided engineering (CAE), artificial intelligence (AI), and automation to refine fermentation processes presents promising avenues for enhancing production efficiency and sustainability, while the limitations of these tools and research priorities are also discussed. We further propose a visionary framework where upcoming food innovations meet consumer expectations for health and environmental responsibility, ultimately propelling the field of fermented food into a new era of technological sophistication and societal impact.