The global population is both growing and ageing, creating an urgent need for increased food production – particularly proteins. Despite their ideal nutritional profile, conventional production of animal proteins cannot meet this demand sustainably. The solutions to these challenges are out there. Precision fermentation – a biosolution that engineers microorganisms to produce specific, high-quality proteins – enables industrial-scale production with minimal environmental impact. However, promising molecular innovations often fail to make a meaningful impact or even reach commercialisation due to challenges in achieving cost-effective large-scale production.

21st.BIO was established to make industrial-scale precision fermentation technology accessible for protein production. With a license to Novonesis’ technology, the company has already developed several industrial programmes, enabling food tech, ingredient, and dairy companies to leverage the technology platform. This has resulted in the production of dairy proteins key to insuring the future of nutrition: beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, and caseins.

21st.BIO facilitates the production of essential proteins by providing access to industrial-scale precision fermentation technology. This approach has already led to the production of dairy proteins, such as 21st.BIO’s beta-lactoglobulin BLG essential+™, which offers exceptional nutrition, being rich in essential amino acids. Precision-fermented dairy proteins such as these, have already proved that they reduce land and water use and greenhouse gas emissions by over 90 percent compared to traditional animal agriculture. As one of the most sustainable production methods, precision fermentation is set to play a critical role in securing global supply chains and ensuring regional or national food self-sufficiency.